Recently in People Category

The University of Minnesota and the University of California - Los Angeles Clinical and Translational Science Institutes have teamed up to support three new pilot projects that address health disparities and health systems problems in Minnesota and southern California.

The Cross-Institutional Award for Health Disparities Research and Health Systems Change funds research where community-based organizations participate fully with faculty in the research process, and projects include co-Principal Investigators from both UMN and UCLA.

Please join us in congratulating the recipients of this inaugural round of funding!

• William Riley, UMN, for the HIE Use project with Hector Rodriguez and Jeffrey McCullough, UCLA
• Joshua Chodosh, UCLA, for the Alzheimer's Disease project with Joseph Gaugler, UMN
• Robert Jones, UMN, for the Dental Caries/Obesity project with Francisco Ramos-Gomez, UCLA

Please join us in congratulating nine new Clinical and Translational Science Institute scholars, recipients of career development awards designed to support junior investigators as they build independent research careers.
______________________________________________________________________

The New Investigator Pre-K Pilot Grant provides mentorship, oversight, and pilot funds to junior investigators interested in clinical and translational research. The program is designed to prepare investigators to successfully compete for NIH K or R awards.

Naomi Duke, Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, Pediatrics, Medical School
Identifying Mechanisms for Health Disparities: Exploring the Impact of Youth Survival Expectations on Future Health

Stephanie Misono, Department of Otolaryngology, Medical School
Development of online intervention for distressed voice-disordered patients

Rebecca Shlafer, Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, Pediatrics, Medical School
Nutritional Status and Unmet Needs among Incarcerated Women of Reproductive Age
______________________________________________________________________

The K to R Transition Grant aims to place junior investigators, who have K awards, further on the path to be competitive for R01 awards.

Cari Clark, Department of General Medicine, Medical School
Impact of Yoga on Violence Survivor's Mental and Cardio Metabolic Health: A Feasibility Study of a Cluster Randomized Trial

Terri Laguna, Divsion of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Pediatrics, Medical School
Biomarkers of Injury and Destruction in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung
______________________________________________________________________

The R to R Pilot Grant provides research funds for first time R01 awardees in clinical and translational research or funded junior faculty in the basic sciences who need pilot data to transition to translational work. This program provides supplemental funds to ensure that awardees compete successfully for a second NIH R01.

Alvaro Alonso, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health
Comparative Effectiveness of New Oral Anticoagulants in Atrial Fibrillation

Robert Jones, Division of Pediatrics, Developmental/Surgical Sciences, School of Dentistry
Examining Combination Antimicrobial Therapies to Control Pathogenic Oral Biofilms in Young Children

Erik Peterson, Division of Rheumatic & Autoimmune, Medicine, Medical School
PTPN22: genetic determinant of vaccine efficacy

Marnie Peterson, Division of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy
Alpha toxin: Role in biofilm formation by MRSA wound isolates and therapeutic target

Meet CTSI recruitment specialist Melissa Mueller, whose expertise and experience make her a critical member of research teams at UMN. Her work with ResearchMatch is connecting University of Minnesota researchers with volunteers who have expressed interesting in participating in research studies.

Why do you work in clinical and translational research?
I chose to pursue a job in clinical and translational research because I recognize its importance in simple everyday things we often take for granted, as well as its role in developing cutting edge methods that change how we view health and disease.

What does your typical work day at CTSI look like?
Since this is a new position for me as well as for the University, my "typical" workday is still in development. As each day passes, however, it becomes clearer that my position will likely not have "typical" workdays, which makes me really excited! Some days I meet with researchers to discuss recruitment goals for their study and develop targeted strategies. Other days I give presentations to different groups on campus, teach researchers how to use ResearchMatch, work with the IRB to streamline certain procedures for our researchers, attend community outreach and networking events, participate in discussions on various health topics across the Academic Health Center schools, help develop training materials, host internal meetings, collaborate on nation-wide efforts to promote research volunteer participation, and continue to learn about the dynamic world of research at the University. I am lucky to work on such a wide variety of projects and with very intelligent and diverse people!

What do you like to do when you're not at CTSI?
When I am not at CTSI, I enjoy outdoor activities (especially running!), traveling, exploring the nooks and crannies of the Twin Cities, and spending time with my family and friends.

What is your favorite or current read?
I just finished reading Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. It was great! Next, I'm starting No Time To Lose: A life in pursuit of deadly viruses by Peter Piot.

Favorite quote?
Many of my favorite quotes come from my friends and family so I'll share one that is a bit more recognizable: "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." -Oscar Wilde

Congratulations to the recipients of CTSI's Fall 2012 Translational Grant Awards! This round of awards, designed to facilitate the highest quality translational research, was dedicated to junior investigators at the University of Minnesota.

Funded investigators will partner with a Project Development Team from the CTSI Office of Discovery and Translation (ODAT) that will provide project mapping and translational research expertise to facilitate the achievement of specific metrics and endpoints.

Peter Dosa, PhD, College of Pharmacy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development
Development of novel therapeutics for glaucoma

Michael Linden, MD, PhD, Medical School, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
Identifying immunophenotypic markers suitable for clinical laboratory testing for early identification of bortezomib resistance in human multiple myeloma

Ann Parr, MD, PhD, Medical School, Neurosurgery Department
Autologous OPCs for transplantation into human spinal cord injury

Valerie Pierre, PhD, College of Science and Engineering, Department of Chemistry
Siderophore aptasensors for immediate point-of-care diagnosis of urinary tract infection

Visit the CTSI website to learn about current and future funding opportunities.

The Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and the Biomedical Health Informatics (BMHI) team have jointly appointed Sarah Cooley, MD, MS, to a newly created position, Director of Academic Clinical Research Information. Dr. Cooley, Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, also serves as Director of Medical Informatics and Services for the Masonic Cancer Center.

In this new role Dr. Cooley will work with CTSI, BMHI, the AHC Information Exchange (AHC-IE), AHC Information Systems, and the research community to develop a high quality and efficient informatics platform. Dr. Cooley will ensure that user requirements are central to all solutions developed by this collaborative team, which aims to create a clear user-centric pathway to access informatics and research analytics support alongside traditional research support services such as nursing, regulatory, and biostatistics. She will also participate with Fairview, University of Minnesota Physicians and AHC-IS on an Epic Optimization effort, and will develop metrics to evaluate the quality and value of informatics systems and tools.

Please contact Dr. Cooley directly at cool0023@umn.edu or 612.625.8474 with questions.