NOVEMBER 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.

Upcoming CARTI Seminars:

• Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) Information Session (Nov 7 @ 11am: SMC Campus Center)
• How to Write a Standard Scientific Research Paper (Nov 16 @ 9am; Zoom)
• Testing Your Hypotheses with ‘Omics Data (Nov 16 @ 1pm; Zoom)
• Leveraging LLMs like ChatGPT: Insights and Applications in Modern Research (Nov 29 @ 9am; Zoom)
• Science Communications Series (Part 2): Executive Panel Discussion on What Audiences Want (Dec 7 @ 12pm; Zoom)
• Developing Tables, Figures and Graphs for Your Research Paper (Dec 14 @ 9am; Zoom)

Additional Events:

• Society of Clinical Research Associates: Patient-Centered Research: Case Study and Practical Applications (Nov 1 @ 12pm; Zoom)
• UMSON Research Seminar Series: Pragmatic Research  (Nov 15 @ 12pm; Zoom)
• NIDA: Early Career Workshop: Navigating Career Opportunities and Challenges (Nov 27 @ 12pm; Zoom)
• FDA: Clinical Investigator Training Course (CITC) (Dec 6-7 @ 11am; Zoom)
• UMB Graduate School: Applications are now being accepted for: 
• Master of Science in Epidemiology and Clinical Research – Clinical Research Track 
• Certificate Program in Clinical Research

Funding Opportunities: 

• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (Physician-Scientist Training Award)
• American Heart Association (Career Development Award)   
• Rita Allen Foundation (Scholars Award in Pain)  
• Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) (Bridge To Independence Award)
• Foundation Fighting Blindness (Career Development Program)
• Sarcoma Foundation of America (Research Grants)
• Klingenstein Philanthropies (Fellowship Awards in Neuroscience)

Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF)

Information Session

Tuesday, November 7

11:00am – 12:45pm

SMC Campus Center, 621 W. Lombard Street, Room 351, 3rd Floor

Boxed Lunches will be served

Guest Speaker: Ruchika Nijhara, PhD, MBA, Executive Director, Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund

This information session will provide an overview of the grant programs offered by the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) for human stem cell research in the state of Maryland. Participants will also hear from a panel of recent awardees who will share their personal experiences/advice with submitting an MSCRF grant.

About MSCRF: MSCRF was established by the Governor and the Maryland General Assembly through the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006. The purpose of the Fund is to support stem cell research, treatment, and cures by providing grants to public and private entities in the state of Maryland. To date, the MSCRF has dedicated over $200 million to support nearly 600 research projects. This funding spans various stages of technology development, ranging from basic research to translational research, clinical development, and product manufacturing.

Target Audience: Researchers including faculty, post-doctoral fellows who wish to conduct basic, translational and/or clinical research involving stem cells.

For more information on MSCRF funding opportunities, visit: https://www.mscrf.org/funding-opportunities.

This session is co-hosted by:

Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF)

Center for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, UMSOM

Office of Research and Development, UMB

Center for Advanced Research Training & Innovation (CARTI), UMSOM

How to Write a Standard Scientific Research Paper

Thursday, November 16

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom

This session will provide tips for writing a peer-reviewed scientific research paper and will focus on the content of the sections (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, and Title & Abstract). In addition, this session will include advice about organizing and communicating your research.

Speaker: Joseph P. Stains, PhD, Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Division Head of Musculoskeletal Science, UMSOM

Developing Tables, Figures and Graphs for Your Research Paper

Thursday, December 14

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom

Tables, figures and graphs play a significant role in presenting and enhancing the writer’s message in a scientific paper. Deciding when and how to use these visual aids -- and developing the most appropriate -- can be challenging. This session will provide tips to consider when producing effective tables, figures and graphs.

Speaker: Jessica Brown, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, UMSOM

Leveraging LLMs like ChatGPT:

Insights and Applications in Modern Research

Wednesday, November 29

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom

During this session, participants will discover how large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, can "copilot" their research and aid in diverse tasks such as literature review, data interpretation, and manuscript drafting. Participants will also learn how to avoid common pitfalls like hallucinations, to maintain the integrity and accuracy of their research as well as gain insights into the ethical considerations intrinsic to AI, such as potential biases, data privacy issues, and climate/sustainability impacts.

Speaker: Florence (Flo) Doo, MD, Director of Innovation, University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging (UM2ii) Center; Assistant Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, UMSOM

Testing Your Hypotheses with ‘Omics Data

Thursday, November 16

1:00 – 1:30pm

Zoom

‘Omics data, characterized by high volumes of data points, has long been viewed as “discovery science” wherein hypotheses are generated through discovering novel trends in the data. 

Increasing accessibility to ‘omics data through public repositories and cost reductions in the generation of new data is forcing the field to pivot from discovery-based science to hypothesis driven experiments.

This 30-minute session will describe how ‘omics data can be used to test your hypotheses and provide examples, highlight important limitations of these methods and recommendations for study design, and how to perform these experiments.

Speaker: Johanna B. Holm, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Institute for Genome Sciences, UMSOM

Executive Panel Discussion on What Audiences Want

Thursday, December 7

12:00 - 1:00pm

Zoom

Tune in to learn what government, philanthropist, and foundation audiences are looking for in your research results and how to best approach those conversation. Audrey Huang will moderate a panel discussion with three executives to tap their knowledge and expertise on what aspects of research storytelling are most successful.

Panelists:

Shawn Castellanos

National Executive of Emerging Strategies, American Heart Association

Heather Culp

Chief Philanthropy Officer, UMMC & UMSOM



Kevin Kelley

Chief Government Affairs Officer and Vice President, UMB

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

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 and all are welcome to attend.  Below is the topic for the next meeting:

Patient-Centered Research:

Case Study and Practical Applications

Wednesday, November 1

12:00 - 1:00pm

Zoom

Presenter: Michelle Medeiros, MS, MA, CCRP, Director of Clinical and Translational Research

University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Pharmacy

Learning Objectives:

• Describe Patient-Centered Outcomes Research/Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research (PCOR/CER)
• Examine real world example of PCOR/CER pragmatic clinical trial
• Identify practical applications of patient-centered research approaches

Credits Available: 1 CE credit for SOCRA members

For questions, please email the chapter at: SOCRABaltimore@gmail.com

University of Maryland School of Nursing

Research Seminar Series

Pragmatic Research - the research you didn't know you needed to know about

Wednesday, November 15

12:00 - 1:00pm

Zoom

Please join the UMSON's Office of Research and Scholarship virtually, as they host Joan Carpenter, PhD, CRNP, ACHPN, FPCN, assistant professor, for her talk on pragmatic research, an often misunderstood and underrepresented field of human subjects research with dynamic approaches to problem solving in the clinical setting.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

NIDA Early Career Workshop:

Navigating Career Opportunities and Challenges

Monday, November 27

12:00 – 2:00 ET

Zoom

All interested graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career scholars and investigators are invited to register and attend. Do not worry if you have not been funded by NIDA in the past. All are welcome.

This virtual workshop is designed to inform early career scientists on National Institutes of Health (NIH) training, career or educational grants and other funding mechanisms. Participants will be able to identify new opportunities and converse directly with National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) program and review staff. The workshop will feature a discussion on resilience in research, a panel discussion with education and training directors, and breakout sessions on the following topics:

• Getting the most out of mentor/mentee relationships

• Fighting imposter thoughts

• Postdoc Fellowships

• Career Transitions (K-R)

• Non-academic Career Paths

• NIH Mentored K Applications 

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

FDA Clinical Investigator Training Course (CITC)

December 6 - 7, 2023



Day1: Wed, Dec 6, 11:00 AM - 4:30 PM ET

     Day2: Thu, Dec 7, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM ET

This free, virtual, 2-day course is hosted by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

Topics covered:

• Design and conduct of clinical trials
• Innovative trial designs
• Considerations for rare disease drug development
• Enhancing diversity in clinical trials
• Addressing specific populations in drug development
• Statistical evaluation of clinical trials
• Understanding the investigator brochure
• Clinical trial quality

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, 2024

Final Application Deadline: May 15, 2024

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, 2024

Final Application Deadline: May 15, 2024

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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