IN THIS ISSUE... News Events

CALENDAR OF EVENTS... PCRHN Seminar Oct. 8th BioOhio Annual Conference Oct. 16th KL2 Scholarship Deadline: Oct. 27th Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Symposium Oct. 30-31st Diversity in Research Oct. 8th and Nov. 19th

Dialogue on Discovery - Christopher Austin, MD, Director of NCATS/Keynote Speaker Fall is in full swing at the SOM, and while I am sure many would say that it is the busiest season of our calendar, I would say that it is also the most exciting. It seems like at every turn we are introducing or participating in fascinating conversations. This year's Dialogue on Discovery, hosted last month, provided further proof that our packed events calendar is filled to the brim with amazing conversations and ideas. The evening's discussion was highlighted by great insight into stem cells and regenerative medicine. Those who attended heard about the history of stem cell research in Cleveland, the field's current hot areas, and where the future might take us. Presentations covered a wide range of relevant research: everything from mesenchyme stem cells (MSCs), the creation of artificial tracheas, and nascent studies of cancer stem cells that must be controlled to prevent cancer recurrence were on the docket. The most impressive aspect of the conversations were how they were presented. This was not a dry recital by any means. Attendees were treated to frank discussions with those closest to the issues. For example, we heard directly from a patient with a liquid cancer who has responded well to reconstitution with bone marrow stem cells. This remarkably courageous and gracious lady told us about her personal fight, and how it would not be possible without her strong, supportive family. It was a powerful reminder of what our work is all about. Additionally, her story was a true testament to the importance of patient participation in clinical trials for moving research forward.   Our keynote speaker, Chris Austin, MD, Director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, touched upon this last point and emphasized the critical importance of collaboration in biomedical research today. Both in the discovery phase and in the clinical trials, he reminded us, research is a team sport. And in addition to the cooperative Midwestern spirit he has observed during two visits here, he praised our novel programs in statewide cooperation for clinical trials and the Council to Advance Human Health for moving discoveries more rapidly to patients. This kind of collaboration is still our greatest weapon in the war against disease.   Later in the program, we had the opportunity to pause and honor another one of our own with the Case Medal for Innovation. Mark Griswold, PhD, a quintessential team player, was recognized for his remarkable discoveries in quantitative analysis and interpretation of magnetic resonance imaging data.   The sum total of the event was a celebration of research at the School of Medicine - especially that research which impacts the lives of our patients. Community friends, an NIH director, and frankly, everyone in attendance, were highly energized by the exciting work on display. That work-your work-exemplifies the three C's that are essential to our continued success: collaboration, community, and cures. Kudos to all who participated, and to all those whose discoveries and clinical work applying those discoveries make a better life for patients every day! Pam

New Director of Bioethics Research and Policy Appointed

The Center for Ethics, Humanities and Spiritual Care is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Susannah Rose as Director of Bioethics Research and Policy in the Department of Bioethics. Dr. Rose is a national leader of cutting-edge research in the areas of end-of-life care and in conflicts of interest. In this leadership role, she will help advance research and ethics public policy activities of the Bioethics Department by building innov

Dr. Susannah Rose

ative interdisciplinary scholarship initiatives. These efforts are particularly timely given that health care the U.S. is facing new ethical and policy challenges.

 

Dr. Rose joined the Professional Staff at Cleveland Clinic three years ago, and holds joint appointments with the Taussig Cancer Institute and the Medicine Institute. She also holds a faculty appointment at the Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, with adjunct appointments at theWeatherhead School of Management and at Harvard University's School of Public Health. She is currently a Cleveland Clinic Clinical Research Scholar (administered through the Clinical & Translational Science Collaborative, CTSC), which supports Dr. Rose's research in end-of-life care.

 

Dr. Rose completed her PhD in Health Policy at Harvard University and prior to joining the Clinic, she held a pre- and post-doctoral fellows at the Massachusetts General Hospital sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIMH and NCI). Dr. Rose was also a fellow at the Edmond J Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard.  She received a MS in Social Work at Columbia University and a MS in Bioethics at Union College/Albany Medical Center.  Before enrolling in her doctoral program, she served as a clinical oncology social worker and researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York.

PRCHN Welcomes Senator and CDC Director

Some studies have found that life expectancy in the United States can vary as much as 25 years, depending on where you live.

Within its broad mission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aims to attack what the federal agency defines as "place-based" health disparities. CDC Director Tom Frieden, during a recent visit to the Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods (PRCHN) at Case Western Reserve University, described the problem as an inequity "where lifespan is determined more by zip code than genetic code."

Frieden, after returning from West Africa to learn more about the Ebola outbreak, joined United States Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to hear first-hand about the life-changing public health programs Case Western Reserve's PRCHN are co-creating with public health officials and community partners to better serve disadvantaged and underserved urban neighborhoods.

Senator Sherrod Brown, Elaine Borawski, PhD, and Director Tom Frieden

"Senator Brown and Director Frieden were clearly impressed with the groundbreaking work of the Prevention Research Center and its ongoing commitment to improving the lives of Northeast Ohioans," said Mark Chance, PhD, vice dean for

research at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine an d director of the Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics. "All this is made possible by leveraging the ongoing CDC support and through cooperation and collaboration with our many community partners, including the county and city health departments, who are committed to finding solutions to improve health in our urban neighborhoods and across the county."

PRCHN Director Elaine Borawski, PhD, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, with her colleagues Erika Trapl, PhD (Epidemiology and Biostats), Darcy Freedman, PhD (Epidemiology and Biostats) and Susan Flocke, PhD (Family Medicine) and nearly a dozen community partners, presented an overview of the center's progressive and collaborative work, including:

• Freshlink, PRCHN's core project, which increases access to healthy foods in underserved neighborhoods. Among its many innovative approaches is a produce prescription program to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables pregnant women consume to help reduce infant mortality.
• We Run This City Youth Marathon Program, a school/community-based fitness program run by the YMCA of Greater Cleveland and in collaboration with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and the Cleveland Rite Aid Marathon. The center has documented significant improvements in blood pressure, body mass index and cardiovascular fitness levels of thousands of Cleveland youth who participated in the program over the past eight years.
• Tobacco Prevention and Control. The center is involved in surveillance and intervention efforts across Cuyahoga County to reduce tobacco use in youth and adults, and especially the use of little cigars, hookah and e-cigarettes.
• Links with local and state health departments to increase capacity for evidence-based public health practice that can help reduce or prevent the development of chronic disease. For example, $10 to $50 is spent to treat tobacco-related health problems for every $1 spent on tobacco prevention and control programs, according to Frieden. "That's what public health does," he said. "It delivers value, it saves lives and it saves money. Prevention is the best 'buy' in the health sector."

PRCHN was established in 2009, becoming part of the CDC-funded national PRC network. The PRCHN was built on the foundations of two previous centers-the Center for Health Promotion Research and the Center for Adolescent Health, which merged to become the PRCHN. Borawski, who is also the Angela Bowen Williamson Professor of Community Nutrition in the departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Nutrition at the School of Medicine, serves as principal investigator of the CDC-funded grant that supports the PRCHN and is its founding director.

CDC funds 26 PRCs nationally to improve public health practice. Federal support for PRCs is highly competitive, especially in the latest cycle of funding, which reduced the number of centers from 37 to 26 nationally. The CWRU PRCHN was one of the 26 selected for the 2014-2019 cycle, which begins Sept. 30.

"We were extremely honored to have Dr. Frieden and Senator Brown visit our PRC and to have the opportunity to share the work we are doing with our community partners to improve the health of residents in disadvantaged and underserved neighborhoods of Greater Cleveland," Borawski said. "It was particularly inspiring to hear Dr. Frieden and Senator Brown share their own perspectives on what it will take to 'move the needle' on population health-and to realize that we are already out in front on most of these efforts here in Greater Cleveland."

Frieden and Brown concluded their visit with an overview of the Prematurity Research Center-Ohio Collaborative by Chance and Sam Mesiano, PhD, associate professor of reproductive biology and site director. The center is funded by the March of Dimes.

 

eRA Commons Usernames for Graduate and Undergraduate Students

Beginning next month, any students working for more than a calendar month on an NIH grant must have an eRA Commons ID. While this notice came out last year, enforcement, including rejection of progress reports, will begin in October 2014.

Read more at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-13-097.html.

Research Performance Progress Report Required for Non-SNAP Progress Reports

PRCHN Seminar Series: Freshlink - A Five Year Retrospective with a Look into the Future

FreshLink is a cluster of research studies centered on food policy and urban agriculture conducted in partnership with the PRCHN. Areas of study include perceptions and shopping patterns at farmers' markets among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients; variations in grocers' food availability and prices across the month in SNAP-dense neighborhoods; case studies of food policy; and studies to test the use of incentives for pregnant women to use farmers' markets and testing the effect of nutrition navigators working with in-home childcare providers. The Neighborhood Working Group (NWG) intervention, known as The Healthy Village Healthy Child Initiative, will be the focus of the seminar. It was a 12-week intervention in the Buckeye' neighborhood, testing the efficacy of nutrition navigators who worked with in-home childcare providers helping to set and meet goals in three areas: nutrition, physical activity, and parental engagement. The presentation will be jointly delivered by PRCHN staff, community partners, and providers engaged in the  project. Posters of FreshLink projects will also be available for viewing and discussion.   For more information contact Kathy Kelly or visit the website.

Statistical and Methodological Strategies in Quality of Life Studies

Wednesday, October 8, 2014
8:45 am - 10:15 am
Wolstein Research Building Auditorium, Room 1413
3 CREC

A past president of the International Society for Quality of LIfe Research, Dr. Diane Fairclough is renowned for her research in Quality of Life, outcomes in palliative/hospice care, and psychosocial sequelae of cancer and its therapy in pediatric and adult patients. Her statistical research intersts include the analysis of longitudinal studies with non-random missing data due to disease morbidity or mortality. She has over 200 peer-reviewed ppublications and is the author of Design and Analysis of Quality of Life Studies in Clinical Trials, 2nd edition (2010).

Coffee and Pastries at 8:30 am.

RSVP to Barbie Boveington-Molter at bxb77@case.edu.

Diversity in Research

Wednesday, October 8
10-11:30 am
Kelvin Smith Library, LL06 A/B/C

Wednesday, November 19
2-3:30 pm
Biomedical Research Building, Room 105

4 CREC

Diversity in Research explores the scientific, ethical, and legal bases for the inclusion of diverse participants in research and the recruitment and hiring of diverse research staff. Potential barriers to diversity in the research context are discussed.

This workshop meets the requirements of the CWRU Office of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity (OIDEO) for participation on CWRU search committees.

Registration is online at: http://research.case.edu/Education/Onlinecalendar.cfm.

BioOhio Annual Conference

As a founding member of BioOhio, all CWRU faculty and staff are eligible for BioOhio benefits, events, etc.:

 

This year BioOhio takes its Annual Conference back on the road, and back to the roots, focusing on its members, innovation and growth in Ohio's bioscience community. Each event will begin at approximately 9am and conclude with a networking reception.

 

Bioscience is, at its roots, all about growth. From the science of creating new therapies to fight disease, to nurturing a new research venture or expanding a manufacturing line to deliver a life saving device, Ohio bioscience is alive and growing.

 

As with past years, BioOhio's Annual Conferences will offer content from dynamic speakers and excellent networking. BioOhio will bring Ohio's bioscience community together to explore new opportunities and discoveries in research, tech licensing, financing, business development, partnerships, workforce & education, regulatory, advocacy and membership benefits.

 

The venues provide an "off the beaten path" atmosphere, offering an escape from routine surroundings for a day so that attendees can focus on the root of their bioscience pathway, career, goals and challenges.

Early bird specials, discounts for attending more than one event, special group rates, and reception-only rates are being offered!

 

BioOhio 2014 Annual Conference Road Show - Northern Ohio

Thursday, October 16, 2014 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

The Bertram Inn & Conference Center

600 North Aurora Rd.

Aurora, OH 44202

 

BioOhio Member: $325.00 

Reception Only, Member: $50.00

 

Register Here!

 

Learn more about BioOhio membership benefits.

 

Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Symposium

This conference is intended to raise awareness about Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer. National leaders in the field will review strategic opportunities specific to cancer in the AYA population to improve clinical and behavioral outcomes. 

For more information and to register click here.

For questions contact Kathy Griswold, Pediatric Hematology University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, 216.844.8959 or AYASYM2014@UHhospitals.org.

Call for Abstracts: Bioethics Conference in Cincinnati

March 12-13, 2015

The University of Cincinnati (UC) Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST) and Ethics Center of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center invite abstracts for podium and poster presentations at the March 12-13, 2015 conference Genomics and Ethics in Research and Medical Decision-Making.  The conference will feature empirical and conceptual investigations into the ethical aspects of genetics and genomics in diverse research, community, and clinical domains in biomedicine. 

To be held at the UC Kingsgate Marriott Conference Center, the event will provide a forum for discussing the intersection of genetics/genomics and ethics, including community engagement, return of research and clinical results, the commercialization of genomics research, consent in medical research and clinical settings, and genomics in mental health research and treatment.  

Keynote speakers include Gail Jarvik, MD, PhD, head of the division of medical genetics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Barbara Koenig, PhD, professor, Institute for Health & Aging, University of California, San Francisco. 

Abstracts are limited to 500 words and must be submitted online by Friday, November 21, 2014.  Please see links below for details. 

• Call for Abstracts (.pdf) 
   

• Online Abstract Submission 
   

• Conference homepage 
   

For questions about the abstract submission system, contact the Cincinnati Children's CME office at 513-636-6732 or cme@cchmc.org. For other questions regarding the conference, please email Bettie.Durant@cchmc.org or call 513-803-2610.  Details on conference and hotel registration will be announced soon. 

Funding Opportunities

Deadline to apply for the 2015 CTSC KL2 scholar cohort is October 27th!

Qualified candidates are being offered an opportunity to apply to an innovative career development program whose purpose is to train clinician investigators.  The CTSC KL2 is designed to train the nation's future leaders in clinical and translational research, and is part of the NIH Roadmap aimed at "re-engineering the clinical research enterprise."  Each scholar will embark on a 4 year program of intensive training in multidisciplinary team-based, patient-oriented clinical research, combining an innovative curriculum with mentored research experiences.

Qualified candidates

• Hold an M.D., Ph.D., D.D.S., Pharm.D., Psy.D. or an equivalent degree
• Have demonstrated a keen interest in clinical research
• Need to hold a position in one of the CTSC partner Institutions on or before July 1, 2015  
• Are U.S. citizens or have permanent resident status

Applications are encouraged from physicians, nurses, dentists, social and behavioral scientists, engineers, biostatisticians, epidemiologists, bioethicists and other professionals with expertise relevant to clinical research.

Successful applicants will receive a comprehensive package including:

The competitive applicant will be at an early career stage, e.g. senior postdoctoral fellow, instructor, or entry level faculty member, and will need to explain through the application how the program will enable a successful career in clinical research.

We are especially seeking qualified applicants from under represented populations.

Please visit our website for more information: http://casemed.case.edu/ctsc/education/kl2/

For questions or assistance, please contact Beth Spyke, MPA at spykeb@ccf.org or 216-444-2702.

The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) of Cleveland provides developmental, organizational, financial, and educational support to biomedical researchers as well as opportunities for community members to participate in meaningful and valuable research.

Limited Submission Reminder: NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI)

Key Deadlines: October 10, 2014, 5:00pm (CWRU Internal Submission Deadline), ***January 26, 2015, 5:00pm EST (TENTATIVE agency submission deadline)***.

The Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) serves to increase access to shared scientific and engineering instruments for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education, and not-for-profit museums, science centers and scientific/engineering research organizations. This program especially seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering, by supporting proposals for shared instrumentation that fosters the integration of research and education in research-intensive learning environments. Each MRI proposal may request support for the acquisition (Track 1) or development (Track 2) of a single research instrument for shared inter- and/or intra-organizational use; development efforts that leverage the strengths of private sector partners to build instrument development capacity at MRI submission-eligible organizations are encouraged. 

Instrument acquisition or development proposals that request funds from NSF in the range $100,000-$4 million may be accepted from any MRI-eligible organization. Proposals that request funds from NSF less than $100,000 may also be accepted from any MRI-eligible organization for the disciplines of mathematics or social, behavioral and economic sciences and from non-Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education for all NSF-supported disciplines. 

Cost-sharing of precisely 30% of the total project cost is required for Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education and for non-degree-granting organizations. Non-Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education are exempt from cost-sharing and cannot include it. National Science Board policy is that voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited. 

For more information on this limited submission opportunity, visit the Office of Research Administration website.

American Heart Association

The Strategically Focused Research Network will focus on Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease.

The AHA is interested in the science community exploring all aspects of disparities in cardiovascular disease, which can assist the AHA in reaching its 2020 Goals and overall mission of building healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Prospective applicants are requested to submit a Letter of Intent for the AHA Strategically Focused Disparities Research on or before October 30, 2014. Letters of Intent will be available in Grants@Heart after September 15, 2014. 

While a Letter of Intent is not required in order to submit a subsequent full application and does not enter into the review of said subsequent application; the information provided in a Letter of Intent allows AHA staff to estimate the potential peer review workload and to avoid potential conflicts of interest in the peer review process. It also allows AHA to provide potential applicants with updated information about the application process if necessary.

For more information, visit the Strategically Focused Disparities Research Network website.

Division of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine, CWRU and UH Case Medical Center

The Division of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, with funds from STERIS Corporation, will provide seed money to faculty to foster research in emerging and healthcare-associated infections. Investigators in the basic science and clinical departments in the School of Medicine and Hospital System as well as in other departments throughout the University are eligible.

Grants, not to exceed $37,500 direct costs each, will be awarded to investigators who intend to gather preliminary data to be used in seeking future independently funded awards. Basic science applications are encouraged but should have a clear translational component related to the themes of this request for application. Up to four grants annually will be awarded.

For more information please contact Martha Salata at 844-1988 or mks18@case.edu or visit the Center's website.

William T. Grant Foundation

The William T. Grant Foundation's Distinguished Fellows Program is designed to increase the supply of, demand for, and use of high-quality research in the service of improved youth outcomes. To accomplish its goals, the program gives influential mid-career researchers the opportunity to immerse themselves in practice or policy settings and gives influential practitioners and policy makers the opportunity to work in research settings. To that end, the program encourages mid-career researchers to submit proposals that are designed to deepen their understanding of policy processes and practice settings. The program also invites policy makers and practitioners to propose projects that will enhance their capacities to recognize and use high-quality research. Proposed fellowships must fit the Grant Foundation's research interests. The foundation currently supports research to understand and improve the everyday settings of youth in the United States. Specifically, the foundation funds studies that enhance the understanding of how youth settings work, how they affect youth development, and how they can be improved; and when, how, and under what conditions research evidence is used in policy and practice that affect youth, and how its use can be improved. Letters of Inquiry must be received no later than January 6, 2015. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit full applications. The 2014-15 Distinguished Fellows Application Guide, which includes a complete description of the program, eligibility guidelines, and application instructions, is available at the William T. Grant Foundation website.

Pilot Grants Available from CGREAL

The Center for Genetic Research Ethics and Law (CGREAL) is currently accepting applications for pilot projects from Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic faculty who are interested in developing research on:

• Ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) in the design and conduct of human genetic research, or
• The translation of research results into clinical medicine, public health, and health policy needs related to genetics.

These grants are designed to support exploratory efforts towards the development of larger scholarly projects or lines of research related to CGREAL's mission to facilitate interdisciplinary inquiry into the ethical, legal, and social implications of new advances in genetic and genomic science.

Criteria for evaluation will focus on the potential for expanding and enriching the range of perspectives being brought to genetic research ethics and law at CGREAL. Preference will be given to projects that are deemed likely to foster further collaborative research opportunities. 

Requests may be made for up to $5,000. Funds may not be used for faculty salary support. Applications are encouraged from Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic faculty at any rank/level. 

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and funding for awarded seed grants will be available immediately upon project approval.

Interested faculty should contact Aaron Goldenberg (aaron.goldenberg@case.edu or 216-368-8729).

 For further information on the Center for Genetic Research Ethics and Law, see http://www.case.edu/med/bioethics/cgreal/.

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