FEBRUARY 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.

Staffing Your Lab

Thursday, February 23

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom

 Staffing your lab with the right people is one of the most important things you can do to manage a successful research program. This session focuses on making the best hiring decisions, beginning with tips on how to attract postdocs and techs to your lab, which can be challenging if you are an early stage investigator. This session will provide advice on how to interview and evaluate applicants. The session will conclude with advice for handling staffing situations that aren’t working, including how to handle terminating an employee’s contract, which is always difficult – and hopefully can be avoided by identifying and recruiting the best employees at the outset.

Speaker: Achsah D. Keegan, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Associate Director, Medical Scientist Training Program, UMSOM

Time Management

Tuesday, March 14

1:00 – 2:00pm

Hybrid Session: HSRF III, Room 1010 (1st floor) & Zoom

Early stage faculty face many demands on their time, and need to be strategic in identifying requests that are appropriate and which they can fulfill, as well as those which are beyond their field of expertise or may be too time consuming at an early stage in their career. Dr. McCarthy will address some of the most difficult scenarios facing new faculty: when to say “yes” to requests for service, teaching, collaborating, etc., and when – and how- to say “no” to requests, especially when these requests are made by senior faculty/your chairman. 

Dr. McCarthy will provide criteria for identifying requests that may further a junior faculty member’s career. She will also provide tips for declining requests professionally, and in a way that leaves the door open to opportunities subsequently. She will conclude this session with tips for managing your time strategically.

Speaker: Margaret M. McCarthy, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology; Director, Program in Neuroscience, UMSOM

Overview of NIH Career Development (K) Awards

Tuesday, March 7

9:00 – 10:30am (lecture)

10:30 - 11:00 (optional breakout sessions)

Hybrid Session: HSRF III, Room 1010 (1st floor) & Zoom

 This seminar is intended for new/junior faculty who are considering applying for an NIH career development (K) award and will help determine if it is an appropriate mechanism for their research and further training. This seminar is intended as an introduction to NIH K awards (K01, K08, K23) and will not cover how to write an NIH K award (a small interactive course on writing a K award will be available in the fall of 2023). The following subjects will be covered:

• Components of a K award
• Eligibility and competitiveness for a K award
• Preliminary steps, including developing a fundable research question, identifying your mentor(s) and communicating with your Program Officer
• Review Criteria for a K Award

The session will conclude with optional 30-minute breakout sessions. During the breakout sessions participants will have the opportunity to interact with CARTI to discuss questions related to their grant application, including identifying alternative career development awards.

Speaker: Marey Shriver, PhD, Executive Director for Faculty Development, Center for Advanced Research Training & Innovation (CARTI), UMSOM 

Ethical Considerations in Determining Authorship

Thursday, February 16

9:00 – 10:00am

Hybrid Session: MSTF Room 354 & Zoom

Being published in a peer-reviewed journal is a crucial aspect of a researcher’s career and a common metric by which productivity is gauged. Thus, as a form of ‘currency’, disputes and conflicts of interest involving authorship frequently occur, requiring careful consideration of the scientific community standards by which individuals should be identified as an author. This session will discuss modern trends in authorship and ethical considerations when determining authorship.

Speaker: Adam Puche, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair, Department Anatomy & Neurobiology, UMSOM

Common Strategies in Scientific Writing

Thursday, March 9

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom

Scientific papers that are organized and structured in ways that speak to the expectations of most editors and reviewers tend to have higher rates of acceptance; however, many scientists are unsure of how to present their research in a way that makes it easier for readers to follow along. This seminar focuses on common strategies in writing scientific research papers with a primary emphasis on organization and sentence structure. The session will review examples from various scientific disciplines to illustrate these principles and leave participants with some tangible action steps on how to review their own writing before submitting it to a journal.

Speaker: Isabell May, PhD, Associate Professor, Director, Science Communication Program, Graduate School; Director, Writing Center, UMB

Holding Effective Lab Meetings

Wednesday, February 22

1:00 – 1:30pm

Zoom

Regularly occurring laboratory meetings are essential for enhancing information sharing, productivity, and a sense of community within a research team. This 30-minute session will discuss recommendations for holding effective lab meetings that are focused, productive, and engage all members within the laboratory. Additionally, we will discuss strategies for making the most of virtual lab meetings.

Speaker: Donna Calu, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, UMSOM

Introduction to PIVOT Funding Database

Wednesday, March 15

9:00 – 9:30am

Zoom

Identifying sources of funding is a major challenge when trying to secure funding for a research project. To help make the search process easier for our faculty, fellows, staff and students, UMB has an institutional membership to PIVOT. PIVOT is a comprehensive, searchable database containing funding opportunities for all research disciplines and includes opportunities from federal, private, and international funding agencies. During this 30-minute session, participants will learn how to set up an account and profile, conduct basic and advanced searches and navigate and share search results.

Speaker: Emily Boydston, MBA, Assistant Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Office of Development, UMSOM

Developing Your Research Question, Hypothesis, and Specific Aims

Wednesday, February 8

10:00 – 11:00am

Hybrid Session: HSRF III, Room 1010 (1st floor) & Zoom

Explaining the fundamental idea of your research project on paper is essential for writing grants. The purpose of this seminar is to help faculty in composing and clearly describing their underlying research question, hypothesis, and specific aims. This session will include tips for developing your research question and how to progress to defining your hypothesis and specific aims.

Speaker: Marey Shriver, PhD, Executive Director for Faculty Development, Center for Advanced Research Training & Innovation (CARTI), UMSOM 

NIH Basics: Understanding Grant Mechanisms, Funding Announcements, and using NIH RePORTER

Tuesday, February 21

9:00 – 10:00am

Hybrid Session: HSRF III, Room 1010 (1st floor) & Zoom

Understanding the NIH organizational structure, how to identify the right funding mechanism and announcement, and the grants review process is an essential first step before applying for NIH funding. This session will provide an overview of the NIH grants process, as well as, helpful resources for early stage faculty not familiar with NIH funding. This workshop will cover topics including: an overview of the different NIH funding mechanisms; identifying Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs); using NIH RePORTER; and the NIH system of Peer Review.

Speaker: Marey Shriver, PhD, Executive Director for Faculty Development, Center for Advanced Research Training & Innovation (CARTI), 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

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

University of Maryland School of Nursing

Research Seminar Series

FERPA in Research

Thursday, February 16

12:00 - 1:00pm

Webex

Please join the University of Maryland School of Nursing as they host a seminar by the UMB Office of Accountability and Compliance’s (OAC) on compliance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) when conducting research with students. 

Speaker: Stephanie Suerth, MPA, CCEP Acting Title IX Coordinator, Director, Special Projects, SON Office of Accountability & Compliance

UMB Graduate School

Applications are now 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

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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