Catalyst Newsletter, December 2014
IN THIS ISSUE
FROM THE DIRECTORS
FromTheDirector2014: All about the team
As 2014 comes to a close, we look back proudly at our achievements this year which allowed us to enhance immediate and long-term member benefits. We're breaking new ground at U-M/UMHS--minimizing barriers, crafting alliances, and building ground-up programs--all with the end goal of transforming critical care by accelerating member-driven research from bench to bedside.

It takes a team to realize such high-impact endeavors, or more specifically, the MCIRCC Catalyst Team, which welcomed several teammates throughout the year. As its namesake suggests, this operational crew set our strategic plans in motion, allowing MCIRCC to provide the innovation, commercialization and financial resources you need to get your research to the bedside, faster.

We kicked off 2014 with the MCIRCC Critical Care Grand Challenge Symposium and RFP, which leveraged team science to discover innovative sepsis solutions. A total of 14 proposals were submitted and six were selected for funding. MCIRCC was honored to showcase these projects at Celebrate Invention 2014, a timely affair considering the exposure sepsis is getting across campus and with various media outlets. Several of these projects have attracted industry and venture capital interest inching closer to real world products and solutions.

Then in May, we finalized a master collaboration agreement with NovoDynamics, Inc. to develop radiologic image decision support tools that could allow clinicians to quickly diagnose traumatic injuries and significantly enhance critical care practices and patient outcomes. This MCIRCC/industry collaboration was the first in what we anticipate to be a steady stream of digital health partnerships in pursuit of transformative care-delivery innovations.

With support from across campus, bringing together clinical, information technology, and data science researchers with IT leadership, a digital health alliance between MCIRCC/U-M, IBM and AirStrip went from vision to reality. The initial focus of this alliance is to develop a mobile monitoring solution to help clinicians predict hemodynamic instability, one of the most common causes of death for critically ill or injured patients. The project, known internally as the Analytic for Hemodynamic Instability (AHI), puts our team science mantra to the test--those "big, bold ideas" conceived when clinicians and engineers join forces, are possible with the support of our UMHS IT enterprise and industry partners. We thank all of our stakeholders and partners for holding hands as we tackle this complex solution with the potential to transform the patient care-delivery experience.

It has been an eventful year for MCIRCC, but the hard work of our dedicated membership and support team has paid dividends. The success of the Grand Challenge program and the partnerships formed throughout U-M/UMHS and with external industry puts us in a strong position as we head into 2015.

For our membership, the new year will bring additional support services and benefits, including new online resources and tools, and the launch of our highly anticipated Proposal Development Unit (PDU). And for MCIRCC's Catalyst Team, we'll continue to have our sights set firmly on the prize: to change the face of critical care medicine for our patients and their families.

Season's Greetings,

Kevin R. Ward, MD, Executive Director
Shuichi Takayama, PhD, Associate Director
Janene Centurione, MBA, Managing Director
IN THE NEWS
MichiganRadioMCIRCC member talks sepsis on Michigan Radio
Jack Iwashyna, M.D., PhD., MCIRCC member and Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at U-M, appeared on the November 18 "Stateside with Cynthia Canty" radio program to talk sepsis. Dr. Iwashyna was joined by Marianne Udow-Phillips, director of the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation.

Click here to listen to the podcast on the Michigan Radio website. 
BigDataMCIRCC and AirStrip discuss big data and digital health partnerships at Health 2.0
MCIRCC Executive Director Kevin Ward, M.D. joined AirStrip CEO Alan Portela on stage at the 2014 Health 2.0 Fall Conference to discuss how big data analytics and strategic partnerships promise to have a major impact on critical care. The conference, which ran from September 21-24 in Santa Clara, CA, showcased cutting-edge technologies transforming health and healthcare.

Dr. Ward's participation at Health 2.0 and the announcement of the AirStrip, IBM and MCIRCC alliance demonstrates how MCIRCC/U-M is leading the way within the health IT domain.

Click here to watch a video of the presentation
AirStrip Deep Dive: Big Data Analytics and Mobile Technology.

You can also read Dr. Ward's follow-up post Harnessing the Power of Big Data with Digital Health Partnerships on mHealthWatch.
EbolaMCIRCC member sounds off on facing the Ebola fear  
In their article "Facing the Ebola Fear" U-M Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and MCIRCC member Mahshid Abir, M.D., and Richard Serino, the former deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency explain how America's efforts to limit misinformation about the disease have been lacking.

Abir and Serino argue that when dealing with Ebola, it is important to remember that the response, and the communication around it, must consider the public's fear about the possible spread of the virus. Ignoring these fears and failing to engage the whole community in Ebola education has only perpetuated the dissemination of misinformation and rumors. 

They say the key to dealing with public health emergencies, both as they are happening and before they occur, is to involve all key stakeholders, including federal, state, and local government, public health, emergency medical services, hospitals and health care systems, local community health centers, private businesses (large and small), not-for-profit agencies, faith-based communities and, most importantly, the public.

Abir and Serino conclude that collaboration between these groups can create relationships that can be leveraged over the long term to enhance community preparedness and resilience for this and other public health threats.

Click here to read the full article.
EVENTS
CelebrateInventionMCIRCC showcases Grand Challenge Sepsis teams at Celebrate Invention
Dr. Ashwin Belle talks about the Portable Monitoring System for Early Detection of Sepsis.
The U-M Office of Technology Transfer's Celebrate Invention 2014 was held on Tuesday, October 28, to recognize the work of the U-M inventor community over the past year. In FY 2014, researchers reported 439 new inventions, breaking the current Tech Transfer performance record. U-M President Mark Schlissel, university deans and officers, U-M inventors, and commercialization partners from the business community were amongst those that gathered to celebrate these achievements.

The MCIRCC kiosk was one of eight showcasing discoveries and inventions at the Michigan League Ballroom. People from across the university and community visited the kiosks to learn more about each invention and engage in hands-on demonstrations.

MCIRCC's kiosk showcased a portfolio of innovations comprised of therapeutics, diagnostics, devices and digital health solutions from its six Grand Challenge Sepsis Teams. The "invention station" allowed MCIRCC to share the complex sepsis story and, through these six inventions, highlight the importance of transforming the way we diagnose, treat, and monitor sepsis to improve patience care and outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. The reception also provided the ideal platform for introductions to potential industry partners, to expand MCIRCC's membership base, and to demonstrate the value of the MCIRCC Grand Challenge and Accelerant Cycle funding mechanisms.

All in all, Celebrate Invention highlighted the diverse research being conducted across the university. From tools that seek to improve literacy in African American communities, to a device that measures simple and recognition reaction times, to black ice detection technology, these inventions have the potential for real impact on the world.

It was an honor for the MCIRCC Grand Challenge teams to participate in this annual Technology Transfer event. MCIRCC's participation further highlights the significance of its work in integrated team science to change the face of critical care medicine.
MedSchoolAwardsMCIRCC members amongst those honored by Medical School 

The following MCIRCC members were recognized for their outstanding work at the 2014 Faculty and Staff Awards Dinner on November 6, and The League of Research Excellence 2014 Induction Dinner on November 17.

At the Faculty and Staff Awards dinner, Louis D'Alecy received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Medical Education which recognizes faculty members who have contributed significantly to medical education.

On November 17, Daniel Beard, Israel Liberzon and John Younger were amongst those inducted into The League of Research Excellence--an honorary society established in 2011 to recognize faculty who have made significant contributions to the school's research enterprise.

Click here to see a full list of League of Research Excellence inductees.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
DiscoveryFundDiscovery Fund RFP
Earlier this year, the UMHS Victors for Michigan campaign hosted a fundraising event at NCRC called the Discovery Ball. Senior Associate Dean for Research Steven Kunkel recently announced that the proceeds from this event have been designated as the Discovery Fund, intended to advance discovery from bench to bedside.

The Discovery Fund seeks to identify investigator-initiated, bold, and innovative science in areas that cross the basic to clinical research continuum. The RFP will identify interdisciplinary teams led by early-stage investigators who are collaborating with more established investigators on new projects that can impact the research pipeline, driving bench science into the clinic to ultimately impact human health. Up to six successful proposals will be funded, $150,000/proposal.

More details and the complete RFP can be found on Competition Space, with Letters of Intent due by Monday, January 5.
Funding2015High-Value funding opportunities for MCIRCC teams

Below are selected high-value funding opportunities coming up in 2015 for MCIRCC research teams.

If you are interested in forming or joining a team to pursue one of these opportunities, please contact Jaine Place, Manager of MCIRCC's Proposal Development Unit, at jplace@umich.edu or 734-36-2754. 

MCIRCC Events
January 23
1:30 pm - 5:30 pm
South Atrium, Building 10, NCRC

This members-only workshop will catalyze the formation of MCIRCC-led teams around three big funding opportunities, involving faculty at all levels, and demonstrate how the MCIRCC Proposal Development Unit (PDU) can help overcome the challenges you face in developing winning proposals.

Register here for this free, members-only workshop.
U-M Training & Events
December 17
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Free webinar

What does a Non-Disclosure Agreement protect? When should a Non-Disclosure Agreement be in place? Who can help with a Non-Disclosure Agreement? Join us as we reveal the secrets of a Non-Disclosure Agreement and help Principal Investigators manage important conversations with potential partners.

Register here for this free event.

January 7

Seminar Rooms, Biomedical Science Research Building (BSRB)

 

Have you ever wondered how to navigate the complexities of the research enterprise at the University of Michigan? Here is your opportunity to hear from leaders from various research offices and how they can help you find your way along your research project route map.


 
Register here for this free event.


January 14

5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Room #5515, Biomedical Science Research Building (BSRB)

 

With a focus on new drug development, healthcare IT, and medical devices, our experts will host an interactive discussion on strategies to maximize protection of research discoveries.

 

Register here for this free event.


New MCIRCC Sepsis Brochure

A comprehensive tool to narrate the complex and life-threatening sepsis story and how our Grand Challenge portfolio seeks to transform the way we diagnose, treat and monitor sepsis to improve patient care and outcomes, enhance the clinician experience and reduce healthcare costs.



Don't forget your MCIRCC affiliation!

If you are speaking with the media about your work in critical care research or are working with the U-M News Service or U-M Health System Public Relations on a health care related press release, article, or other news item, please mention your MCIRCC affiliation!


The 
U-M Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care (MCIRCC) is one of the world's first comprehensive research enterprises devoted to transforming critical care medicine by accelerating science and moving it from bench to bedside. To do this, MCIRCC brings together integrative teams comprised of world-class U-M scientists, clinicians, and engineers with industry partners and funding sources to develop and deploy cutting-edge solutions that elevate the care, outcomes, and quality of life of critically ill and injured patients and their families.