Research News
MEDICAL SCHOOL OFFICE OF RESEARCH
October 2015





EVENTS 
Tuesday, October 6
8:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Rackham Auditorium


Friday, October 9 - 
Friday, November 6
(Four-week course)
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Rooms G063 & G064,
NCRC Building 10


Friday, October 9
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Multi-Purpose Room,
4360 Taubman Health Sciences Library


Friday, October 23
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Kahn Auditorium, BSRB

This event is co-sponsored by Cayman Chemical and the University of Michigan.


Thursday, October 29
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
BSRB Seminar Rooms


Thursday, October 29
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Cure Room (5050),
Brehm Tower


Monday, November 16 - Tuesday, November 17
Towsley Center


2015 Research
Mentoring Forum Thursday, November 19
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Dining Hall,
NCRC Building 18
RESEARCH NEWS 

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& Hot Topics
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& Grants Guide

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of Research

 

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Competition Space

 
IN THIS ISSUE 
 
Leadership
    • Funding
    • Training & Professional Development
    • Announcements
    • Accolades & Milestones
    		•
    FundingOpps
    Select Research Funding &
    Award Opportunities
    Pilot Grants
    Award
    Deadline
    Friday, October 9
    Thursday, December 31

    Limited Submissions
    Award
    Deadline
    Monday, October 26

    Bridging Support
    AwardDeadline
    BMRC Bridging Support Program
    for Biomedical Research
    Thursday, October 29

    Other Opportunities
    On the Horizon
    Award
    Expected Announcement Date
    Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation - Mallinckrodt Scholar Program
    Late October 2015

    For additional details about funding resources, we encourage you to visit the U-M Library's Research Funding & Grants Guide. 
    FFCT
    Fast Forward Clinical Trials Update
    As part of the Strategic Research Initiative, Fast Forward Clinical Trials (FFCT) is engaging the entire UMHS in creating the new knowledge needed to improve clinical care, value, and health outcomes by successfully executing a diverse portfolio of high-quality clinical trials.

    The Medical School Office of Research, in partnership with the Clinical Trials Subcommittee, has engaged Huron Consulting Group (Huron) to facilitate and ensure steady, informed progress in the transformation of the U-M clinical trials enterprise. The magnitude of this change is significant, and having an experienced team who has worked with other top-tier institutions in their improvement efforts around clinical trials will assist UMHS in making timely progress. The on-site Huron project management team brings a wealth of practical knowledge in implementing best practices, while helping to avoid common pitfalls faced by others. The Huron team will be instrumental in helping us move from planning to action. 

    Pilot Transformation Processes Begin This Fall
    Throughout October, Huron will be working with various faculty and staff to re-design the workflows of the Nodes and Central services in support of UMHS faculty and study teams.
     
    Furthermore, an integrated, enterprise-wide clinical trial management system that streamlines and standardizes the business processes related to clinical trials was one of the top priorities recommended by the Clinical Trials Task Force. Staff from Medical School Information Services, the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research, and the Cancer Center spent several months in a discovery process that gathered feedback and data from faculty, study teams, and other stakeholders. After an RFP process, the Clinical Trials Subcommittee endorsed moving forward with Forte Research Systems with a phased approach. 
     
    The first phase is a pilot with one or more of the Clinical Trial Nodes, and the next phase -- rolling implementation at an enterprise level -- will only proceed if the pilot is successful. Phase One will begin this fall. The Huron team has led implementations of clinical trial management systems, including Forte, at peer institutions and will be an invaluable partner during the pilot and enterprise implementation.
     
    The Clinical Trials Subcommittee and supporting staff continue to engage faculty and staff, and welcome questions and comments at ffctgroup@umich.edu.
    DOCTR.Office
    Introducing Data Office for Clinical
    & Translational Research
    UMMS Office of Research aligns two units
    to better serve researchers
    The Medical School Office of Research recently announced an organizational change -- their Honest Broker Office and the Research Data Warehouse are being more closely aligned under an overarching unit called the Data Office for Clinical
    & Translational Research    . 
        
    Lead by staff director Erin Kaleba, with the ongoing medical school faculty oversight of Sachin Kheterpal, M.D., M.B.A., the Data Office for Clinical & Translational Research offers a menu of resources to assist U-M researchers with accessing patient health data, including:     
    • Self-service tools such as DataDirect, which facilitates both cohort discovery and access to data from more than 3.8 million unique patients in the Research Data Warehouse. 
    • Custom data requests, which allow researchers to develop data specifications tailored to their project needs. 
    • Data consultations, a concierge service where a Data Specialist offers a deeper dive into the patient health data resources available. This concierge service is aligned with the UMHS Comprehensive Analytics Services and Support (COMPASS) data concierge and will focus specifically on research data needs. 
    In other news with this group, DataDirect is rolling out new functionality to the U-M research community. Building on the existing functionality to run cohort feasibility queries, researchers with appropriate IRB-approval may now develop research queries with downloadable, secure data sets for analysis.  
         
    Interested researchers should CLICK HERE to submit a request form.

    Questions?
    Contact Erin Kaleba at eokaleba@med.umich.edu.
    NCRC.Expo
    Join the UMMS Office of Research for Second Annual Seminar Series
    Seminar Series part of NCRC EXPO on Wednesday, November 11 
    Join the U-M Medical School (UMMS) Office of Research on Wednesday, November 11 for a FREE seminar series to learn about how the many services offered by UMMS Office of Research units can help advance your research. 

    This is the second year for the UMMS Office of Research NCRC Seminar Series, which coincides with the annual NCRC EXPO.

    All sessions will take place in the Research Auditorium of NCRC Building 10 and include:

    9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
    Transformative Technologies at the Cores
    Explore new technologies with the Biomedical Research Core Facilities, featuring the Microscopy & Image Analysis Laboratory and the Flow Cytometry Core.

    10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    What's Changing in Human Subjects Research
    Join the IRBMED team as they review highlights of the latest proposed revisions to federal policies that are intended to better protect research subjects and help build public trust. 

    1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
    REAL: Collaborative Laboratory Studies
    How Animal     Well-Being Relates to Scientific Results
    Join the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine to learn about its Refinements and Enrichment Advancements Laboratory (REAL), a globally collaborative lab dedicated to optimizing biomedical research efforts through improved animal well-being.

    Register for one session, or all three! Can't make it to the sessions? Stop by the UMMS Office of Research table at the NCRC EXPO from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM to pick up materials and resources to help with your next research project.
    DSI.Initiative
    University's Data Science Initiative Kicks Off at Upcoming Symposium
    Symposium takes place on Tuesday, October 6
    Top data scientists from industry, academia, and government will gather in the Rackham Building on Tuesday, October 6 for an inaugural symposium to launch the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS), the centerpiece of the university's recently announced $100 million investment in data science.

    Titled "The Future of Data Science: A Convergence of Academia, Industry and Government," the symposium will highlight current research across the spectrum of data science and outline faculty opportunities.

    It will also examine data science challenges in health, learning analytics, social science and transportation; discuss regional, national, and international data science initiatives and partnerships; and explore possibilities for collaboration with industry.

    The keynote speaker will be Daniel Goroff, vice president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, who will speak on "Privacy and Reproducibility in Data Science." The symposium will also include a poster session featuring ongoing data science research at U-M.

    Click here for a detailed agenda, including speaker bios, presentation abstracts, and registration information. Learn more about the Data Science Initiative by visiting the MIDAS website.
    Boot.Camp
    Join a Team Achieving Major Impact
    Become an R01 Boot Camp coach or mentee
    Are you eager to make an impact with your research? Do you want to learn what it takes to become a successfully funded faculty researcher?

    The U-M Medical School Office of Research is currently accepting applications for the 2016 Cohort of its successful R01 Boot Camp program. 

    Applications for both coaches and mentees
    are due Friday, October 16.

    To date, previous mentees have brought in over $40M in new research funding from over 30 different sponsors, and boast a 42% R01 success rate (within 18 months) amongst those who submitted R01 applications.

    R01 Boot Camp is an intensive mentorship program designed to help early career faculty receive their first NIH Research Project Grant (R01) or equivalent grants. While developing proposals over the 10-month course, mentees participate in a variety of workshops that provide necessary skills such as grant writing techniques and budget tips and tricks.

    Throughout the program, mentees are guided by faculty coaches with established track records of external funding. They also receive 1:1 counsel from an Internal Subject Matter Expert who helps review research plans and proposal drafts.

    If you are interested in participating as either a mentee (faculty who have not yet been PIs on R01 grants) or coach (senior faculty who have a history of NIH funding and an interest in mentoring), please complete the brief application on UMMS Competition Space.

    Visit the program website for more information.

    Questions?
    Email us at R01BootCamp@umich.edu or contact Jill Jividen, Senior Manager for Research Development Support, at jjgoff@umich.edu.
    MRA.RFP
    Melanoma Research Alliance Issues
    2015-2016 Request for Proposals
    Deadlines approaching soon
    The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) has announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) for high-impact translational research that has the potential to lead to near-term clinical application in melanoma prevention, detection, diagnosis, staging, and treatment.

    This cycle, proposals will be accepted for Team Science Awards, Young Investigator Awards, Academic-Industry Partnership Awards (for Established Investigators), and Special Opportunity Awards.

    Several Special Opportunity Awards are available through the RFP, including:
    • Saban Family Foundation-MRA Team Science Awards
      (for Israel-led teams)
    • L'Oreal Paris-MRA Team Science Award for Women
      in Scientific Research
    • Uveal Melanoma Team Science Award
    • Acral Melanoma Team Science Award
    • Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer-MRA
      Young Investigator Award
    Award Details
    Submission Deadline:
    		Application deadlines for these awards are the same as for all other MRA applications for the 2015-2016 cycle:
    • Monday, October 12 -
      Team Science Award
      Letters of Intent are due
    • Monday, November 16 -
      Young Investigator Award and Academic-Industry Partnership Award proposals are due
    Applications are due by 5:00 PM EST. Proposals submitted after the deadline
    will not be considered. 
    Award Amount:
    		Awards range from $75,000 to $900,000
    Eligibility:
    		Principal Investigators (PIs) must hold a full-time faculty appointment at the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) or above at an academic or other non-profit research institution within or outside the United States. 
    More Information:
    		Review the RFP document

    Proposals should be submitted via the proposalCENTRAL application tool.

    Questions about this award opportunity should be directed to:
    FFMI.ETD
    Turn Your Idea Into Impact
    Enroll in FFMI's Early Tech Development Course
    Do you have an idea for a medical device, healthcare IT application/software, therapeutic, or diagnostic? Are you unsure on what to do next? 

    The Early Tech Development (ETD) Course, offered by Fast Forward Medical Innovation (FFMI), is the most efficient way to get your idea off the ground and plugged into a network of medical innovation experts.

    ETD is a FREE four-week course designed to teach the initial process of medical innovation. The course provides a real world, hands-on, learning experience on reducing the commercialization risk of early stage therapeutics, diagnostics, healthcare IT applications/software, and device technologies. 

    Visit the ETD website for more details, including a course schedule and registration information. 

    Make sure to register soon; space for this cohort is limited!
    Tech.Seminars
    Learn How Technology Enhances Research at Upcoming Seminars
    Apple in Medicine
    This seminar series features guest speaker Dr. Lina Landers, a Higher Education Development Executive with Apple Inc., and is sponsored by Medical School Information Services (MSIS) and Medical Center Information Technology (MCIT).
    Dr. Landers is a national expert on utilizing technology in teaching, research, and clinical practice. While at U-M, she will host two sessions: Apple in Medicine and ResearchKit and Health Kit.

    Faculty, staff, and students from the Medical School and other Health Science schools are encouraged to attend the Apple in Medicine session, which will focus on:
    • How classroom and clinical experience change
      with mobile access to information
    • Exploration of apps that are enhancing medical education, improving patient monitoring, electronic medical records, imaging, and clinical reference
    • Seeing how new tools enable faculty to create
      interactive learning materials
    • Finding out how institutions, faculty, and providers are using iTunes U to deliver education materials even without the Internet
    Apple in Medicine will be held on Monday, October 19 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM in the Lecture Hall (Room 3699) of the Med Sci II Building. Interested participants should RSVP if they plan to attend.

    The second session offered by Dr. Landers, ResearchKit and HealthKit, is geared toward researchers who are interested in learning how both the ResearchKit and HealthKit apps can help recruit study participants and easily collect data, and empower consumers in their own chronic disease management.

    This session will be held on Tuesday, October 20 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM in Room 376 of NCRC Building 300. Interested participants should RSVP if they plan to attend.



    FBI Tips on Preventing Information Theft
    During International Travel
    The second seminar series, FBI Tips on Preventing Information Theft During International Travel, is sponsored by MSIS, MCIT, and Information & Technology Services.

    The seminar is geared toward U-M researchers and IT staff who are interested in learning how to:
    • Keep their intellectual property safe when traveling
    • Understand and mitigate the risk in airports, hotels, conferences, and other public places
    • Recognize external threats to avoid becoming a target
    • Know when and how to use encryption
    • Know which countries have restrictions on encryption
    This seminar, presented by Cory Brown, Strategic Partnership Coordinator with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), will be held at various sites across campus:

    Tuesday,
    October 13
    		1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
    		Forum Hall,
    Palmer Commons
    Thursday,
    October 15
    		9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
    		MCHC Auditorium,
    U-M Hospital
    Thursday,
    October 15
    		3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
    		Research Auditorium,
    NCRC Building 10
    GSK
    GlaxoSmithKline Seeking Proposals
    Proposals due Friday, October 16
    The Fast Forward Medical Innovation (FFMI) team is excited to announce that, once again, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is inviting U-M investigators to submit proposals for funding by the company's Discovery Partnerships with Academia (DPAc).

    Funded DPAc projects will operate as a joint team, with GSK and U-M investigators working toward shared goals and with open sharing of information and data. GSK is looking for projects with a specific and testable drug development hypothesis that, if successful, would deliver therapeutic benefit to patients.

    Proposals can be in any disease and based on any treatment modality, be it small molecule or biopharmaceutical. GSK will undertake projects starting from early screening to late lead optimization, and the company is open to a wide range of possibilities that have progressed beyond the exploratory and technology platform stages.

    Investigators are invited to submit their one-page, non-confidential proposal via UMMS Competition Space by Friday, October 16 for competitive consideration by the GSK DPAc leadership team.

    More details can be found at the RFP webpage or questions can be directed to Casey Wegner of the FFMI Business Development team at cjwegner@umich.edu.
    DMI
    Milestones in Microbiology Ceremony Happens Later this Month
    Events celebrate a major milestone for the Department of Microbiology & Immunology 
    Earlier this year, the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the U-M Medical School was selected as an American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Milestones in Microbiology Designated Site. This designation, awarded to only a handful of sites across the country, recognizes institutions and the scientists who worked there for the significant contributions they have made toward advancing the science of microbiology.

    A ceremony comprised of several FREE events will take place later this month to commemorate the department's designation.

    The ceremony begins on Thursday, October 22 with a plaque dedication at 10:00 AM and speeches by U-M President Mark Schlissel and a past ASM president.

    The celebration continues later that morning with a live podcast recording of This Week in Microbiology, followed by the annual Neidhardt-Freter Symposium from 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM in the Minor J. Coon Lecture Hall of the Med Sci I Building. This year's symposium features speakers Sam I. Miller, M.D., Professor, University of Washington, and Manuela Raffatellu, M.D., Associate Professor, University of California, Irvine.

    On Friday, October 23, there will be a live podcast of This Week in Virology from the Taubman Health Sciences Library. Later that evening, the ASM Michigan Branch will hold a Fall Meeting Mixer at Slurping Turtle in downtown Ann Arbor.

    The series of events will conclude on Saturday, October 24 with the ASM Michigan Branch Fall Meeting in the Michigan Union. This year's annual meeting revolves around bacteriology and features several U-M alumni. Students and postdocs interested in participating in Saturday's event are encouraged to submit an abstract, which may be selected as a short talk for the event.

    Abstract submissions are
    due Friday, October 9.

    Please visit the event website for more information, including
    a detailed schedule of activities, registration information, and abstract submission requirements.
    Schlissel
    President Mark Schlissel to Present 20th Annual Waggoner Lecture
    Lecture takes place on Wednesday, November 4
    University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel, M.D., Ph.D., will present this year's 20th annual Raymond W. Waggoner Lectureship on Ethics and Values in Medicine on Wednesday, November 4 in the Ford Auditorium of the University Hospital from 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM.

    In addition to being president of the U-M, Dr. Schlissel holds a professorship of microbiology and immunology, and internal medicine within the U-M Health System as well as a professorship of molecular, cellular and developmental biology within the College of Literature, Science and the Arts.

    The Waggoner Lectureship was created in 1996 to honor the late Dr. Raymond W. Waggoner, emeritus professor and past chairman of the department of psychiatry, who throughout his career and to all who knew him, exemplified the highest standards of integrity and ethics.

    Dr. Schlissel's prior experience and extensive accolades in the field of medicine make him a perfect candidate to speak at the 20th annual lecture. He will be the third U-M president to give this address.

    For more information, please contact Philip M. Margolis, M.D., Professor Emeritus in the U-M Department of Psychiatry or Sandra Glover, Senior Administrative Assistant, in the U-M Department of Psychiatry. 

    This event is free and open to the public.
    Turbo
    High-Speed Research Data Storage Now Available
    U-M investigators involved in data-intensive research are getting a new tool to help them store, manage, and analyze large data sets.

    Advanced Research Computing Technology Services (ARC-TS),
    the research computing arm of Information & Technology Services, recently announced that a new service, Turbo Research Storage, is available to researchers on all U-M campuses. 

    Turbo Features
    Turbo allows researchers to access their data in place, making real-time processing and analysis of large data sets possible, which eliminates the need to seek solutions outside of campus or to spend additional time and resources building a separate storage solution.

    Turbo Research Storage provides scalable storage capable of moving data at speeds of up to 40 gigabits per second. This matches the high performance capabilities of Flux, the shared U-M computing cluster.

    Turbo is available in increments of 1 terabyte (TB), at a cost of $19.20 per replicated TB per month, and gives researchers the option of two security levels: one for some types of sensitive data and one for non-sensitive data.

    Individuals may use this service to maintain Protected Health Information (PHI) regulated by HIPAA. Click here to learn about best practices for sharing and storing PHI on Turbo, or visit the ITS Sensitive Data Guide for specific questions. 

    Turbo is designed for joint work on shared files across a research group, so there is no need for multiple copies of important datasets or complex permission configurations for individual users within a group. The service is designed to easily connect with Flux, as well as off-campus computing systems and collaborators. 

    Turbo Access    
    Access to Turbo is limited to researchers; the service is funded by an IT capital request specifically targeted for research use. 

    Researchers within the University of Michigan Health System may also contact Medical School Information Services to find out about the advanced computing services they provide to the research community. 
        
    Users not engaged in research but who need data storage services should consider MiStorage. 
        
    For more information, and to order the Turbo service, visit the ARC-TS Turbo webpage. 
    NIH
    Upcoming Webinars Focus on NIH Submission and Review Processes
    Two NIH webinars will be held in November
    The Center for Scientific Review (CSR), which is the portal for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications and their initial review for scientific merit, is hosting two webinars in early November that are designed to provide participants with useful insights into their application submission and peer review processes.

    Each webinar will have a different focus and will include a 30 minute Q&A period as part of the two-hour presentation time.

    Thursday, November 5
    2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
    Friday, November 6
    2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
     
    During the webinars, viewers will see presentations by five CSR/NIH Experts, including:
    • The Review of Your NIH Grant Application Begins Here
    • What You Need to Know about Application Receipt
      and Referral
    • How Your Application Is Reviewed
    • Key Things to Know About the NIH Grants Program
    • Jumpstart Your Career with CSR's Early Career Reviewer Program (R01 webinar only)
    Visit the CSR website to register for either webinar. You MUST register by Monday, October 29.

    Questions for the Q&A session can be submitted before or during the webinar by contacting the moderator at AskExperts@csr.nih.gov.

    The webinars will also be archived and made available on the CSR webinar webpage.
    CBR
    Several Ways to Connect with the UMMS Central Biorepository
    Submit an Application to Join
    The UMMS Central Biorepository (CBR) is currently accepting applications from studies interested
    in joining the Biorepository.
    The CBR offers:
    • Support for sample collection workflows
    • Sample couriering and distribution
    • Sample data tracking
    • Molecular processing, and
    • Cryogenic storage.
    Click here for additional information about the CBR, including its policies and how to apply. 
     
    GLBRN Annual Meeting
    The CBR participates in the Great Lakes Biorepository Research Network (GLBRN), which aims to enhance biorepository practices and collaboration. GLBRN will host their second annual meeting on Friday, October 30 at Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester, Michigan.

    The event is being hosted by William Beaumont Hospital and features two speakers from U-M. Gonçalo Abecasis, Ph.D., will explore Opportunities for Large Scale Genetic Association Studies, and Raymond De Vries, Ph.D., will be speaking on the Future Uses of Biobanked Specimens and/or Data.
     
    Event registration starts at 8:30 AM and speakers begin presenting at 9:00 AM. Vendors will be available to answer questions about repository products until 3:00 PM.
     
    For more information, including speaker bios and a complete meeting agenda, visit the CBR website.
    DFL
    Eric R. Fearon to Receive the Distinguished Faculty Lectureship Award in Biomedical Research
    Eric R. Fearon, M.D., Ph.D.
    The Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) is pleased to announce that the winner of this year's Distinguished Faculty Lectureship Award in Biomedical Research is Eric R. Fearon, M.D., Ph.D., Emanuel N. Maisel Professor of Oncology; Professor of Internal Medicine, Human Genetic, and Pathology; Chief, Molecular Medicine & Genetics Division, and Associate Director for Basic Science and Deputy Director University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. 
        
    Dr. Fearon will receive this award and give a lecture on: 

    "Mechanisms Underlying
    Colorectal Tumor Pathogenesis" 
       Tuesday, November 17
       4:30 PM - 5:30 PM 

       Kahn Auditorium,
    Biomedical Science Research Building (BSRB) 
    Reception to follow in the BSRB Atrium

    This award is the highest honor bestowed upon a faculty member for research in the biomedical sciences by the Medical School. Dr. Fearon is being recognized for his numerous significant research accomplishments, outstanding contributions in mentoring and teaching, and valuable leadership to science and the Medical School.

    Fearon is a major leader in cancer research both nationally and at U-M, and is regarded as a superstar in the field of cancer genetics. His early work laid the foundation for the field of tumor suppressor genes. He continues this work today through investigating the molecular analysis of cancer pathogenesis and the means by which specific oncogene and tumor suppressor gene defects contribute to the pathogenesis of colon and other cancers. As part of this work, Dr. Fearon also develops novel strategies for early detection and treatment of colorectal adenomas and carcinomas. 
    BRCF
    Biomedical Research Core Facilities Part of $9.5M Funding Award to U-M
    Award will be used to study the impact of the environment on children's health
    The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded $9.5 million to the University of Michigan to study the impact of the environment on children's health.

    U-M will serve as one of six national research hubs over the next four years as part of the new NIEHS Children's Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR) Program. Through the Michigan hub of the CHEAR Laboratory Network (M-CHEAR), U-M will support scientists across the country whose research focuses on the causes of adverse child health such as pre-term birth, reproductive tract anomalies, obesity, asthma/allergies, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, and early onset of puberty.

    "The primary objective of M-CHEAR is to contribute large-scale national efforts to advance knowledge of the impact of the environment on child health by offering high-quality, state-of-the-art laboratory support for researchers conducting epidemiology and clinical studies of child health," said M-CHEAR Director John Meeker, professor of environmental health sciences and associate dean for research at the School of Public Health. 

    Specifically, the CHEAR program will provide the NIH-funded research community access to laboratory and statistical analyses to add or expand environmental exposures as a component of their research. To carry out these services, M-CHEAR will collaborate with existing laboratories at the School of Public Health, the Medical School, and other organizations in Ann Arbor, such as NSF International.

    The Medical School's participating labs are part of the Biomedical Research Core Facilities, including the Michigan Regional Comprehensive Metabolomics Resource Core (which is one of six national metabolomics centers funded by the NIH Common Fund), DNA Sequencing Core, Epigenomics Core, Proteomics & Peptide Synthesis Core, and the Michigan Diabetes Research Center Clinical Chemistry Lab Core, which is part of the Department of Internal Medicine.

    Read the full award announcement to learn more about the NIEHS initiative, and for additional details on the specific types of services M-CHEAR will offer.
    MICHR
    MICHR Names New Director
    George Mashour, M.D., Ph.D., to head MICHR
    George A. Mashour, M.D., Ph.D.
    George A. Mashour, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed associate dean for clinical and translational research, and director of the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR), effective Thursday, October 1. He has served as interim associate dean and interim MICHR director since June.

    Dr. Mashour is the Bert N. La Du Professor and associate chair for research in the Department of Anesthesiology, and founding director of the Center for Consciousness Science. He also holds faculty appointments in the Department of Neurosurgery and the Neuroscience Graduate Program. 

    He is an internationally recognized expert on the topics of consciousness, anesthetic mechanisms, and neurologic outcomes of surgery. Click here to learn more about Dr. Mashour's research interests and background.
    SharpFocus
    The Breakdown on Biostats
    Sharpening Your Focus:
    Tips on Grant Proposal Preparation
    By Jill Jividen, Ph.D., Senior Manager
    for Research Development Support,
    U-M Medical School Office of Research

    (One in a series of tips published in UMMS Research News about writing proposals.) 

    Especially in this age of Big Data, researchers may want to explore how they can collaborate with biostatisticians to enhance grant proposals and projects.

    Biostatistics is the field of statistics that interprets the data generated by biomedical sciences. Biostatisticians use mathematics, computer science, and computational biology to help make sense of experimental outcomes. They can help distinguish whether variations are caused by chance, measurement error, or other factors; they often can provide an element of objectivity to scientific observation.

    Investigators engage biostatisticians in a number of ways, including to:
    • Assist with the study design of clinical trials
      and biomedical research
    • Help prepare protocols that consider sample sizes,
      power calculations, and data analysis plans
    • Provide methodological expertise
    • Help conduct experiments
    • Provide appropriate mathematical framework
    • Use statistical theory for real-world applications
    • Collect, summarize, and analyze data for
      scientific evidence.
    If you're not sure how you might incorporate biostats to improve the methodology or competitiveness of your proposal, U-M has several resources that can help:
    Office of Research
    Our mission in the Office of Research is to foster an environment of innovation and efficiency that serves the U-M Medical School community and supports biomedical science from insight to impact.