Welcome to Our New Cohort of KL2 Scholars!

Mohamed Abazeed, MD, PhD

Stefanie Avril, MD

Dr. Stefanie Avril received her medical degree from the Technical University Munich, Germany, following training at the University of Caen, France, Cornell Medical School, New York, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. Her scientific career started with several studies on prediction of treatment response in ovarian and breast cancer using FDG-PET molecular imaging, followed by studies on histopathologic and molecular biomarkers of treatment response and intratumoral heterogeneity in breast and ovarian cancer. She is the recipient of several prestigious scholarships and research awards. After completing a residency in pathology at the Technical University Munich, Germany and a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Cambridge, UK, Dr. Avril joined CWRU/ UHCMC in 2014 as an assistant professor of pathology. Her research is focused on gynecologic oncology and breast cancer, with a specific interest in the tumor immune micro! environment and studying novel immunotherapeutic approaches to improve treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer.

Nicholas Schiltz, PhD

Dr. Schiltz received his BS in Quantitative Economics & BA in Political Science from Miami University of Ohio and earned his PhD in Epidemiology & Biostatistics at CWRU. He is currently a research scientist in the department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics. Dr. Schiltz was awarded the Young Investigator Award from the American Epilepsy Society. His current research interests have focused on using large databases to study health outcomes and policy in people with multiple chronic conditions (MCC). His project seeks to develop and apply state-of-the-art data mining methods to better understand the epidemiology of the MCC population and to predict health care costs and outcomes. In addition, he plans to use mathematical modeling to test the impact of changes in health policy on access to care and health outcomes in the MCC population. The hope is that the findings will lead to the development of more comprehensive and personalized approaches to care management of patients with multiple chronic conditions.

Jennifer Sweet, MD

Dr. Sweet received her BS in Premedical studies and French from the University of Michigan. She earned her MD at Georgetown University where she also completed her Neurological Surgery residency. Dr. Sweet then came to UHCMC for her Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery fellowship and has stayed on as faculty. She received a Neurological Institute Research Award from UHCMC. Dr. Sweet's research involves the Deep Brain Stimulation of the Rostral Dorsal Cingulum Bundle for the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder. She hopes that this proposal will lead to a strategy to improve or even cure Bipolar Disorder for individuals who currently have no other options, and may also advance the surgical treatment of other psychiatric disorders by demonstrating how the utilization of tractography technology can assist in the identification of more precise targets for deep brain stimulation implantation.

For more about our scholars and the  KL2 program visit our website.

OHRP Research Community Forum Innovations in Research: Collaborations & Transformations

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Cleveland, OH

Registration Fee: $125

The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) of the United States Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), along with University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), will be hosting an all-day Research Community Forum at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland, Ohio.

This conference will feature a unique program focused on research innovation, with representatives from OHRP as well as experts from industry and academic institutions. The content of the program will benefit all members of the research enterprise.

Researchers, research coordinators, Institutional Review Board (IRB) members and staff, institutional officials, other public health service agencies, emerging bioscience companies entering human research and anyone with an interest in research involving human subjects should consider attending this informative and interesting one-day conference.

For additional information and registration click here.

Dialogue on Discovery 2015- Mind Over Matter

September 17, 2015

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is pleased to present Dialogue on Discovery 2015 - Mind Over Matter: Secrets of the Brain. The event will be held at the Tinkham Veale University Center at Case Western Reserve University.

Dialogue on Discovery is an annual symposium celebrating the research successes of our academic and clinical partnerships. The summit convenes researchers, community leaders and friends to encourage multiple voices to participate in a dialogue on medical discoveries that advance the health of our families and friends, as well as the health of our region.

For more information and to register click here.

Cleveland Medical Hackathon

September 26-27, 2015

The 1st Annual Cleveland Health Hackathon will bring together doctors, administrators, engineers, designers, patients, programmers, and others for a day of creative but focused collaboration. The goal is to tackle challenges in making the increasing levels of data collected through technology useful to healthcare systems and to the patients they serve.

The Cleveland Health Hackathon seeks participants who are doctors, nurses, administrators, patient advocates, innovators, entrepreneurs, designers, IT professionals and developers to tackle these challenges and present concrete breakthrough solutions by the end of the event.

For more information and to register click here.

10th Annual Obesity Summit: A Decade of Progress

October 2-3, 2015

InterContinental Hotel and Bank of America Conference Center

Cleveland, OH

Register to attend the Cleveland Clinic 10th Annual Obesity Summit. The summit attracts a diverse mix of health care practitioners interested in discussing innovative solutions to the causes of obesity, preventive strategies, and therapeutic management approaches. It features innovative sessions designed to engage you with colleagues as well as patient interviews, interactive workshops, a meet-the-professor luncheon, case-based lessons, and question and answer sessions.

This year's Summit will feature these important topics:

• New guidelines for obesity treatment
• Review of FDA-approved weight loss drugs
• Science of obesity and gut microbes
• The link between obesity and comorbidities
• The expanded role of surgery in treating obesity and diabetes
• Long-term results of bariatric surgery
• New technology for obesity management

Featured faculty include:

• Caroline Apovian, MD, Boston University
• Richard Atkinson, MD, Obetech Obesity Research Center
• Nikhil Dhurandhar, PhD, The Obesity Society
• Gary Foster, PhD, Weight Watchers
• Rob Knight, PhD, University of California, San Diego

Register today at www.ccfcme.org/ctsc-obesity

4th Annual Dan and Linda Rocker Silverberg Heal the Healer Health Symposium - Optimal You: Body, Mind Spirit

Friday, October 16, 2015

We are pleased to announce that the 4th Annual Dan and Linda Rocker Silverberg Heal the Healer Health Symposium has been scheduled for Friday, October 16, 2015. This daylong event will be held at the 700 Beta Conference Center in Mayfield Village, OH. National and local speakers will cover a variety of topics on integrative health. Attendees will also have the option to experience Reiki, chair massage, reflexology and acupuncture.

Continuing education credits provided for physicians, nurses, psychologists and social workers. Early bird discount ends September 1.

Click here

Click here to register online or register by phone at 216-983-1239.

Simons Foundation: Investigators in the Mathematical Modeling of Living Systems

Key Deadlines: September 3, 2015, 5:00pm (CWRU Letter of Intent), October 28, 2015, 12:00pm EST (external application).

The Simons Foundation invites nominations for Simons Investigators in the Mathematical Modeling of Living Systems (MMLS). These Investigators are outstanding scientists, often with mathematics or theoretical physics backgrounds, who are now engaged in mathematical model- based research in the life sciences and to whom the Simons Foundation is dedicated to providing long-term support for their work.

Rationale and scope: New approaches in mathematically based modeling are making increasingly important contributions to the life sciences. The MMLS program aims to support such approaches and foster a scientific culture of theory-experiment collaboration similar to that prevailing in the physical sciences. To encourage young researchers to pursue this endeavor, the MMLS program will provide a long-term, stable base of support, enabling a focus on model-based approaches to important issues in the life sciences.

A broad spectrum of research areas within the life sciences will be considered, ranging from cellular-level issues of organization, regulation, signaling, and morphogenic dynamics to the properties of organisms and ecology, as well as neuroscience and evolution; however, preference will be given to areas in which modeling approaches are less established and, for this reason, bioinformatics- and genomics-related proposals fall outside the scope of the program. In all cases, preference will be given to work that relates closely to experiment, developing mathematical models that can explain data, suggest new classes of experiments, and introduce important new concepts.

Terms of Awards: An Investigator will receive research support in an amount initially set at $100,000 per year. An additional $10,000 per year will be provided to the Investigator's department. The award is administered through the institution at which the Investigator is appointed, and this institution will receive an additional 20 percent per year in indirect costs on the Investigator and departmental funds.

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

March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center Ohio Collaborative

Application Deadline: September 15, 2015

The March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center Ohio Collaborative announces the 2015 funding cycle for its Innovation Catalyst Grant Program. The Collaborative was established in 2013 to study the unknown causes of preterm birth. Ohio partners in the Collaborative include Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Mount Carmel Health System, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals and MetroHealth System of Cleveland. Dartmouth College, University of Iowa, University of South Florida, Vanderbilt University and Washington University in St. Louis are also participating sites. The Collaborative is currently focusing on five thematic areas: Evolutionary Synthesis of Human Pregnancy, Genetics of Unique Human Populations, Molecular Developmental Biology of Pregnancy, Progesterone Signaling in Pregnancy Maintenance and Preterm Birth, and Sociobiology of Racial Disparities in Preterm Birth. The Collaborative aims to foster further discovery across these thematic areas by encouraging new interactions of transdisciplinary researchers called Innovation Catalysts. A primary objective of this program is to optimize the ability of these teams to pursue new science with excellence and immediacy.

Eligibility: Open to faculty-level investigators from Collaborative sites and from other Ohio academic and medical institutions. Emphasis on state- and region-wide transdisciplinary interactions is encouraged.

The attached application should be completed which includes the following:

1. Proposal, including a Specific Aims page and up to six pages outlining the Research Strategy. Preliminary data are not required but may be included if available.

2. NIH Biosketch for principal investigator and key personnel.

3. Budget. A project period of up to 2 years may be requested. The combined budget for a two year project may not exceed $100,000 with a maximum of $50,000 requested in any single year. Faculty salaries (limited by NIH cap, up to 15% support) may be included. Only direct costs are eligible.

Application deadline is September 15, 2015. Please submit completed application to Stephanie Swart at Stephanie.Swart@cchmc.org by email as a single pdf document. Proposals will be evaluated for novelty & innovation, transdisciplinary approach and alignment with Collaborative research goals. Applicants should anticipate a response by November 6, 2015. Funding will begin January 1, 2016.

Questions may be directed to Joanne Chappell, Director of Operations, at Joanne.Chappell@cchmc.org or to Dr. Louis Muglia, Coordinating Principal Investigator, at Louis.Muglia@cchmc.org.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - 2016 Future of Nursing Scholars

Application Deadline: September 17, 2015

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released a Request for Proposals for its 2016 Future of Nursing Scholars program, an annual program that aims to help develop the next generation of Ph.D.-prepared nurse leaders committed to long-term careers that advance science and discovery, strengthen nursing education, and bring transformational change to nursing and health care.

The three-year program aims to ensure the nation has a diverse and well-trained leadership and workforce committed to building a culture of health across the country. To that end, Future of Nursing Scholars are encouraged to form long-lasting relationships and networks with other scholars in the program, as well as with scholars and fellows in other RWJF programs -- situating them as a formidable group of healthcare leaders.

Schools with research-focused Ph.D. programs in nursing are eligible to apply. Selected schools will choose the Ph.D. students to be designated as Future of Nursing Scholars and must be committed to facilitating the scholar's completion of the Ph.D. degree in three academic years. The scholars selected also must be committed to completing their Ph.D. program in three academic years. Selected scholars must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States at the time of award.

For the 2016 cohort, the program will support up to seventy-five scholars. Each scholar will receive $75,000 to be used over the three years of the program. The award must be matched by $50,000, which can be in-kind, from the school.

Application Deadline: September 17, 2015

For more information visit the RWJF webpage.

Procter & Gamble Company (P&G)

Application Deadline: September 30, 2015

The Procter & Gamble Fund Higher Education Grant Program has been established to provide support for efforts of regionally accredited U.S. colleges and universities that will better prepare students for success in business. Grants will be provided for specific projects or programs, not for operating support. Examples of eligible projects include, but are not limited to:

• Improving curriculum to be at the cutting edge in relevance and effectiveness;
• Fostering and enabling leadership opportunities and learning;
• Creating a learning environment that encourages and enhances innovation and creativity;
• Strengthening diversity in thought, participation and ongoing interaction.

In fairness to all participating institutions, there is a limit of two applications per discipline (i.e., two applications from the School of Business, two applications from the School of Engineering, etc.). For example, the program will accept an application from a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and an application from a Professor of Chemical Engineering from the same College/University. If the program receives more than two applications from the same discipline, the program will ask the applicant's Dean to select the two that will be submitted for the competition.

Based on the scope of the project, grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 will be awarded. Awards are for one year only. The grant money must be used as described in the grant application and should not be use to cover overhead cost, stipends or fellowships. One college or university may apply for multiple grants supporting multiple programs but may not receive more than $50,000 in one year.

The application deadline is September 30, 2015

For more information visit the P&G webpage.

PCORI: Engagement Award: Knowledge, Training and Development, and Dissemination Awards

Letter of Intent Deadline: October 1, 2015

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) will award up to $15.5 million in FY 2015 as part of the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards program. These awards support projects that encourage active integration of patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders as integral members of the patient-centered outcomes research/clinical effectiveness research (PCOR/CER) enterprise.

A letter of intent is due October 1, 2015

For more information visit the PCORI webpage.

NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI)

Key Deadlines: October 5, 2015, 5:00pm (CWRU internal letter of intent), January 13, 2016, 5:00pm EST (proposal due to sponsor).

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.

To accomplish the program's goals, the MRI program assists with the acquisition or development of a shared research instrument that is, in general, too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NSF programs. The instrument is expected to be operational for regular research use by the end of the award period. For the purposes of the MRI program, a proposal must be for either acquisition (Track 1) or development (Track 2) of a single instrument or for equipment that, when combined, serves as an integrated research instrument (in contrast to requests for multiple instruments that enable research in a common or focused research domain, which MRI does not support). The MRI program does not support the acquisition or development of a suite of instruments to outfit research laboratories/facilities or that will be used to conduct independent research activities simultaneously.

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.

CDC: Minority HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (MARI) to Build HIV Prevention, Treatment and Research Capacity

Application Deadline: October 14, 2015

The overall objective of this teaching/mentored award program is to prepare qualified individuals for careers that have a significant impact on the HIV/AIDS-related research needs of the nation, especially in highly-affected minority communities. The objective of the Minority HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (MARI) Award program is to provide support for a sustained period of time for intensive research training and career development under the guidance of an experienced mentor in HIV prevention research and lead to promising HIV prevention activities and researchers who could independently conduct studies in highly-affected communities.

Application deadline is October 14, 2015

For more information visit the Grants.Gov webpage.

FDA: Evaluating Quality Metrics for Risk-Based Surveillance of Drug Manufacturing Operations and Facilities (U01)

Application Deadline: October 16, 2015

The goal of this project is to evaluate a set of potential quality metrics for their utility in monitoring quality across the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. This project aids to support FDA's efforts in transforming quality oversight from a qualitative to a quantitative and expertise-based assessment in order to assure that quality drugs are available to the American public. The outcomes of the project could also be used to assist in the development of a risk-based inspection approach for domestic and foreign drug establishments.

Application deadline is October 16, 2015

For more information visit the Grants.Gov webpage.

Association of American Medical Colleges

Application Deadline: October 16, 2015

The AAMC is teaming up with The Patrick Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation to issue a request for proposals for Advancing Implementation Science in Community/Academic Partnered Research. The partnership offers an opportunity for academic medical centers to collaborate on research that has the potential for near-term impact to improve population health outcomes. The research should facilitate collaborations among researchers, community organizations, and health system leaders. 

Proposal Deadline: October 16, 2015 

For more information visit the AAMC webpage (pdf).

Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS Program in China Studies Offers Support for Early Career Scholars

Application Deadline: November 4, 2015

A program of the Henry Luce Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies, the Luce Foundation/ACLS Program in China Studies seeks to maintain the vitality of China studies in the United States through fellowships and grants, primarily for scholars early in their careers.

The program offers three competitions:

1) Pre-dissertation Summer Travel Grants for Research in China are designed to enable doctoral candidates to spend three to four months in 2015 gaining familiarity with work under way in archives and field sites in China and to establish formal and informal relations with Chinese institutions and colleagues in preparation for subsequent full-time research in China. A working knowledge of Chinese is required. Applicants must be enrolled in a Ph.D. program at a university in the U.S. Grants provide $5,000 for costs associated with travel to China (air and ground transportation, visas, and living expenses).

2) Postdoctoral Fellowships provide support for scholars in preparing their Ph.D. dissertation research for publication or in embarking on new research projects. Funding supports work based on the applicant's research in China, with the aim of producing a scholarly text in English. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. from an institution in the U.S. or be a U.S. citizen with a Ph.D. from any institution. The Ph.D. degree must be completed by November 4, 2015, and conferred by May 31, 2016. An applicant who is not a U.S. citizen must have an affiliation with a university or college in the U.S. The applicant's Ph.D. degree must have been conferred no more than eight years before the application deadline. A working knowledge of Chinese is required. Fellowships provide up to $50,000 for a maximum of one academic year and a minimum of one semester. Stipends may be used for travel, living expenses, and research costs.

3) Collaborative Reading-Workshop Grants of up to $15,000 provide opportunities for scholars of different disciplines to share in-depth investigation of texts that are essential points of entry to Chinese periods, traditions, communities, or events in contemporary or historical times. Applications in all disciplines of the humanities and related social sciences are welcome. Awards may be used to support the travel and lodging costs of participants, acquisition of materials, communications, and local arrangements. Workshops must bring together scholars who would not otherwise have the opportunity to work together. Each member of the organizing team must hold a Ph.D. from an institution in the U.S. or be a U.S. citizen with a Ph.D. from any institution. Workshops must be held at a location in the U.S.

Application Deadline: November 4, 2015.

For more information visit the ACLS webpage.

Corporation for National And Community Service - AmeriCorps State and National Grants FY 2016

Application Deadline: December 9, 2015

AmeriCorps grants are awarded to eligible organizations proposing to engage AmeriCorps member in evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions to strengthen communities. An AmeriCorps member is an individual who engages in community service through an approved national service position. Members may receive a living allowance and other benefits while serving. Upon successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award from the National Service Trust that members can use to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans. 

Letter of Intent Deadline: December 9, 2015 

For more information visit the CNCS webpage.

Centers of Research Translation (P50)

Application Deadline: December 11, 2015

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications for Centers of Research Translation (CORT). Overall, a CORT research program could be carried out by a synergistic team of scientists who will address a highly significant translational research challenge in a disease or condition within the mission of the NIAMS. The focus of research could be either 1) a disease-targeted translational theme addressed by synergistic Research Projects with optional Research Cores; or 2) a disease-related critical translational research question addressed through a single collaborative Research Project enabled by a number of highly interactive Research Cores whose work is integrated over time during the development and implementation of the Project. A CORT must have a minimum of three highly meritorious research components consisting of one or more translational Research Projects and one or more Research Cores. An Administrative Core is required in all applications. To facilitate a team science approach, the lead investigators of the research components must be drawn from relevant and, as appropriate, different research disciplines, and may be based in different departments, divisions, and/or institutions. Combined, the projects and cores will generate new knowledge that will improve our understanding of human pathophysiology, and lead to identification of new targets, other tangible products or deliverables and development of more effective treatment, diagnostic or prevention strategies for human disease.

Application Deadline: December 11, 2015

For more information visit the Grants.gov webpage.