Research News - December 7, 2018

Windows 10 is now available when you order a new Partners Standard desktop or laptop on the Ergonomics Ordering website. Windows 10 offers faster startup speed, improved security features, and a modern layout. These newest desktops and laptops offer the latest 64-bit hardware from HP and include more memory and solid state drives for best performance. Please use the Partners Win 10 Application Checker before placing an order to confirm that applications work with Windows 10. Although applications are tested and certified weekly, not all Partners applications are currently certified to work on Windows 10. Learn more on the Windows 10 Resource Site.

Monday, December 10, 4pm – 5pm, CNY 149, Isselbacher Auditorium -7th Floor

Douglas E. Brash, PhD, Professor of Therapeutic Radiology and Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine
“How a carcinogen works: skin cancer from the ground-state up”

Shuttle bus leaves MGH main campus (blossom Street Entrance) every 15 minutes

Monday, December 10, 5:00 PM, Liberty Hotel

Partners HealthCare Pivot Labs will be hosting a panel discussion, “Taking Your Digital Healthcare Idea from Lab to Market,” on Monday, December 10th at 5 pm at the Liberty Hotel, 215 Charles St. in Boston.

The event will feature a 60-minute panel discussion with five local clinicians-turned-entrepreneurs discussing their journeys commercializing a digital healthcare concept. A cocktail reception will follow.

The panelist lineup includes:

• Dr. Mihir Kamdar – Director of the Mass General Cancer Pain Clinic, Associate Director of the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatrics at MGH, with a dual appointment in the MGH Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine; Co-creator of ePAL
• Dr. Kyan Safavi – Co-Founder, Position Health; Instructor, Harvard Medical School; David F. Torchiana Fellow in Healthcare Policy and Management
• Dr. Emily Lindemer – Co-Founder and CEO, Hey,Charlie
• Dr. Adeel Yang – Co-Founder and CEO, Medumo
• Dr. Suelin Chen – Co-Founder and CEO, Cake

The discussion will be moderated by Kamal Jethwani, MD, MPH, Senior Director of Partners Pivot Labs. 

Additional information (and event registration) can be found at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/taking-your-digital-healthcare-idea-from-lab-to-market-cocktail-reception-tickets-52912205832

Thursday, December 13, CNY 149, 7th Floor, Isselbacher Auditorium

Title: “Microbiota and nutritional control of tissue immunity”
Speaker:   Yasmine Belkaid, PhD, NIH

(shuttle bus leaves MGH and North Station every 15 minutes)
Will be broadcasted MGH Bulfinch 165

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

Thursday, December 13, 10:00 am – 12:00pm, Simches 3.120

Sponsored by the MGH Division of Clinical Research and Partners Human Research Quality Improvement Program

Speaker: Pamela Richtmyer, Director, Partners Human Research Quality Improvement Program
Please join us as Pamela Richtmyer discusses findings from recent FDA inspections and sponsors audits at MGH, lesson learned from those inspections and how we can prevent citations moving forward.

Register here. Contact Tiereny Morrison-Rohlfs with questions.

The Scientific Computing team is offering the second ERISOne Linux Cluster course to familiarize researchers with our working environment. The class will emphasize common strategies and best practices in utilizing Computational Resources and high-capacity storage systems provided by ERIS. This hands-on session provides the audience with an opportunity to log onto the system, check out its software stack and use the scheduler for job submission. Each hands-on course has limited space, and registration is required.

Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 10:00 am – 1:30 pm, Simches Building, 185 Cambridge St., 2nd Floor (SERI)

Now is the chance to exhibit your research!
ECOR is now accepting abstracts for the 2019 SAC Poster Session
Deadline for submission:  Tuesday, January 22, 2019

The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) Poster Session gives researchers the opportunity to create a compelling visual display of their work and present it to some of the best scientific minds in the nation. The poster session is an essential part of the two-day meeting, which highlights excellence in research at MGH. Twelve Posters of Distinction will be chosen to receive a $1,000 travel award. A review panel will select a group of finalists from the submitted abstracts. Those finalists will be required to present their poster in order to be considered for the travel award. Awards will be restricted to junior faculty and trainees (i.e. Assistant Professors, Instructors, Fellows, and Graduate Students).

Please click here for more information and to submit a poster abstract!

QUESTIONS
If you have problems or questions please email sac@partners.org

Fridays, January 4, 11, 18, 25, February 1 | 10:00am – 11:30am | Simches Room 3.110

Sponsored by the MGH Division of Clinical Research and the MGH Biostatistics Center

Brian Healy, PhD, MGH Biostatistics Center
This course will provide clinical researchers with a solid foundation in biostatistical concepts. Intended for those with minimal statistical experience, these five lectures will serve as an introduction to biostatistical issues in clinical investigation and will prepare students for more advanced courses on clinical trial design and biostatistics offered through the DCR’s Education Unit.
January 4: Types of Data, P-Value, Steps for Hypothesis Testing, and T-Test
January 11: ANOVA and Regression
January 18: Analysis of Dichotomous Outcomes and Time to Event Outcomes
January 25: Power and Sample Size
February 1: Grant Writing: Statistical Considerations Section with Pilot Data

Registration is required. Please contact Tiereny Morrison-Rohlfs with any questions.

Wednesday, January 9, 2019 | 11:00am – 2:00pm | Garrod/Mendel Conference Room

Sponsored by the MGH Division of Clinical Research

Jonathan Jackson, PhD
This seminar will cover an introduction to community engagement, recruitment, and retention, including a focus on best practices and common mistakes. The seminar will demonstrate how best to implement strategies at study design, implementation, and follow-up. The presentation will be followed by a 2-hour workshop for participants to discuss and revise their study recruitment plans.
This course is geared towards project investigators.
Participants must submit a recruitment plan to enroll in this workshop. (The recruitment plan from the most recent NIH grant submission is sufficient.).
 Register Here. Contact Tiereny Morrison-Rohlfs with questions.

Provides funding for female junior faculty to sustain research productivity during their child-rearing years

Application Deadline:  Tuesday, December 11, 2018 - 5:00 PM
Faculty Type: Instructors, Assistant Professors who are within 10 years of first faculty appointment at the time the award is initiated.
Award Amount: $50,000 per year in direct costs for two years, plus 15% for indirect costs
Award Start: July 1, 2019
Apply Online: https://ecor.mgh.harvard.edu/GrantManager/Grants/Claflin2019

The Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI)
is now accepting applications for the 2019 Summer Research Trainee Program (SRTP).

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Diversity and Inclusion runs the Summer Research Trainee Program (SRTP). Founded in 1992, SRTP attracts college and medical students from around the nation to MGH. The goal of this program is to inspire students who are underrepresented in medicine (URM)* to consider careers in academic medicine by immersing them in cutting-edge research opportunities. Twenty students, selected from a nationwide competition, join SRTP each summer. Each student is assigned to a specific MGH laboratory, clinical site, health policy, or health services research area where they undertake an original research project under the mentorship and guidance of an MGH investigator. Assignments are carefully considered and are made with the student's research and career interests in mind. In addition to this unique research experience, students participate in weekly didactic seminars and career mentoring sessions and have opportunities for clinical shadowing at MGH.

Application Deadline is Friday, January 25, 2019
Click here to apply: 2019 SRTP Application

Internal Deadline: December 21, 2018

Brief Description:
The W. M KECK FOUNDATION’S MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM strives to fund endeavors that are distinctive and novel in their approach.  It encourages projects that are high-risk with the potential for transformative impact.  "High-risk" comprises a number of factors, including questions that push the edge of the field, present unconventional approaches to intractable problems, or challenge the prevailing paradigm.  In all of its programs, "transformative" may mean creation of a new field of research, development of new instrumentation, technologies or methodologies enabling observations not previously possible, or discovery of knowledge that challenges prevailing perspectives. Funded projects cannot focus on clinical or translational research, treatment trials or research for the sole purpose of drug development.

This is a restricted opportunity with concept papers limited to FOUR and proposals limited to ONE PER INSTITUTION.

Both Senior and Early Career investigators are encouraged to apply.
Award Amount: Research grants are typically about $1 million.
Indirect Cost Rate: Indirect costs are not allowed

Eligibility/Restrictions: 

• Keck is looking for BASIC, FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH. Keck does not support clinically-oriented or disease-specific research. The ultimate application can be clinical, but the focus should be on basic underlying mechanism(s).
• Keck will only fund PROJECTS THAT FALL OUTSIDE OF THE MISSION OF PUBLIC FUNDING AGENCIES.  If a proposal is declined by federal agencies (e.g., NIH), include reviewer comments verbatim, especially if it was turned down because the project was considered too high-risk or outside-of-the-box.
• Applications must represent priorities of INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP and receive some INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT (including coverage of indirect costs). 
• Keck places value on MULTIDISCIPLINARY and INTER-INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION as well as the use of novel technology in the project. 
• For Instrumentation and Methodology proposals, DESCRIBE QUANTITATIVELY THE IMPROVEMENT (BY ORDERS OF MAGNITUE) OVER EXISTING METHODS.  It must represent a quantum leap over the state of the art.  New tools and techniques should have broad applicability across disciplines.

For additional eligibility requirements and descriptions of previously funded projects, please see the program website, http://www.wmkeck.org/grant-programs/research/medical-research-grant-abstracts

Internal Submission Instructions:
Please submit a ONE-PAGE CONCEPT PAPER to ECOR at ecor@partners.org by December 21st, 2018 that includes the following sections:

• an overview of the proposed project emphasizing any unique aspects and pilot studies;
• a description of the methodologies and key personnel;
• a brief justification of the need for Keck support; and
• an estimated budget broken down, if possible, by major areas, e.g., personnel, equipment, consumable supplies (budgets can be rough approximations at this stage).

For questions or concerns about this opportunity, please contact Tristan Barako, Director of Development, at 617.724.5626 or tbarako@mgh.harvard.edu.

The Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is inviting nurse applicants for the newly established Connell Postdoctoral Fellowship in Nursing Research commencing in July 2019.  This is a unique opportunity for early-career nurse researchers within two years of completing a PhD degree (graduation year 2018 or 2019) to receive postdoctoral training at MGH, the leading independent hospital in NIH funding.

The fellowship provides developmental support and resources to advance nursing research in:

• Symptom Science, including the identification of symptoms and symptom management in the context of acute and chronic illnesses among diverse populations.
• Nursing Workforce Evaluation, including studies that focus on nursing workload assessment, clinical decision making, organizational culture, evaluation of the professional practice environment, and quality and safety.

Highlights of the Connell Postdoctoral Fellowship include:

• Salary support with benefits for up to 3 years
• Expert mentorship from accomplished nurse scientists within the Munn Center and across MGH and associated institutions.
• Diverse training and research development opportunities within and outside of MGH, including Harvard Medical School and local nursing schools.
• Participation in opportunities offered through the MGH Research Institute: https://www.massgeneral.org/research/ including extensive support for professional development, research education and training, and communication.

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident/green card holder and a nurse who is a new or recent (calendar year 2018 or 2019) graduate from an accredited PhD program from a U.S. certified institution.

For detailed information, including requirements and application instructions, please visit: http://www.mghpcs.org/munncenter/connellpostdoc/     

For questions, please email MunnCenter@partners.org

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.

• Data Coordinating Center for the Diabetic Foot Consortium (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• Ancillary Studies to the NIDDK Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium (R01 – Clinical Trial Optional)
• Outstanding New Environmental Scientist (ONES) Award (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
• Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) (T32)
• Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (P30 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• Diabetes Research Centers (P30 Clinical Trial Optional)

If there is a limited submission funding opportunity you do not see listed above 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 12/7/18

• ASTS-Astellas Faculty Development Grant, American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)
• ASTS Collaborative Scientist Grant, American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)
• Keith Michael Andrus Cardiac Research Award, Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA)
• Gilead Sciences Research Scholars Program in HIV, Gilead Sciences, Inc./Gilead Sciences Pty Ltd.
• Early Career Research Grants, National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF)
• Psoriasis Arthritis Research Grant, National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF)
• Psoriatic Disease Research Fellowships, National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF)
• Translational Research Grants, National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF)
• PSG Mentored Clinical Research Award, Parkinson Study Group (PSG)
• Mentored Clinical Research Award Program, Parkinson's Foundation 

NIH Update for Week Ending December 7, 2018

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

Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards 2019
Application Deadline:  December 11, 2018

Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Call for 2019 Development Projects
Application Deadline: January 2, 2019

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).

MGH Research Equipment SharePoint Site

Looking for something you saw in a previous Research News release? Check out our archive!