The inaugural Public Health Showcase was a huge success, with more than 200 participants registered and 86 posters presented!

Thank you to all who helped plan the event, attended, judged, and participated!

To help us shape the next Public Health Showcase, please provide feedback by completing the event evaluation survey



Evaluation Survey: https://redcap.uky.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=3D9A887JKCPKAREA

Tuesday, April 12, 2023 | 12-1PM

Via Zoom

Watch as Jon Fox and Rahul Agrawal cover the use of different Slicer Dicer models available and new features available after the June 11th upgrade. SlicerDicer allows you to choose and search a specific patient population to answer questions about diagnoses, demographics, and procedures performed.

The CCTS Biomedical Informatics (BMI) Core provides access to biomedical informatics expertise, technologies, and data management platforms to CCTS members. The CCTS BMI team integrates staff and faculty across the CCTS BMI Core, Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBI) and Division of Biomedical Informatics within the College of Medicine. 

Registration is Required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

On behalf of SUPRA and the UK Cannabis Center you are invited to a Zoom presentation from Dr. Tom Freeman from Bath University in the United Kingdom occurring this week. Dr. Freeman is an internationally recognized expert in cannabis science, including cannabinoid pharmacology, cannabis use disorder and cannabis impact on mental health. 

Presenter: Dr. Tom Freeman

Date: Thursday, April 13 2023

Time: 10-11 am EST

Zoom Registration Link: Cannabis Harm Reduction – Tom Freeman

Dr. Freeman’s Bio:

Dr Tom Freeman is the Director of the Addiction and Mental Health Group, an interdisciplinary research group bridging the departments of Psychology and Life Sciences at the University of Bath, UK. He is an elected Trustee and Director of the Society for the Study of Addiction, and Senior Editor for the journal Addiction. He has worked with several international organizations, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the European Union Drugs Agency, the UK National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, and the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Dr Freeman is known for his research on cannabis and cannabinoids and has won international awards for his contribution to the fields of addiction and psychopharmacology. His research includes observational studies characterizing changes in cannabis products and their association with addiction and mental health outcomes, novel harm reduction strategies such as the standard THC unit (similar to the standard alcohol unit), the potential of cannabidiol to influence the effects of cannabis, and clinical trials of cannabidiol as a treatment for cannabis use disorder. 

UK Faculty in Medicine, Computer Science, and Engineering are excited to work with undergraduate students who have an interest in Artificial Intelligence theories, methodologies, and tool development applied in the healthcare field. 

The Deadline to Apply is April 15th!

Current Opportunities focused in:

• Machine Learning
• Drug Discovery
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Genetics
• Artificial Intelligence
• Medical Imaging
• Bioinformatics
• Medical Image Synthesis

Contact James Aaron James.Aaron@uky.edu with any questions.  

April 11, 2023 | 12-1PM

The Office of the Vice President for Research is hosting a series of lectures by the 2022 University Research Professors. 

David W. Fardo (Biostatistics, College of Public Health)

"Statistical genetics at the University of Kentucky"

Join via Zoom: https://uky.zoom.us/j/9251686420#success

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Director Bob Valdez will lead an open conversation during the organizational members-only briefing on Wednesday, April 19 at 2:00p.m. ET. This is an exclusive opportunity for you and the colleagues at your organization to hear directly from Director Valdez on the critical healthcare challenges AHRQ will be tackling this year, including:  

1. How to deliver the best care to those with Long COVID
2. Preventing medical errors through diagnostic safety research, and
3. Improving and reforming primary care

Each funder who has participated in these intimate gatherings has addressed the best ways researchers can increase their chances of success in getting their research funded: address the priorities of the funders. This conversation will give you a deep dive into the challenges AHRQ is working to overcome and provide you with the insight you and your team are looking for.

CPH Health Management and Policy Department is an AcademyHealth Organizational member.

Anyone with interest in attending can reach out to Teresa Waters (Teresa.Waters@uky.edu) who can facilitate your attendance.

The deadline to complete Responsible Conduct of Research In-Person Training/Discussion is May 31, 2023. To find available session dates, visit the RCR Events page. Sessions are added as they become available.

Center for Cancer and Metabolism COBRE Pilot Awards

The Center for Cancer and Metabolism’s (CCM) pilot program funds projects focused on cancer or metabolism. Pilot grants awarded through this program should have the potential to generate competitive extramural applications and peer-reviewed publications.

Applications due: May 17, 2023

Presentations: July 17, 2023

Anticipated start date: January 1, 2024

The CCM will offer up to four pilot projects this year at $50,000 each. The project period will be from January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024, and all funds must be spent by the project period end date. Awards will be made following approval by the CCM’s Executive Committee, External Advisory Committee, and the NIH.

Eligibility and Awardee Commitments

• CCM pilots are open to any UK faculty member with an interest in any aspects of cancer, genetics, epigenetics or metabolism.
• Pilot projects will be required to use one of the two CCM cores (Imaging or Metabolism). This requirement does not preclude the use of other available core facilities. 
• Awardees will be asked to participate in CCM meetings to present their work and progress on their project.
• Awardees are required to acknowledge the support of the CCM in their resulting grants and publications. Pilot awardees are also required to submit an annual progress report to CCM administration for review at the end of their project period (or two months after its closing date).

Review Process

• Complete applications will be reviewed and scored by the CCM Internal Advisory Board and other senior faculty at UK whose research aligns with the proposed pilot project.
• Reviewers will use the standard NIH (1-9) scoring system.
• Funding recommendations will be made by the CCM Executive Committee in conjunction with the CCM External Advisory Committee.
• The CCM External Advisory Committee will have a meeting on July 17, 2023. Applications that receive the highest preliminary scores will be asked to give a brief presentation the afternoon of July 17 in order to be approved by the CCM External Advisory Committee. 
• Following the CCM External Advisory Committee meeting, NIH/NIGMS will exercise final approval of all pilots funded through the CCM. Before a pilot project can begin, NIH/NIGMS must receive the items listed below. CCM staff will coordinate NIH/NIGMS approvals for applications slated for potential funding.
• Face page
• Project summary
• Research strategy
• Confirmation of External Advisory Committee approval
• PHS FORMS H - Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information Form (including any forms/documents that are required based on responses to the questions within that form; this may include Protection of Human Subjects, Inclusion Enrollment Table, etc.)
• Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval
• Human Subjects Education Certification (required even when research is exempt)
• Vertebrate Animal Section (if applicable)

Application Format and Contents

Combine the files listed below in the following order, into one PDF document. Applications should be submitted to J. Bybee (jennifer.bybee@uky.edu) before 5 pm on May 17, 2023.

Materials should be submitted with 0.5” margins and in Arial 11 font.

Use NIH PHS 398 forms, page limit guidelines and relevant directives for the following materials (required):

• Face page
• Project summary. Include a statement about how the work performed under this award will be used to generate NIH grant proposals. 
• Budget
• Budget justification (no page limit)
• Biosketch of PI and co-investigators
• Specific Aims (limited to 1 page)
• Research strategy (limited to 6 pages)
• References (optional)
• PHS FORMS E - Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information Form (including any forms/documents that are required based on responses to the questions within that form; this may include Protection of Human Subjects, Inclusion Enrollment Table, etc.)
• Documentation of IRB and/or IACUC status (submitted, pending, etc.) and/or approvals for this project (required)
• Vertebrate Animal Section (if applicable)
• Letters of support (optional)

Budget Information

• PI effort is required and the NIH salary cap applies.
• Voluntary cost share is typically not allowed at the University of Kentucky. However, if cost sharing is proposed, it must be well justified and approved by the department chair and/or center director, assistant dean for research, and Kim C. Carter, Executive Director of the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) before the award funding will be made available.
• Multiple PIs are not permitted.
• Subcontracts are not permitted.
• Budgets should include direct and anticipated F&A costs. Direct costs are limited to $50,000..
• One week prior to application due date, please submit the budget to Rachel Grace LeComte at Rachel.lecomte@uky.edu for compliance review.

Performing this review with RCO staff will help identify any budgetary issues that would prevent your project from starting in a timely manner, should it be selected for funding. Please address programmatic or other specific application questions to Nathan Vanderford, PhD, MBA (nathan.vanderford@uky.edu).  

The Disparities Researchers Equalizing Access for Minorities (DREAM) Scholars Program, a collaboration between the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), College of Nursing, and the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET), has funding to support the career development of exceptional Predocs, Post-docs and Assistant Professors who are committed to health equity research with an emphasis on under-represented minority (URM). Five Scholars will be selected from a competitive application process. 

The DREAM Scholars Program will provide access to a solid foundation in career development and core human subject’s research, with an emphasis on health equity research methods (e.g. community-based participatory research, dissemination and implementation). The duration of the program is two years (August 15, 2023 – May 30, 2025). DREAM Scholars will be required to participate in twice monthly 1.5-hour meetings that will be comprised of research/career development seminars and opportunities to present chalk talks and works in progress. Scholars are required to attend an annual two-day writing retreat. Scholars will be expected to produce scholarly products, such as abstracts, manuscripts and grant submissions. 

Support Provided: The DREAM Scholars Program doesn’t provide salary support; however, each appointment year Scholars will receive up to $2,500 in pilot funding and $1,500 of travel funds to attend or present at a national research or career development conference. Progress in the program will be reviewed annually. Contingent upon satisfactory progress in the program and available funding, Scholars will be supported for two years. 

Deadline: Monday, May 8, 2023, by 11:59 p.m

Agency: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration     

Description: The purpose of this program is to help reduce the onset and progression of substance misuse and its related problems by supporting the development and delivery of community-based substance misuse prevention and mental health promotion services. The program is intended to expand and strengthen the capacity of local community prevention providers to implement evidence-based prevention programs. The SPF-PFS program is grounded in the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), a community engagement model grounded in public health principles, including being data-driven and focused on providing evidence-based services to underserved communities. The SPF process includes five steps (assessment, capacity, planning, implementation, and evaluation) and two guiding principles (cultural competence and sustainability). This process offers prevention planners a comprehensive approach to understanding and addressing the substance misuse and related behavioral health problems facing their communities.

SPF-PFS recipients focus on strengthening community-level prevention capacity to identify and address local substance use prevention concerns, such as underage drinking, marijuana, tobacco, electronic cigarettes, opioids, methamphetamine, and heroin. Using local, state, and national substance use public health data, recipients will identify prevention priorities in their communities, and develop and implement strategies to prevent the misuse of substances and promote mental health and well-being among youth and adults. Recipients will utilize a data-driven approach to identify underserved communities and sub-populations of focus. In accordance with Executive Order 13985, the term “underserved communities” refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life. SAMHSA encourages award recipients to build strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, other community-based organizations, and local level agencies to expand the prevention infrastructure in their community.

Additionally, the program’s aim is to provide evidence-based services to underserved communities while promoting mental health and well-being. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), in 2021, 46.3 million people aged 12 or older (or 16.5% of this population) had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year, including 24.0 million who had an alcohol use disorder and 24.0 million who had a drug use disorder. In 2021, the estimates of past year SUD among people aged 12 or older was highest among American Indian or Alaska Native People (27.6%) compared to the estimates for people in all other racial/ethnic groups. Applicants who document that more than 50 percent of their total population(s) of focus will be in underserved communities that are greatly impacted by SUD will be awarded bonus points. To identify underserved communities and sub-populations, the following resources are available:

• National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH): https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/nsduh-national-survey-drug-useand-health
• Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS): https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS): https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.html
• Monitoring the Future (MTF): https://nida.nih.gov/drug-topics/trendsstatistics/monitoring-future

The aforementioned list of resources is not a definitive list of available data resources. Applicants are encouraged to utilize other data sources and studies that include categories such as sexual orientation and gender identity to identify underserved communities and sub-populations. The SPF-PFS program is authorized under Section 516 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

Announcement Number: SP-23-004

Closing Date: June 5, 2023