MAY 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.

CARTI Welcomes New Director of Science Communication and Science Editor

The Center for Advanced Research Training and Innovation (CARTI) is pleased to announce that Audrey M. Huang, MA, PhD has been appointed as the new Director of Science Communication and Science Editor.

In this role, she will develop, manage, and teach seminars and workshops on scientific communication for the CARTI training track curriculum and professional development seminar series.

A molecular geneticist by training, Audrey has spent the past two decades in biomedical science and healthcare marketing and communications. 

Most recently Audrey was Associate Vice President of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs at UT Southwestern Medical center where she led a department of 75 and helped the organization navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, she spent 16 years at Johns Hopkins where she concurrently led two award-winning teams for Johns Hopkins Medicine —Media Relations and Marketing and Communications for Research and Education—that successfully executed two Nobel Prize announcements as well as two of the institution’s largest ever press conferences in addition to doubling Johns Hopkins Medicine research news coverage and launching many successful initiatives that measurably expanded audience engagement.  

For 15 years, Audrey also taught a grant writing course for Ph.D. candidates in the Johns Hopkins Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics graduate program, where many of her students successfully won Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards. She has also taught effective science communications to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and at Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus. 

Audrey has written for organizations including the NIH, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Ontario Genomics Institute and the Pew-funded Genetics and Public Policy Center. She has been a member of the National Association of Science Writers since 2004.  

Her research experience spans developmental biology, molecular and cell biology, and genetics, having studied the molecular mechanisms involved in muscle cell development at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and mammalian embryonic development at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Audrey studied chromosome structure and nuclear architecture in fruit flies and yeast during her postdoctoral training at the Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Embryology. She holds a master's degree in science writing from Johns Hopkins University, a Ph.D. in molecular and cell biology and genetics and a B.A. in molecular and cell biology and biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. Her passion over the years has been mentoring students and staff and helping them launch their careers. She currently resides with her partner, Calvin, and their dogs and cats Emma, Busy Bee, Hans, Franz, Mama, Nestor, and Li’l G.  

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

Wednesday, May 3

9:00 – 10:00am

Zoom

The US Department of Veterans 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

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; Head, Genomic Epidemiology Unit, Malaria Research Program; Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health; Track Leader, Molecular Epidemiology, Program in Epidemiology and Human Genetics; Associate Director for the CARTI Research Training Tracks, 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

"Defining Your Next Research Project on Paper" Class

Wednesdays, May 10 - 31

(4-week interactive class)  

1:00 – 2:30pm

Zoom

The goal of this short, interactive class on “Defining Your Next Research Project on Paper” is for participants to turn their research question into a one-page summary of a new research project, which can be used to get feedback from mentors, collaborators, and/or a program officer. The class will focus on identifying and clearly communicating the gap in knowledge, central research question, hypothesis, and the significance of the proposed work. The class will end by using the developed summary to conduct an NIH Matchmaker search. NIH Matchmaker is a free, online searchable database which identifies similarly funded projects. Discussion will include how to identify the appropriate NIH Institute, funding mechanism, and program officer after completing an NIH Matchmaker search. 

This 4 week session will be held on Wednesdays from 1-2:30pm during May 10-31 via Zoom. Please note: This course is limited to faculty members only. The class size is small, with a maximum of 8-10 participants. Participants are required to attend 3 of the 4 sessions.

To register or learn more, please email the instructor Marey Shriver, PhD at mshriver@som.umaryland.edu.  

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; CARTI Training Track Leader, UMSOM

Scholarly Writing Accountability Group (SWAG) Program

Virtual Program to Help Faculty Increase Their Scholarly Writing Productivity

Are you struggling to find time to dedicate to your scholarly writing projects? Making time to write papers can be a challenging task as it competes with other faculty demands. To help UMB junior faculty meet this challenge, the Center for Advanced Research Training & Innovation (CARTI) provides a peer accountability/support program designed to increase writing productivity. This program is called Scholarly Writing Accountability Group (SWAG).

New 5-week option this summer

Due to busy summer schedules, CARTI is now offering a 5-week SWAG Program to our faculty this summer.

What is a SWAG?

A SWAG is an active peer-led writing group for UMB junior faculty who meet virtually for 1-hour, once a week. 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 4 out of the 5 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 each week.

What are the Benefits of Joining a SWAG? 

Faculty who join SWAG will:

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

Summer SWAG opportunities:

• Thursdays 9-10am (June 8 – July 6)
• Fridays 12-1pm (June 9 – July 7)
• Wednesdays 3-4pm (July 12 – Aug 9)

To join any of these groups, please complete the following request form online: https://umbforms.wufoo.com/forms/request-to-join-swag

Questions? Email Stacie Mendoza

CARTI'S Seminar Slides & Recordings

CARTI'S Individual Consultations

CARTI'S Mini LIbrary

Science Communication Lab

iBiology Courses

Are you looking to engage with the public more effectively? If so, iBiology, in collaboration with their colleagues at Yale Ciencia Academy for Professional Development, has announced the following new course:

"Strategies for Effective Public Engagement"

Strategies for Effective Public Engagement is a FREE, 3-week course that will guide you through fundamental principles, skills, and strategies to succeed in your public engagement projects. Whether you are new to public engagement or simply want to improve upon what you have already accomplished, this course is for you!

Enrollment is open and the course is self-paced.

Visit their WEBSITE to learn more.

Office of Postdoctoral Scholars

NIH Basics for Postdoctoral Fellows

Wednesday, June 21

12:00 - 1:00pm

HSRF 3, Room, Room 6020

Understanding the NIH organizational structure, how to identify the right funding mechanism and funding announcement 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 first time grant writers not familiar with NIH funding. This workshop will cover topics including: an overview of the different NIH funding mechanisms (T, F, K, R); identifying Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs); using NIH RePORTER.

Speaker: Marey Shriver, PhD, Executive Director for Faculty Development, CARTI, UMSOM

University of Maryland School of Nursing

Research Seminar Series

Research Integrity

Thursday, May 18

12:00 - 1:00pm

Webex

Please join the UMSON's Office of Research and Scholarship as we host Kaylin A. Adipietro, PhD, research integrity specialist in the UMB Office of Accountability and Compliance. Adipietro will share information around research integrity and scientific misconduct.

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:

Assessment of “Soft Skills” in the Search for New Clinical Research Personnel

Wednesday, May 24

12:00 - 1:00pm

Zoom

Please join the Baltimore chapter of the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA)’s May meeting. The chapter is hosting Kylie Sands, MBA, CCRP, Clinical Research Operations Manager at the Saint Lawrence Health Canton Potsdam Hospital and NYS SOCRA Co-Chair as she shares her expertise on assessing and applying the soft skills of entry level employees to determine position success and enjoyment.

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.

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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