eRoundup for 11/13/09

ResearchMatch.org is an electronic volunteer recruitment registry designed to allow individuals from anywhere in the country an opportunity to securely self-register and express an interest in being prospectively considered for participation in research studies, including clinical trials. This disease-neutral, Web-based recruitment tool complements existing successful participant recruitment strategies employed throughout the CTSA. If you are a researcher who is interested in using ResearchMatch as a recruitment tool, be sure to sign the Researcher Interest Form so you may be notified of your options to utilize this resource or contact Kirstin Scott for additional information. Read more... 

Emory's ALS Center offers patients therapy and support, but the center's research is focused on studies of motor neuron degeneration, genetics, and experimental drug treatments scientists hope will change the course of this devastating condition. Center director and ACTSI investigator, Dr. Jonathan Glass' work is featured here.

Dr. Arshed A. Quyyumi, a Emory cardiologist was quoted in the Wall Street Journal in the article Medical research spurt offers promise of new cures on November 5. Dr. Kevin Ault, associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at the Emory University School of Medicine, was quoted on ABC News in the story HPV vaccine may reverse cancerous lesions on November 5, and in the Sunday Paper in the article Public persuasion on November 8.

Dr. Ifor Williams, an associate professor at Emory University School of Medicine was quoted in the Atlanta Business Chronicle in the article Medical Alert: New vaccine delivery on November 6. Dr. Nadine Kaslow, chief psychologist for the Department of Psychiatry and Sciences at Emory University was quoted on ABC News for the story Group teen violence shocks as minors charged with rape, murder, assault on November 10. 

Academic Medicine is seeking articles for a special issue examining the implications of comparative effectiveness research (CER) for academic health centers (AHCs) and how the academic medicine community should be contributing to CER. Of interest are articles that (1) examine strategies for incorporating knowledge derived from CER into all levels of clinical practice and medical education in AHCs; (2) report key strategies to further develop the CER knowledge base to assist patients, providers and policymakers in making data-based decisions; and (3) analyze relevant policy issues that must be considered in developing and using the CER knowledge base and the implications of these issues for medical schools and teaching hospitals. Proposals (not to exceed 300 words) and complete contact information should be submitted by January 31, 2010 to guest editor Harold Alan Pincus, MD, here. Click here for more information. 

The Emory Center for Injury Control has created a multidisciplinary Faculty Seed Grant Program to facilitate and promote innovative, preliminary, and interdisciplinary research activities to yield future high-impact injury prevention research. The four categories of grants (One-year Pilot Grants, Grant Application Awards, Community-based, Capacity-building and Translation Research Grants, and Cooperative Grant) are designed to provide incentives and support for researchers to work collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams and community members on projects that can lead to larger grant proposals related to violence and unintentional injury prevention or that support the preparation of a larger grant proposal. The seed grants range in amounts but all reflect total costs (covering both direct and indirect costs, where applicable) for projects lasting one year or less. Application

The SPORE in Head and Neck Cancer is soliciting new proposals for two of its Pilot Project Programs. The Career Development Program (CDP) is designed to provide training and guidance for academic physician-scientists, clinician-investigators, and laboratory-based scientists who wish to dedicate their efforts to translational research in the areas of diagnosis, imaging, prevention, treatment, and improvement in quality of life in head and neck cancer. The CDP will fund up to three CDP candidates per year for a period of two years, with a maximum of $50,000 in direct funds for each year. The Developmental Research Program (DRP) seeks to identify new research opportunities and to increase the number of investigators engaged in translational research for head and neck cancer by supporting meritorious proposals that might expand into full research projects in the future. Original projects with the potential to develop into independent R01 grants with a focus in head and neck cancer are encouraged. The DRP will fund up to four pilot projects for a period of one year with a total of $35,000 in direct funds for each year. All applicants must submit a Letter of Intent to the SPORE Administrator (dmray@emory.edu) by Wednesday, November 25, prior to sending in proposals. Proposals must be prepared using forms provided in the CDP or DRP Application Package, and must be sent to the SPORE Administrator (dmray@emory.edu) by Friday, December 4. Further information about these two pilot project programs can be found here.

NIH funding to support the development, expansion, or reconfiguration of infrastructures needed to facilitate collaboration between academic health centers and community-based organizations for health science research. In this community research infrastructure program, NIH establishes the role of Community Research Associate (CRA), who will be a community representative and serve as a primary liaison facilitating communication and collaboration between the academic health center and the local community.  Applicants must identify at least one CRA. The NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement, Recovery Act Limited Competition: Building Sustainable Community-Linked Infrastructure to Enable Health Science Research (RC4), RFA-OD-09-010 has just been published in the NIH Guide. Click here for the full announcement. The application deadline is December 11; and the earliest anticipated start date is July 2010. This initiative is funded under the Recovery Act. 

RFA-HG-09-014 - Comparing Design Approaches for Sequencing Disease-Associated Regions Found in Genome-Wide Association Studies (U01). 

The Community Engagement & Research Program (CERP) Grants Program is designed to provide funding and technical assistance to community-based organizations (CBOs) to build capacity and skills to conduct research in collaboration with academic researchers. The CERP Collaborative Research Capacity Grants Program invites applications from community-based organizations interested in forming a research partnership with academic researchers affiliated with Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory University, or Georgia Tech. The grants program includes two phases: Phase 1 (March 1, 2010 to September 30, 2010): During this period, grantees will attend a series of workshops and apply what they learn to a new or existing health project in their organization. Workshops will cover community assessment, program planning, evaluation, and grant writing. Grantees will also work in collaboration with one or more academic researchers to design a pilot study that lays the groundwork for a research grant proposal developed in Phase 2. Funding for Phase 1 will be $15,000 and a brief continuation application will be required. Phase 2 (October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011): During this period, grantees will conduct the pilot project planned in Phase 1 and work with academic researchers to write a grant proposal to address a community-identified health disparity. These grant proposals will ultimately be submitted to a government agency or to a foundation. Funding for Phase 2 will be $15,000. For more information click here.

Junior faculty at the MD or PhD level from a wide variety of disciplines at Emory University, Morehouse School of Medicine, or Georgia Institute of Technology who are committed to an academic career in clinical and/or translational research and who have excellent potential to become an independent clinical investigator are encouraged to apply to the KL2 - Mentored Clinical and Translational Research Scholars (MCTRS) Program. The KL2 award provides support for didactic and mentored research training for junior faculty committed to a career in clinical investigation. KL2 award recipients must devote 75% professional effort to the program. Applicants who are successfully funded will receive salary support, a KL2 technical budget ($25,000 per year) for research costs and tuition, and some salary support for the KL2 scholar's Lead Mentor. KL2 scholars accepted into the program will receive a total of 75% salary support for 75% effort in the program. Partial or matching salary support from the applicant's division, department or other non-federal sources is highly encouraged but not required. The KL2 - Mentored Clinical and Translational Research Scholars (MCTRS) Program is supported by the Atlanta Clinical & Translational Science Institute (ACTSI/NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). Please see the program's website for more details. Those interested in applying are urged to contact Cheryl Sroka at the ACTSI Research Education, Training & Career Development (RETCD) program office at 404-727-5096 or csroka@emory.edu.

You are invited to attend a book-signing to honor Emory neurosurgeon and CNN medical journalist Dr. Sanjay Gupta. His new book, Cheating Death: The Miracles That Are Saving Lives Against All Odds, was published this fall. The event takes place on Wednesday, November 18, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., in the WHSCAB Auditorium (1440 Clifton Road). A program at 6:30 p.m. will include a short presentation by Dr. Gupta and some clips from his documentary, Another Day: Cheating Death. Read excerpt. Free parking is available at the Emory Michael Street Deck (550 Michael Street). 

The U.S. Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group (USCIIT Group) invites you to attend its annual fall meeting on December 8-9, at the Natcher Conference Center, NIH Campus, Bethesda, MD. The dual mission of the USCIIT group is to foster investigator-initiated hypothesis testing and to act as a "network of networks" for critical illness and injury investigators. The meeting is free and open to all those interested in furthering research and clinical trials for the critically ill and injured. To register, click here; for more information please visit www.fgciitg.com.

The next lecture will take place on December 10, at noon on the Grady campus, Faculty Office Building 101. It is a special opportunity to collaborate with Emory's Vulnerability Studies and Global Health Law and Policy Projects. The purpose of the discussion is to bring together Emory's Main Campus with Grady and our downtown partners. There will be several informal presentations by members of the Center for Injury Control (ECIC) who work with vulnerable populations at Grady. RSVP's by December 7, to noblen@emory.edu, are requested as lunch will be provided. 

You are invited to attend the half-day workshop on dissemination and implementation research for injury prevention. Led by Dr. James Emshoff, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University and Rita Noonan, PhD, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) on January 29, 2010, in the Faculty Office Building  101 (29 Jesse Hill Jr. Dr) at Grady, from 8:00 a.m. until noon. Continental breakfast will be provided. Please RSVP by January 18, to nobolen@emory.edu. 

Boadie W. Dunlop, MD, director of the Mood and Anxiety Recovery Program at Emory University School of Medicine was quoted on WebMD in the article Tempted to quit antidepressants? on November 11.

The new curriculum in the Emory University School of Medicine now includes a Discovery Phase that requires all third year students who have completed medical school through their clinical rotations, to engage in an approved, mentored research project for at least five continuous months beginning in the spring of 2010. There is no salary commitment on the part of mentors or projects to have these talented individuals join your team.  Click here for more information.

Current medical students at Emory University School of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), and other health professional trainees pursuing doctoral degrees in public health, biomedical engineering, nursing and other fields at Emory, MSM and GA Tech can apply for short-term (3 month) stipends ($5,190 of salary support) funded by the Research Education, Training and Career Development (RETCD) program of the ACTSI. This mechanism will support medical and graduate students who are interested in a short course program focused on clinical and/or translational research under the mentorship of a successful, federally funded faculty mentor. Application for the short-term training program includes several components that should be submitted electronically. For more information please click here.

The Oakhurst Community Health Center site is a community-based ACTSI Clinical Interaction Site that provides comprehensive support for clinical investigation with various core resources and facilities. ACTSI provides support, equipment, consultation, nursing and lab services, and the infrastructure necessary for Emory, MSM, and Georgia Tech faculty to conduct clinical research at the Oakhurst Community Health Center. For more information please click here. To learn how to submit a protocol click here.

The Atlanta Hospital Hospitality House would like to assist you with housing your patients. They have been assisting patients and families since 1981. The house offers handicapped accessibility, home cooked meals, private accommodations on a limited basis, a warm and friendly staff, all in a convenient and beautiful location (1815 Ponce de Leon Ave) for a suggested donation of $10/day. Contact Melissa Connor, Executive Director, for more information or visit www.atlhhh.org.