Research News - October 16, 2015

The MGH Youth Programs team is in need of 4 more volunteers to mentor Boston Middle School students through their science fair projects for this school year. Mentors meet with students at MGH or the Charlestown Navy Yard on two Friday mornings each month, October through January. No particular expertise in mentoring or science fair projects needed! The MGH Youth Programs team provides ongoing mentor training and support. For more information, please contact Tracy Stanley at (617) 724-6424 or tstanley2@partners.org.

Although Clinical Ambulatory practices will Go Live with the new Epic clinical functionality beginning in December of 2015, Clinical Research activities/processes WILL NOT CHANGE from current practices until the full implementation of the Epic clinical applications on April 2nd, 2016.  You will continue to see all notes and test results in the existing electronic medical record.

The clinical research community will receive comprehensive Epic training via e-Learning modules in preparation for April 2, 2016 launch of Epic clinical systems throughout MGH. Comprehensive Epic e-Learning modules will include training on new Epic procedures for ordering ancillary tests related to research protocols (laboratory, radiology, cardiology, etc.)

Please click here to read the latest news from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Thursday, October 29, 12:00-2:00pm, WebEx or Prudential Center

This month, Joseph Abbott, Partners IS Tivoli Storage Management Architect (TSM) will give a thorough overview of TSM at Partners: current architecture, initiatives, costs and how calculated, different levels of backup and the restore process. Griffin Weber, M.D., Ph.D, Director, Biomedical Research Informatics Core at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard University will describe Clinical Query 2 (CQ2) and its similarities with and differences from the Research Patient Data Registry (RPDR). CQ2 is a web-based graphical tool to query BIDMC’s Clinical Data Repository. Griffin will discuss how CQ2 is being used for a long term NIH-funded research project. The monthly Tech Lunch is an important forum for research IT administrators and managers to engage with ERIS, Partners IS and each other regarding IT services, technologies, security and infrastructure. RSVP Online by 10/27 and note if you plan to attend remotely so that details are sent. Visit the website and contact rcc@partners.org with questions about Tech Lunch.

Monday, October 19, 2015, 4:00-5:00 pm, CNY149 East, Isselbacher Auditorium, 7th Floor

“Translational research in vitiligo: Launching a new era of targeted treatment”
John E. Harris, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Dermatology Division
Department of Medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical School
Director, Vitiligo Clinic and Research Center

The Wellman Center for Photomedicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital is pleased to invite applications for the Bullock postdoctoral fellowship for research aimed at understanding and solving important biomedical problems. PhD, MD and MD PhD research fellows are eligible for this award.

This multidisciplinary fellowship was created to foster interactions between researchers from diverse fields of science and medicine. Combined mentorship and collaboration between two Harvard Medical School faculty members, at least one of whom is based at the Wellman Center, is required. An external collaborator is preferred. It is anticipated that the fellow will perform the majority of their research at the Wellman Center. For additional information regarding the Wellman Center please visit http://www.massgeneral.org/wellman/.

The Fellowship will provide one year of support. An award of up to $60,000 direct costs is anticipated. The award will be administered by the Wellman Center. Funds may be used for stipend (minimum effort 60%), fringe benefits and research supplies.  Recipients will be required to submit periodic progress reports, present their work at a noon lecture and submit a final written report

Criteria for funding are scientific quality, an enabling collaboration that might not occur otherwise, potential medical and scientific impact, and career development of the Fellow. 
Please click here for eligibility and other award information.

Deadline: No later than 5 pm on November 2, 2015.

The Boston Area Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center is now accepting Pilot and Feasibility Research Grant Award Applications for studies of Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications

The Boston Area Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases (NIDDK) to support research in Diabetes and its complications.  Research grants up to $30,000 will be awarded for meritorious proposals from candidates whose eligibility is defined by one or more of the following three criteria:

1.            Junior faculty without past or current NIH support to conduct Diabetes research.
Not eligible if you have any support that is mandatory 100% effort where you cannot accept any federal funding.
2.            Established non-Diabetes researchers who have an innovative idea relevant to Diabetes.
3.            Established Diabetes investigators who have an innovative idea/approach relevant to Diabetes that represents a distinct departure from their established line of investigation.
4.            Co-PI’s are not allowed, and if you are not accepting salary and or less than 5%, please mention if there is cost sharing.

It is anticipated that up to four meritorious applications will be funded.

Letters of Intent, Biosketch, Other support and Abstract due October 21, 2015
If proposal accepted,
Applications due by December 2, 2015

                If you qualify based on one of the three criteria listed above, please email a letter of intent in MS Word that includes your name, degree, title and email address and a brief description of your research.  In addition to the LOI email, please include an abstract with the title of your project (NIH form page) of your research, a biosketch and OS page.    If your proposed research is deemed compatible with the goals of the BADERC, instructions for the preparation of a five-page application for a Pilot and Feasibility Research Grant Award will be forwarded to you.  The deadline for the Grant application will be December 2, 2015.  Funding will be effective April 1, 2016.

Please send Letters of Intent and abstract page with the title of your project in word via (email) to      

Application deadline is Friday, November 13, 2015.

Email hearst_fund@hms.harvard.edu with statement of intent to apply by Tuesday, October 20, 2015.

The William Randolph Hearst Fund has been established at Harvard Medical School in honor and recognition of the efforts and devotion of Isabelle and Leonard Goldenson and Ethel and Jack Hausman on behalf of handicapped children.

Eligibility: Eligibility is restricted to research fellows, clinical fellows and instructors appointed within the Harvard Faculty of Medicine doing research in the area of brain development with particular emphasis on factors important for the prevention of neuromotor disabilities and on the fundamental neurobiological mechanisms that underlie health and disease during the process of development. Faculty at the assistant professor level or higher are excluded.

Awards of $50,000 will be made for one year, with the possibility of extension to two years for particularly meritorious applications. Funds may be used to supplement support for ongoing research from other sources.

All recipients of the Hearst funds must provide a brief summary of scientific accomplishment to the dean and the Hearst Fund committee at the end of the award year. 

SUBMIT APPLICATION WITH CONTENTS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER and COMBINE INTO A SINGLE PDF (Note: PDFs must be less than 20 MB in size):

1.  Application face page (see attached)
2.  Research content: A project description (not more than 5 pages) should be ordered as follows:

• • Specific aims
  • Background and significance
  • Research design and methods
  • Bibliography (will not be counted in the five-page limit)

3.  NIH biosketch of the applicant
4.  Budget and justification. Please note that no overhead or administrative expenses are allowed.
5.  Description of other support, active and pending, with overlap statement with the current proposal
6.  Three letters of recommendation, including one from current mentor*

NOTE: Animal and human subjects: Awardees using either animals or humans in the proposed research must submit an animal protocol and/or IRB approval letter prior to starting the project. 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
1. Email statement of intent to apply to hearst_fund@hms.harvard.edu by Tuesday, October 20, 2015.
2. Email the application as a PDF document (<20MB) to hearst_fund@hms.harvard.edu by Friday, November 13, 2015. Use the following subject line/naming convention: lastnamefirstnameHearstFY16 (e.g., JonesSusanHearstFY16).
3. *Letters of recommendation must be submitted separately directly to the email address above.
4. Application must be received on or before Friday, November 13, by 5:00 p.m. Any application received after that date/time will not be considered.

Please contact Corporate & Foundation Relations in the Office of Development at devcfr@mgh.harvard.edu if you wish to submit a proposal in response to any of these funding opportunities.  Note that proposals are still routed through the standard InfoEd/Research Management process.

• Global Clinical Trials Fund, Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK)
• CURE Taking Flight Award, CURE, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy
• CURE Innovator Award, CURE, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy
• Senior Research Awards, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, Inc. (CCFA)
• Career Development Awards, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, Inc. (CCFA)
• Dementia Consortium, Dementia Consortium
• Gund-Harrington Scholar Awards, Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB)
• Individual Investigator Research Grant, Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB)
• Prize in Developmental Biology, March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
• Michael Geisman Fellowships, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Foundation
• Proposals for Research on Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS, or Progeria), Progeria Research Foundation (PRF)

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

We ask that all MGH Investigators interested in applying for any limited submission award submit a Letter of Intent (see detailed instructions below) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) by the deadline indicated for each award to be considered to receive an institutional nomination.

Process
Submit a one- to two-page Letter of Intent (LOI) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) via email to ecor@partners.org.  In addition to your LOI, please include an NIH Biosketch.

The letter of intent should include:

• Name of the Principal Investigator with appropriate contact information
• A descriptive title of the potential application
• Brief description of the project
• Brief description of why you specifically should be selected to receive institutional nomination for this award

In the event that there is more than one MGH investigators interested in applying for each limited submission award, the LOIs will be used to assess candidates and a review and selection process will take place.

Current Limited Submission Funding Opportunities
Please click here for more information and for our internal deadlines.

• NIMHD Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers for Health Disparities Research on Chronic Disease Prevention (U54)
• Superfund Hazardous Substance Research and Training Program (P42)

If there is a limited submission funding opportunity you do not see listed above or you have any additional questions, please contact Erin McGivney at 617-643-6471.

For the latest National Institutes of Health notices, requests for applications, and program announcements, follow this link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/WeeklyIndex.cfm

MGH ECOR Formulaic Bridge Support
Application Deadline: November 7, 7th day of each month

The MGH Research Scholars Program
Application Deadline: November 10

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Gliklich Innovation Scholars Program
Application Deadline: February 1, 2016

Boston Biomedical Innovation Center (B-BIC) Accepting PILOT & DRIVE Grant Pre-Proposals

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