ICTR August 2020 Newsletter                             
In This Issue

  • Covid-19 Specimen Biobank for Research
  • Clinical Research Center Available for Non-Covid19 Studies
  • New Research Platform for Health Data
  • Lifecourse Zoom Seminar Series
Covid-19 Specimen Biobank
The Biorepository has established a specimen bank of samples from Covid-19 patients that are left over after clinical tests were performed, thanks to the department of Pathology. The Covid-19 Biobank consisting of >2,000 patients is available to Einstein-Montefiore investigators.

The samples include serum, plasma, whole blood, and urine, the majority obtained at single time points (in some patients, follow-up samples are also available). All specimens are de-identified, with limited clinical annotation; additional annotation with EMR data is in process. The Biorepository will terminate Covid-19 specimen collection on July 31, 2020.

If you have questions about the Covid-19 Biobank, the process for obtaining specimens, and required documentation, please contact us at ictr@einsteinmed.org . To be eligible for specimen distribution, you will be required to submit the attached form by email, as indicated. A Covid-19 Biobank faculty review committee (Drs. Harris Goldstein, Liise-anne Pirofski, Amy Fox, and Daniel Stein) will evaluate and prioritize requests.
Welcome Back to the Clinical Research Center
The Einstein-Montefiore Clinical Research Center (CRC) is now welcoming investigators and their teams back to resume approved research studies on both the east and west campus outpatient units. The CRC will continue to follow strict Covid-19 precautions and guidelines, including limiting the number of rooms available for use, as well as the number of study personnel on the unit to ensure the safety of participants and research staff.  
 
To learn more about the CRC and how it can facilitate your research, click here . Please contact Minka Chikolareva or Elizabeth Castro to get started.
ATLAS: A New Research Platform for Health Data
Last month, the  Center for Health Data Innovations  (CHDI) launched ATLAS, a self-service comprehensive clinical data research platform for health and administrative data from Montefiore Medical Center and all NYC medical centers (including more than 32,000 Covid-19 patient encounters) .  ATLAS  is the internet browser-based tool that allows users to create and analyze patient cohorts from the newly implemented research database. Atlas users can define patient cohorts, compare baseline characteristics and differences between cohorts and/or subgroups within cohorts, measure incidence rates, and more to generate data for clinical research.

To learn more about the platform's capabilities and how to access, click here .
New CTSA Junior Faculty Scholar
We are pleased to announce one of this year’s ICTR Scholars. The  KL2 awards   provide support for mentored research career development to junior faculty who have recently completed professional training and who are commencing translational and/or clinical research.

Project Title:  Spinal Anesthesia in Infants: Behavioral and Electroencephalographic Assessment of Sedation.  His mentors are Drs. Shlomo Shinnar, Patrick L. Purdon, and Yungtai Lo.
Life Course Webinar Series
The national Center for Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Life Course Working Group has designed six webinars as part of a series,  Charting the Life Course: an Interdisciplinary Blueprint  to help introduce investigators to conducting life course research the  webinar series  focuses on   recent advances in computational analytics, computer science, and data collection can be used to enhance life course research. 

The next webinar, Creating systematic processes for longitudinal integration of datasets across the lifespan representing multiple levels of exposure from physiological to sociologic will take place on August 20th at 11am.

Zoom Meeting ID: 928-8476-1841
Call-in numbers: +1 646 876 9923, +1 669 900 6833

To view the full list of webinars in this series, click here .
NIH Strategic Plan for Covid-19 Research
The NIH  issued  a framework for accelerating the development of therapeutic interventions, vaccines, and diagnostics for Covid-19. The NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Covid-19 Research includes five cross-cutting strategies that draw upon the agency’s unique position as a leading biomedical research agency to coordinate a swift research response to the pandemic. Both  ACTIV  and  RADx  are critical components of the plan. Existing resources will be leveraged while establishing new programs in order to support the innovation needed to rapidly respond to the crisis. The plan also includes a commitment to prioritize research into the disproportionate effects of Covid-19 on vulnerable and underserved populations. To view the NIH plan, click here .
Research Community News and Updates
New Director of Research
Earle Chambers, PhD, MPH , Associate Professor, Departments of Family and Social Medicine and Epidemiology and Population Health, was recently appointed Director of the Division of Research in the Department of Family and Social Medicine. Dr. Chambers is a known research collaborator and mentor in the Einstein-Montefiore community. In his new role he will help determine the priorities and focus of the department’s research agenda and manage the resources available for the research faculty. He plans to make health equity a strong priority of the department's research by leading a health equity research lab and building a diverse pipeline of investigators, including medical students, residents, and fellows, to explore health equity research questions. To learn more about his appointment, click here .
Underrepresented Minorities Research Study
Einstein, along with other academic institutions nationwide, has agreed to participate in the Building Up research study. Building Up aims to jump-start the careers of underrepresented junior investigators by providing them with the mentoring, skills, and knowledge needed for successful research careers. 

We are currently recruiting post-doctoral trainees or junior faculty (in the first 6 years of their appointment) from underrepresented backgrounds to apply for this 12-month training intervention. Those accepted to the study will participate in monthly career development sessions, courses, mentoring, and networking opportunities starting on September 1, 2020.

As part of the research study, participants will complete regular surveys as well as submit an updated CV. Participants will be compensated for the completion of each assessment. The study is accepting applications until August 15, 2020 . Information on the application process can be found at  https://redcap.link/evrjem8d

For any questions related to this study, please contact either the site PI, Nerys Benfield ( nbenfiel@montefiore.org ) or site co-I Paul Marantz ( paul.marantz@einsteinmed.org ). 
New Innovation Biodesign Training Program
The newly created Montefiore Einstein Innovation Biodesign Training Program is a unique initiative to train the next generation of faculty innovators and encourages the development, implementation, validation, and commercialization of health technologies. The program curriculum includes a health technology-oriented seminar series, a scholarly project, and mentoring from Montefiore Einstein faculty and external experts. Please e-mail Dr. Sunit P. Jariwala ( sjariwal@montefiore.org ) if you would like to serve as a Program mentor and/or join the listserve for the seminar series. Visit the Innovation site here .
Einstein Research Community Survey
The Women’s Networking Group in collaboration with the Office of Diversity Enhancement and Office of Diversity and Inclusion released a Covid-19 impact survey to measure research productivity during the pandemic and quantify the support needed by diverse groups in the Einstein community. All members of the research community are included in the study and are encouraged to participate by August 21st. To participate, click here .  
Covid-19 Research Updates
Spotlight on Success
Einstein-Montefiore investigators continue to succeed in obtaining funding. Some of these investigators with new grant awards are (from left to right):

Marla Keller MD , Professor, Departments of Medicine (infectious Diseases) and Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Liise-anne Pirofski MD , Professor, Departments of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology, James Brust MD , Associate Professor, Department of Medicine (General Internal Medicine), Joe Verghese MBBS, MS , Professor, Departments of Neurology and Medicine (Geriatrics), Robert Burk MD , Professor, Departments of Pediatrics (Pediatric Genetic Medicine), Microbiology & Immunology, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health (Gynecological Oncology), Epidemiology & Population Health), Howard Strickler MD , Professor, Departments of Epidemiology & Population Health, David Prezant MD , Professor, Department of Medicine (Pulmonary Medicine), Rachel Zeig-Owens DrPH , Research Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Ali Ezzati MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Jeffrey Pessin PhD , Professor, Departments of Medicine (Endocrinology) and Molecular Pharmacology, Harry Shamoon MD , Senior Associate Dean, Parsa Mirhaji MD, PhD , Research Associate Professor, Department of Systems and Computational Biology.
Funding Opportunities
Research in the Headlines
Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research