Research News - October 13, 2017

Do you want to include a link to your lab or profile page in communications from your lab, but don’t want something long and complicated?

We have implemented a new way to create customized shortcut links that seamlessly redirect users to your page: massgeneral.link/yourpageornamehere

The system is the result of a great suggestion that was submitted through our Isuggest portal by Ed Ryan, MD.

Example:
Dr. Ryan’s original doctor profile link was:
http://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/doctor.aspx?id=16382

Now, Dr. Ryan can provide this simplified address:
http://massgeneral.link/EdRyanMD

To request a shortcut link, please email Brian Burns at bburns4@partners.org.

Always register your international work travel with TravelSafe. Check out this new Knowledge Base article to learn what options you have for accessing resources like Partners email or internal websites with or without 2-factor authentication. MobileIron and Workspace are options for accessing internal resources without VPN. In order to connect to VPN when traveling internationally, you may need to register an international phone or enable international text and roaming for US phones to receive a unique access code. Please read through this article to better understand your options to connect. Contact the IS Service Desk with VPN requests

Thursday, October 19, 12:00 PM, CNY 149, 7th Floor, Isselbacher Auditorium
(Broadcast to MGH Bulfinch 165)

Title: “Macrophages and cardiovascular health”
Speaker: Mathias Nahrendorf, MD, PhD, MGH

Contact Person – Fiona Chen (617/726-1527)
http://www.massgeneral.org/ciid/ourseminars/seminarseries.aspx

Tuesday, October 24, 8:00 – 11:00 am, Bornstein Amphitheatre, BWH, Boston, MA
Wednesday, October 25, 2:00 – 5:00 pm, Assembly Room C - 1W24, Somerville, MA

This session will introduce users to the 21 CFR Part 11 regulations and satisfy minimal training requirements for clinical research trials. This training is offered on two dates. The same material is covered at each session.

Course Outline

1. Introduction to 21 CFR Part 11 and Data Integrity Controls
2. Review of 21 CFR Part 11 and relevant data integrity requirements for GCP
3. Computer system validation overview for eClinical systems
4. Examples of GCP data integrity findings and issues, including regulatory observations

Please register online. This training is co-sponsored by Enterprise Research Infrastructure & Services and the Information Security & Privacy Office.

Thursday, October 26 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, Assembly Row Assembly Room A 

R is a free and open programming language for statistical computing, data analysis, and graphical visualization. Along with this powerful software, comes a dynamic and vast community. The Partners R User Group seeks to bring this community together to share ideas, discuss R related topics, and provide direction for new and experienced users.
“Show-And-Tell” Speakers:

• Joseph Chou (NICU, MGH)
• Adam Wright (General Medicine, BWH)
• Hossein Estiri (Laboratory of Computer Science, MGH)

This is an informal event for employees who work within the Partners network. Pizza and beverages will be provided. Please register online.

Directions to Assembly Row

Thursday, November 9, 12 – 6PM

Discover Brigham brings together our community with the Boston healthcare ecosystem to educate and inspire collaboration around innovating science, technology and medicine. The event will take place on Thursday, November 9th from 12-6pm, and will feature a poster session and lunch (12-1pm) and thematic sessions highlighting the work on cutting-edge topics, spanning research and clinical disciplines with the potential to change healthcare (1-5pm). Sessions will feature areas including, Population Science, Artificial Intelligence, Trauma Research, Immunotherapy, Gene-Editing, The Microbiome Across Diseases, and Wellness & Alternative Medicine. Concluding with an awards ceremony & reception (5-6pm) at which the BRIght Futures prize recipient will be announced.

Please register and plan to join the Brigham Research Institute at this exciting event.

Tuesday, November 14, 12:00 - 1:30pm, O’Keefe Auditorium (with live broadcasting to Charlestown, Chelsea and Revere Healthcare Centers)

The Executive Committee on Community Health (ECOCH) & The Mass General Research Institute invite you to attend the 2nd Community Research Symposium.  Presentations will be given by the following:

• Impact of Smoke-free Rules in Public Housing
  • ​Doug Levy, PhD, Mongan Institute Health Policy Center, MGH
  • John Kane, MPP, Boston Housing Authority
     
• Retention in care for HIV Infected Latino Immigrants
  • Julie Levison MD, MPhil, MPH, Division of General Internal Medicine, MGH
  • Carmen Rios, Respite Case Manager, Barbara McInnis House
     
• Cultural Considerations and Health Literacy
  • Nancy Morris, PhD, ANP, UMass Medical School Graduate School of Nursing
  • Chioma Nnaji, MEd, MPH, Africans for Improved Access-Multicultural AIDS Coalition
     
• Mental Health and Cancer Care
  • Kelly Irwin, MD, MPH, Psychiatry & the MGH Cancer Center
  • Ben Macri, NP, North Suffolk Mental Health

Registration is required for this event.  Please click here to register (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CommunityHealthcareSymposiumRSVP)

March 23 - 26, 2018, Cold Spring Harbor, NY

Application Deadline: January 31, 2018

Instructors:
Carl M. Cohen, Workshop Director 
Suzanne L. Cohen, Workshop Co-Facilitator
Marquita M. Qualls, Guest Instructor
See the roll of honor - who's taken the course in the past 

This is a highly interactive 3.5 day workshop in which you will develop the skills necessary to lead and interact effectively with others, in both one-on-one and group settings. The workshop will focus on techniques, situations, and challenges that relate specifically to leading and managing in the scientific workplace. It will emphasize learning by doing and will involve role playing, giving and receiving feedback, and group problem solving. Much of the learning will be peer-to-peer. Participants will be expected to discuss their own experiences and listen to others as they discuss theirs.

The workshop will help participants identify areas where they need guidance and growth, as well as how to capitalize on areas of strength. Participants will have the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges with others and to receive feedback and guidance from others with experience in leading scientists in a variety of settings. At the end of the course, participants will be linked through a unique on-line community in which they can continue learning from one another and from the course instructors.

Key focus areas of the workshop will include:

• Recognizing and understanding leadership in a science setting
• Using negotiation as a tool in scientific discussions and problem solving
• Identifying and resolving conflicts in the lab
• Dealing with difficult people and situations
• Communicating your ideas and plans in a way that engages others
• Leading effective and productive meetings
• Becoming effective citizen scientists

For more information, please click here. If you are planning to attend this workshop, please let us know at ecor@mgh.harvard.edu.

Grand challenge 1: Make diagnosis cost-effective and accurate, and guide individual clinical decisions based on real-time monitoring and massive patient data sets.

Award Types and Amounts:

• 5 (five) grants at $100,000 (total costs) per team (to be spent over 1-2 years)

Letter of Intent: A Letter of intent submitted via the ECOR Online Grant Management Portal is required by December 1, 2017 if you plan on submitting a proposal. Letters of intent should include the names of the principal investigators from both MGH and MIT and a brief description of the project. Please note: Write to: imes_rfp@mit.edu AND to ecor@partners.org

Full Proposal Submission Date: January 15, 2018

Project Start Date: April 15, 2018

Submission Information: Letters of intent and applications should be submitted onlinevia the ECOR Online Grant Management Portal. This user-friendly system will allow the MGH PI to submit on behalf of the MGH-MIT team.  Click here for instructions for submitting the application and letter of intent online.

Click here for more information.

The Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) is accepting applications for the December 1st deadline for Deliberative Interim Support Funding.  December is the first of three standing deadlines for these awards in Fiscal Year 2018.  The next deadline will be April 1, 2018.   

What are they?
Deliberative Interim Support Funding
This is open to Principal Investigators during a lapse or delay in their research funding from the NIH or another Federal agency (e.g., the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense).  Investigators must have applied for independent, long-term support (R01, R21, U01 and P01).  The Deliberative Interim Support process is open to:

1. Investigators whose grants were not scored or whose scores were not translated into a percentile ranking.
2. Investigators whose grants received scores >20th percentile.

3. Investigators who have already received Formulaic Bridge Funding or Deliberative Interim Support for a previous submission of this grant and are now requesting support for the resubmission of the same grant.  Investigators in this category must apply through the Deliberative Interim Support process for this application regardless of the score they received.

When is the deadline?
Friday, December 1, 2017 - 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Deliberative Interim Support Funding - Click here

Applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the MGH Howard M. Goodman Fellowship

What is it?
This is an endowed fellowship established by the MGH Department of Molecular Biology in honor of the founding Chief of the Department, Dr. Howard M. Goodman. The award is intended to further the careers of outstanding independent young scientists, who would normally hold the position of Assistant Professor, and have demonstrated the potential to rise to a leadership position in their chosen field. Applicants who hold a full-time appointment in any MGH Department and are primarily engaged in research, are eligible to apply.

How much is the award?
The award is for two years at $150,000, plus 15% indirect costs, per year and is effective April 1, 2018.  

When is the deadline?
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 – 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?

• Click here to read more and apply online.
• Click here to see a list of past recipients.
• Visit the ECOR website for other funding opportunities.

https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15504/nsf15504.pdf

MGH LOI Deadline: 11/10/2017
NSF Deadline: 1/10/2018

MGH may select up to 3 applications (1 for instrument development, 2 for instrument acquisition)
The Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) provides organizations with opportunities to acquire major instrumentation that supports the research and research training goals of the organization and that may be used by other researchers regionally or nationally.

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.

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 program does not fund research projects or provide ongoing support for operating or maintaining facilities or centers.

LOI Instructions:
Submit a 1-2 page Letter of Intent (LOI) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) via email to ecor@mgh.harvard.edu.   In addition to your LOI, please include an NIH biosketch.

The letter should include:

1. Name of the principal investigator with appropriate contact information
2. Track number (Track 1 Acquisition or Track 2 Development)
3. Instrument Description
4. Justification of Need
5. Major Users
6. Estimated cost of equipment
7. Planned location of equipment
8. Will any renovations be required to install equipment?

The Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (“MADRC”) is pleased to announce a Call for pilot project proposals on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias for funding from April 1, 2018 - March 31, 2019.

The Call is open to investigators from within the Harvard community – including the Harvard-affiliated hospitals and institutions - with priority given first to junior investigators, then to senior investigators who are new to AD and related dementias research and finally, to established investigators with a new line of such research that lacks funding.

The MADRC anticipates that at least 3 awards in the direct cost amount of up to $40,000 per project will be awarded for the aforementioned 1-year funding period.

Website Announcement: http://www.madrc.org/call-2018-pilot-projects
Applications due: Thursday, November 30, 2017
Recipients announced: Early January, 2018

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

If there is more than one MGH investigator 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.

• Dr. Ernest J. Ring Academic Development Grant (SIR Foundation)
• Diabetic Foot Consortium – Clinical Research Units (U01)
• Collaborative Program Grant for Multidisciplinary Teams (RM1) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

If there is a limited submission funding opportunity you do not see listed below or you have any additional questions, please let us know at ecor@mgh.harvard.edu.

Please note that any grant that brings in less than 15% in indirect costs (IDC) will need to be supplemented up to the 15% equivalent by existing investigator or departmental sundry funds. Resolution of this issue must occur prior to submission of the award.

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.

Week of 10/13/17

• AFAR Research Grants for Junior Faculty, American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR)
• Young Investigator Grant, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)
• Rita Allen Foundation Award in Pain, American Pain Society (APS)
• Fellowship Project Award, Bayer AG
• Special Project Award, Bayer AG
• Brain Circuits and Networks in Dystonia, Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF)
• Bridge Grants, National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF)
• Discovery Grants, National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF)
• Pediatric Psoriasis Challenge Grant, National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF)
• Psoriasis Arthritis Research Grant, National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF)
• Translational Research Grants, National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF)
• SFARI Pilot and Research Awards, Simons Foundation/Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI)
• Request for Proposals in Leukemia Research, When Everyone Survives Foundation (WES Foundation)

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

HMS Foundation Funds
Application Deadline: October 16

Howard M. Goodman Fellowship 2018
Application Deadline: October 25

Bullock Postdoctoral Fellowship
Application Deadline: November 1

MGH ECOR Formulaic Bridge Funding Support
Application Deadline: November 7, 2017; 7th day of each month

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

PCORI - Click here for the latest funding opportunities from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

Clinical Research Fellows Orientation at MGH – October 18
Using CQH-Mart for outcome studies – October 23
Clinical Research Program: Developing a Peer to Peer Auditing Program – November 7

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