Research News - May 16, 2014

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. MGH Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM) Animal Ordering Web Site - Routine Maintenance Scheduled

On Friday, 5/23/14 from 3:30pm - 5:30pm CCM will be performing routine maintenance to the Animal Ordering Web Site (http://ccm.partners.org).

Please do not attempt to access the application during this maintenance window.

We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.

If you have any questions or problems, please email us at MGHCCM@PARTNERS.ORG

2. New Name and New Website for Partners Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine (PCPGM)

The Center has recently changed its name to “Partners HealthCare Personalized Medicine” or “Partners Personalized Medicine” in short. Partners Personalized Medicine offers a variety of high quality services for Partners Investigators and Physicians:

• Core Services: Translational Genomics Core
• CLIA Genetic Testing: Lab for Molecular Medicine
• Consented and Discarded Samples: Partners Biobank
• Educational opportunities: Education

We will continue to provide excellent investigative and clinical work for our clients and looks forward to building new relationships. To learn more about Personalized Medicine and our offerings for the Partners community and beyond, please check our new website at www.partners.org/personalizedmedicine.
 

3. Core of the Week: Radiation Safety Core

Radiation Safety Core
Director: Rex Woodleigh
Location: Blossom Street, West End House Basement, Boston

The mission of the Radiation Safety Office/Core is to promote the safe and effective use of radioactive material and advise on polices and procedures to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.

To learn more about the Radiation Safety Core, please click here.
 

4. PHS Government Affairs Update - May 15, 2014

Please click here to read the latest update from the PHS Government Affairs office.

5. PCORI May Newsletter: Application System Opening and Upcoming Events

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

EVENTS

1. Steps to Success Education and Career Development Series

Training and Workforce Development is hosting the annual Steps to Success Education and Career Development series during the week of May 19. The series is comprised of three events:

Taking the First Step (May 20, noon to 1 pm, Haber Conference Room): Human Resources staff will share tools and strategies to help employees take the first step towards career success. Topics such as self-assessment, goal setting, managing priorities and career management will be discussed.

Financing Your Education Workshop (May 21, noon to 1 pm, Haber Conference Room): Representatives from the Harvard University Employees Credit Union and the MGH Institute of Health Professions will discuss various options to assist in financing your education.

Education Fair (May 22, noon to 3 pm, Bulfinch Tent): The fair provides one-stop-shopping to explore certificate, undergraduate and graduate clinical and non-clinical programs, including nursing, research administration, inpatient coding, health care policy and administration. Featured schools include Boston University, Bunker Hill Community College, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Northeastern University, Simmons College, Suffolk University and UMass Boston.

Kindly click here for more information about these events.

2. MGH Seminar Series in Cell Biology

Tuesday, May 20, 2014, 3:00 PM, Isselbacher Auditorium (CNY Bldg. 149-East, Room 7231)

Sponsored by the Division of Nephrology

“DNA Damage Response Signaling in Renal Ciliopathies”
Friedhelm Hildebrandt, M.D.
Chief of Nephrology, Boston Children’s Hospital
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Host: Roy J. Soberman, M.D.
Contact: Christine Plouffe: email: cplouffe@partners.org ; phone: 617-724-1502
 

3. The Principles and Practice of Clinical Research Data Management

Tuesday June 3, 2:00pm - 3:30pm, Simches 3.110

Speaker: Lynn Simpson, MPH, Research Data & Analytics Services Manager, Enterprise Research Infrastructure & Services (ERIS)

This seminar will present an insight into the key considerations in managing your clinical research data in accordance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidelines. This course will review data management terminology and the regulations governing GCP. It will provide the conceptual framework for thinking about overall data management processes from study start (case report form and database design) to study maintenance (data cleaning, monitoring, and report generation), so that researchers will be able to obtain the ultimate goal of clean and analyzable data sets. The course will also compare different data capture systems and outline data management priorities for studies with limited resources. This course is geared towards investigators, research nurses, study coordinators and all other study staff.

This program meets the requirements of the Board of Registration in Nursing, at 244 CMR 5.00, for 1 contact hour of nursing continuing education.

Registration is required. Contact Kelsey Gay with further questions about this session.
 

4. IRB & QI Roundtable - Part I: Consent Form Writing

Thursday, June 5, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Garrod/Mendel Conference Room

Speakers:
Amy Ben-Arieh, Senior Human Research Specialist/Administrative Chair, PHRO
Cara Harley, Human Research Specialist/Consent Editor, PHRO

Did you know that most of your research subjects are reading at the 8th-grade level or lower? Learn how to write the simplest, clearest consent forms, so that every one of your subjects can be fully informed. This workshop will teach you specific skills for writing easy-to-understand documents. The learning objectives of this session are for participants to understand the elements of consent, acquire plain language tips for editing research consent forms, and identify which Partners consent form template is appropriate for your protocol.

This session is limited to 25 participants to facilitate interaction.

Registration is required. Please contact Kelsey Gay with any questions.
 

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1. Nominations Open for the 2015 Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine

The Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine, presented by the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals - part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development, honors the physician-scientist who has moved science forward with notable achievements in innovation, creativity and potential for clinical application.

This annual prize provides the awardee with:

• An unrestricted $20,000 honorarium
• The Harrington Prize Lecture, delivered at the ASCI/AAP Joint Meeting
• A review, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation

 
Nominations are being accepted through August 15, 2014. Click here for more information.
 

2. Limited Submission 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:
1. Name of the Principal Investigator with appropriate contact information
2. A descriptive title of the potential application
3. Brief description of the project
4. 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 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.

• William T. Grant Scholars
• NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) Awards (U01)
• Atopic Dermatitis Research Network (ADRN) (U19)
• Developing and Improving Institutional Animal Resources (G20)

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.
 

3. Private Funding Opportunities

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.

• NAF Pioneer SCA Translational Research Awards, National Ataxia Foundation (NAF)
• New Scholars Program, Elsevier Foundation
• Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.
 

4. NIH Update for Week Ending May 16, 2014

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

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Reminders of recently posted funding opportunities, deadlines and events

Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Awards
Application Deadline: May 19

The Smith Family Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research
Application Deadline: May 19

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

Considering PCORI Funding? What do you need to know before applying? - May 21

Orientation Program: Clinical Research Resources at MGH - May 22

New Research Subject Advocacy Materials for Research Nurses and Research Coordinators - May 28

Clinical Research Data Management: Productivity Tools - May 28

PCORI Luncheon Panel - May 29

MGH Research Core Day - June 12

Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) Massachusetts General Hospital

50 Staniford Street, Suite 1001, Boston, MA 02114

ecor@partners.org