APRIL 2023

NEWSLETTER

The Center for Advanced Research Training & Innovation (CARTI) newsletter lists upcoming events, resources, services and grant deadlines for UMB research faculty and fellows. To register for CARTI's upcoming events, click HERE.

Establishing Collaborations and Creating Your Network

Tuesday, April 18

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom

Collaborations are a crucial aspect of developing and maintaining a successful research program and should be developed and maintained carefully. Often, early stage faculty are uncertain as to how to identify the best collaborators, as well as how to obtain the most meaningful input from collaborators. This session will cover:

• How to build successful collaborations and maintain relationships
• How to Identify venues to network and how to create your own networking opportunities
• The importance of establishing a network for career progression
• Challenges early stage investigators often face when collaborating and how to deal with them effectively
• How to make the meeting/conference experience professionally useful
• Using social media to network

Speaker: Lynn Schriml, PhD, Associate Professor, Institute for Genome Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UMSOM

Developing Feedback Resilience as a Researcher

Tuesday, May 16

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom 

Researchers receive difficult feedback throughout their career, including after the review of a manuscript or grant, during a presentation, or during an annual review. While feedback is often intended to provide suggestions for improvement, it can be challenging to receive. This session will include a panel discussion on common strategies for interpreting and managing difficult feedback throughout your career, including suggestions for incorporating feedback to improve when appropriate.  

Panelists:

Tonya Webb, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UMSOM

Rosemary Kozar MD, PhD, Professor of Surgery, Co-Director of Shock Trauma Anesthesia Research (STAR) Center, UMSOM



Thomas Blanpied, PhD, Professor, Department of Physiology, UMSOM

Resubmitting Your NIH Grant Application

Tuesday, April 11

11:00am – 12:00pm

Zoom

This session will discuss considerations for resubmitting an NIH grant application following peer review, including considerations for revising the application or submitting a new application. In addition, discussion will include NIH policies for resubmission, understanding reviewers’ comments, and writing the one-page introduction for a revision.

Speaker: Jonathan Lederer, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Physiology, UMSOM

Getting Your Protocol Through the IRB

Tuesday, May 30

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom 

This seminar will cover the basics of conducting human subjects research at UMB. Included within the discussion will be an introduction to the Human Research Protections Program (HRPP), the basics of conducting research at UMB, principal investigators' responsibilities, as well as a discussion of the Comprehensive Institutional Collaborative Evaluation of Research On-line (CICERO) program for submitting and reviewing human subjects research protocols. Recent changes to the federal regulations concerning human subjects research known as the “Common Rule” will also be discussed.

Speaker: Jon Mark Hirshon, MD, MPH, PhD, Chair, IRB; Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine; Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UMSOM

Writing and Conducting a Systematic Review

Thursday, April 27   

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom

This seminar provides an overview of the systematic review process. According to the Cochrane Handbook, a systematic review is “...a review of a clearly formulated question that uses systematic and explicit methods to identify, select and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect and analyze data from the studies that are included in the review.” This differs from narrative reviews, which are often authored by experts in a field and are generally narrative summaries of a topic. Find out what you should know before starting, important steps for conducting a review and resources to help you throughout the process, including the HSHSL Systematic Review Service.

Speaker: Emily Gorman, MLIS, Research and Education Librarian, School of Pharmacy Librarian, Health Sciences and Human Services Library, UMB

Responding to Reviewers

Thursday, May 4   

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom

The ability to effectively respond to reviewers is an important aspect of resubmitting a research paper and having it accepted for publication; however, this process can be a daunting task. During this session, participants will receive helpful advice on how to best respond to reviewers’ comments when resubmitting a research paper.

Speaker: Shannon Takala Harrison, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Public Health, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, UMSOM

Creating a Data Management Plan with DMPTool

Wednesday, April 19

1:00 – 1:30pm

Zoom

Effective January 25, 2023, NIH has issued the Data Management and Sharing Policy (NIH DMSP) to promote the sharing of scientific data. This new policy requires that all grant applications submitted include a data management and sharing plan. During this 30-minute seminar, participants will learn how to create a data management plan (DMP) using the DMPTool. The DMPTool is a free, open-source, online application that helps researchers create data management plans and provides data management best practices resources.

Speakers:

Amy Yarnell, MLS, Data Services Librarian, Center for Data and Bioinformation Services, Health Sciences and Human Services Library, UMB

Irmarie Fraticelli-Rodriguez, Data Services Librarian, Center for Data and Bioinformation Services, Health Sciences and Human Services Library, UMB

Funding Opportunities Through the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)

Wednesday, May 3

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom

The US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) offers a number of funding opportunities available to faculty and postdocs. Dr. Ivey will introduce participants to the various types of grant applications available through the VA, including eligibility requirements, tips for applying, and insights into the review process. 

Speaker: Frederick M. Ivey, PhD, Deputy Associate Chief of Staff for Research & Development, Baltimore VA Medical Center

Funding Success at the

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Tips for Identifying the Right Funding Opportunity and Applying to the NSF

Wednesday, May 17

 2:00 – 3:30pm 

Zoom

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency and funds basic research and education in most fields of science and engineering. This seminar will focus on grantsmanship and funding opportunities offered by NSF.

Major subjects will include:

·        The NSF’s mission

·        Identifying the right NSF funding opportunity

·        Specific biology-related funding opportunities

·        How to apply

·        Elements of a competitive proposal

·        NSF Review Process

Target audience: Faculty and senior postdoctoral fellows.

For more information on NSF funding, visit: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/

Speaker: Edda (Floh) Thiels, PhD, Program Director, Neural Systems Cluster, National Science Foundation

Scholarly Writing Accountability Group (SWAG) Program

Virtual Program to Help Faculty Increase Their Scholarly Writing Productivity

The Center for Advanced Research Training & Innovation (CARTI) provides a virtual peer accountability/support program designed to increase writing productivity among UMB early stage faculty called Scholarly Writing Accountability Group (SWAG). A description of our virtual SWAG program follows, including details on how to participate.

What is a VIRTUAL SWAG?

A virtual SWAG is an active peer-led writing group for UMB junior faculty that meets for 1-hour, once a week over a 10-week period using Microsoft Teams. Groups follow a structured agenda including 15 minutes of updates and goal-setting followed by 30 minutes of individual writing and then 15 minutes of reporting and wrap-up. Each group is limited to 4-8 members who must commit to attending at least 8 out of the 10 weekly sessions. In a SWAG, there is no peer review of writing; SWAGs focus on the process of writing, not the content. The purpose of SWAG is to help junior faculty get in the habit of 1) writing in short blocks of time daily or almost every day and 2) identifying and prioritizing feasible writing goals.

Writing accountability groups are being used at multiple major medical schools. The data which have been reported on the results of this program are very favorable, reflecting marked increases in the quantity and quality of writing by junior faculty participants.

What are the Benefits of Joining a SWAG?

Faculty who join SWAG will:

• Develop new writing habits to achieve writing goals
• Improved time management skills
• Gain a greater sense of control over the writing process
•  Build a small community of support/social network

Registration

New SWAGs at UMB are being formed on a rolling basis. If you’re interested in participating, please submit the following REQUEST FORM.

Questions? Email Stacie Mendoza

CARTI'S Seminar Slides & Recordings

CARTI'S Individual Consultations

CARTI'S Mini LIbrary

Office of Postdoctoral Scholars

Responsible Conduct of Research Training

The Office of Postdoctoral Scholars offers ten sessions on the topics related to responsible conduct of research (authorship, collaborative research, conflicts of interest, secure data acquisition and management, safe and inclusive research environments, mentoring, peer review, research misconduct, policies regarding human and animal subjects and safe lab practices, and research ethics and society).

Each month a different faculty member from UMB with expertise on that topic provides a lecture lasting 30 minutes to one hour which is then followed by a small group discussion on case studies led by discussion moderators for 30 minutes.

Participants who complete all 10 sessions will receive a letter and certificate of completion. Junior faculty members with NIH training grants are welcome to attend this series and can also serve as small group facilitators.

Registration

Please contact Renee Cockerham (rcockerham@som.umaryland.edu) to learn the details of registering for this series.

University of Maryland School of Nursing

Research Seminar Series

Trust in Research Using Digital Devices

Thursday, April 20

12:00 - 1:00pm

Webex

Please join the UMSON's Office of Research and Scholarship as they host Katie Shilton, PhD, Associate Professor and Program Co-Director of the BS in Social Data Science, University of Maryland, College Park for her talk about Trust in Research Using Digital Devices.

The Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) 

Baltimore Chapter

The Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) is a non-profit, charitable and educational membership organization committed to providing education, certification, and networking opportunities to all persons involved in clinical research activities. 

The Baltimore Chapter's monthly meetings are open to the public.  Below is the topic for the next meeting:

Deviations, Root Causes and CAPAs… oh my!

Monday, April 17

12:00 - 1:00pm

Zoom

Please join the first April Baltimore SOCRA meeting as they host Alyssa Gateman, MPH, CCRP, Executive Director, Yale Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office and Senior Advisor, Quality Assurance, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation.

Ms. Gateman will discuss how to identify and assess protocol deviations, including strategies for conducting root causes analysis (RCA) so the viewer can understand the steps of developing robust Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) plans.

2023 Passano Award Lecture

Invite to Attend

UMSOM, Institute of Human Virology (IHV)

Clinical Research Unit

Attention Clinical Investigators!

Are you interested in Clinical Research? IHV can help!

The Clinical Research Unit of the Institute of Human Virology is a complete fee-for-service research unit that can assist you in all your research goals.



• Start-up, contracting, IRB
• Study coordination
• Research visits requiring airborne isolation precautions
• Phlebotomy
• Lab processing, PBMC collection, storage and shipping



Contact the CRU for more information: 410-706-1684 or Rchiu@ihv.umaryland.edu 

Please include a short description of the study of interest in any email.

UMB Graduate School

Applications are being accepted by the UMB Graduate School for the following:

• Master of Science in Epidemiology and Clinical Research – Clinical Research Track
• Certificate Program in Clinical Research

 Both are designed specifically to meet the needs of clinicians and scientists who want further education and training to develop a successful career as a clinical and translational investigator. Graduates will gain the ability to identify important clinical research questions, develop research protocols, generate pilot data, conduct clinical research, analyze and write the results in a publishable form and develop and submit grant proposals. Former students include faculty members (particularly those on or applying for career development awards), fellows, residents and medical and dental students.

Please see the details and application deadline for each below:

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CLINICAL RESEARCH – CLINICAL RESEARCH TRACK

• 30 credits
• Eligible for tuition remission
• Designed for clinicians and clinicians-in-training wanting to develop a successful clinical research career

Early Admission Deadline: March 1, 2023

Final Application Deadline: May 15, 2023

For more information, visit the WEBSITE

In particular, read the "Frequently asked questions" for each.

CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN CLINICAL RESEARCH

• 12 credits
• Eligible for tuition remission
• For clinicians and scientists who do not have time to do a full MS but need to gain skills not covered in their health profession or graduate education

Early Admission Deadline: March 1, 2023

Final Application Deadline: May 15, 2023

For more information, visit the WEBSITE

In particular, read the "Frequently asked questions" for each.

For an individual consultation on whether this training is appropriate for you, please contact Jennifer Albrecht, PhD at jalbrecht@som.umaryland.edu

CLINICAL INFORMATICS CERTIFICATE & CLINICAL INFORMATICS (MS)

Enhance your professional skills in Clinical Informatics with an online 12-credit graduate certificate or the hybrid 34-credit Clinical Informatics MS. These programs are designed for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, other healthcare professionals, biologists, and computer scientists who are committed to improving the quality of patient care by analyzing information collected by healthcare organizations. Learn how to apply biomedical data, computational systems, and clinical process improvement to the practice of medicine, in order to enhance health outcomes, improve patient care, and strengthen the clinician-patient relationship. Applications are now open. The deadline is July 1.

Interested in hearing more about the program curriculum, application process and career options? Join us Wednesday, April 12^th at 5PM for an information session.

Funding Opportunities

Seeking Foundation Funding for your Research?

The SOM’s Office of Development, Corporate and Foundation Relations, provides services and resources to assist UMSOM faculty with identifying private foundation funding for research, programs, educational initiative, and community outreach at the local, regional, and national level. Visit their website for more information and to schedule an appointment. 

Additional funding opportunities can be found at:

 UMSOM Internal Funding Opportunities & External Funding Databases

UMGCCC Funding Database

(Cancer related research)

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