August 2001, Vol. 19 No. 3

New Appointments

Director of Clinical Research Services Appointed in the Medical School

The Office of Research and Graduate Studies is pleased to announce the appointment of Patricia A. Ward as the Director of Clinical Research Services. Pat's responsibilities will primarily be related to the administration of the Medical School Institutional Review Board office, but she will also have responsibilities related to the overall clinical research infrastructure for the Medical School. Pat has many years of regulatory experience in animal care, including nine years in the UCUCA office at UM. She has also been involved in human research compliance through the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Transition of Leadership in the Graduate Program in Immunology

The Office of Research and Graduate Studies is pleased to announce that Keith Bishop, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Surgery and Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology has accepted the position of Director of the Graduate Program in Immunology effective July 1, 2001. We also wish to recognize the dedication and service of the outgoing director, James Mulé, M.D., Maude T. Lane Professor of Surgical Immunology, and Professor of Surgery and Internal Medicine. Dr. Mulé was instrumental in developing the graduate program.

Award Recipients

The Office of Research and Graduate Studies is pleased to recgonize the special achievements of the following colleagues.

Gary McCalla (Physiology) is the winner of the 2001 Jody Ungerleider Memorial Award.

Dr. Victor M. Elner, M.D., Ph.D. (Ophthalmology) is to receive the Research to Prevent Blindness Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award.

Dr. Radha Ayyagari, Ph.D. (Ophthalmology) has been selected as a Sybil B. Harrington Scholar.

Biomedical Research Council

BMRC Establishes New Dates for Their Funding Programs

http://www.med.umich.edu/medschool/bmrc/index.html

The Biomedical Research Council is pleased to announce the continuation several funding programs. Please note that there are new deadlines for the Equipment Competition and the New Initiatives for Basic Science Research Program.

  1. Equipment Competition: (maximum $100,000) Deadline March 1, 2000.
  2. New Initiatives for Basic Science Research Program: (maximum $40,000) Deadline February 15, 2002.
  3. Interim Support for Basic Science Research: (maximum $15,000 for one year) No deadline.
  4. Postdoctoral Fellowships: (one year of salary and fringe benefits at the current NIH level) No deadline.

Funding Opportunity - Limited Submission

Burroughs Wellcome Fund - Internal Deadline October 1, 2001

http://www.bwfund.org/infectious_pathogenesis.htm#ProgramBackground

Burroughs Wellcome Fund announces a new award program, Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease. The goal of the award program is to give researchers freedom and flexibility to pursue avenues of inquiry and higher-risk research projects that advance the biochemical, pharmacological, immunological, and molecular biological understanding of how infectious agents and the human body interact. The award program provides $80,000 per year over a period of five years. The University of Michigan may nominate up to two candidates. Candidates must have a M.D. or Ph.D. degree, an established record of independent research and hold a tenure-track position as an assistant professor or equivalent. Internal applications to the Medical School require:

  • A one page research summary
  • A CV for the nominee
  • A nominating letter from a department chair

Please submit all internal applications to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, 4107 Med Sci I, Box 0624 by October 1, 2001. Contact: Denise Swayze, 763-4086 or dswayze@umich.edu

Funding Opportunities

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (Special Solicitation) - Letters of Intent Deadline August 20, 2001

http://www.rwjf.org/app/rw_applying_for_a_grant/rw_app_cfp_abstract.jsp?cfpCode=SPR

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is requesting proposals for their Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP). The purpose of the program is to encourage experts in public health, law, political science, medicine, sociology, criminal justice, and economics to address issues related to substance abuse with a focus on producing policy-relevant information about ways to reduce the harm substance abuse causes. Up to $400,000 in total costs for up to three years will be made available. Proposals submitted for this program must address one of the following research topics:

  • Policies and Systems Surrounding the Medicinal Uses of Marijuana
  • Legalization/Decriminalization of Marijuana and Other Drugs
  • Illicit Drug Use Harm Reduction Policies
  • Office-based Opiate Agonist Therapy
  • Alternative Nicotine Delivery Systems
  • Alcohol Compared to Tobacco

For complete information and application procedures; please see the Foundation's web site. Deadline for letters of intent is August 20, 2001 (5 p.m.).

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Foundation, Inc. - Deadline October 1, 2001

http://www.phrmafoundation.org/overview.topic.html

The PhRMA Foundation introduces new award programs— Programs in Health Outcomes Research and Center of Excellence in Clinical Pharmacology.

The Programs in Health Outcomes Research incorporate many issues. Effectiveness of a particular pharmaceutical intervention; impact of reimbursement policies on the outcomes of care; development and use of tools to perform patient-based assessments; and analyses of the best way to disseminate the results of outcomes research (see Foundation website for a detailed description of Health Outcomes Research).

The Programs include the following four awards:

  1. Pre Doctoral Fellowships provide stipend funding during a student's Ph.D. doctoral program on a research project. The applicant must be a full-time student with doctoral candidacy verified by the Department Chair. $20,000 per year plus $500 for expenses is provided for one to two years.
  2. Post Doctoral Fellowships award a $40,000 stipend to well-trained graduates from Pharm. D., M.D., and Ph.D. programs that wish to develop and refine their research skills through formal postdoctoral training. The application must include a research plan written by the applicant, the mentor's research record, and a description of how the mentored experience will enhance the applicant's career development in health outcomes research.
  3. Sabbatical Fellowships provide stipend funding to enable faculty with active research programs work at other institutions for periods of six months to one year to learn new skills or develop new collaborations that will enhance their research. Applicants must have approval for a sabbatical leave from their home institution, and provide an endorsement from the mentor who will sponsor their visiting activity. Matching funds must be provided through the university. $40,000 is awarded.
  4. Research Starter Grants provide $30,000 per year for one to two years to support individuals beginning independent research careers in academia. Applicants must be in an entry-level tenure-track (or equivalent permanent) position in a department or unit responsible for health outcomes research activities. Applicants should provide a description of career goals and the Department Chair's description of institutional support for the salary.

The Center of Excellence in Clinical Pharmacology aims to provide financial support and encourage further development for new clinical pharmacology programs with potential for significant expansion in faculty and training. A Center of Excellence may be administratively based in a department of internal medicine or pharmacology (pharmacology will be given preference). For eligibility a program must be new with a new director or division head named within the past two years, at the time of the application. It must be a small division, having no more than 2 full time faculty members (see website for complete details on eligibility). The award is a total of $250,000 payable over a twelve-month period beginning July 1, 2002.

Application deadline for programs and awards is October 1, 2001. Complete information and application requirements can be found on the Foundation's website (listed above).

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Seeks Faculty Research Partners in the Biomedical Sciences

The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program is currently recruiting faculty research partners for the 2001/2002 academic year. UROP students can provide you with invaluable assistance in your research while learning about medical research. Many medical school faculty have worked with UROP students in their first and second years and trained valuable research assistants who remain with them throughout their undergraduate careers.

UROP targets first and second year students, engaging them as research assistants on ongoing faculty research projects. Last year approximately 55% of UROP research projects were on the medical campus. UROP is open to all first and second year students on campus with a special interest in engaging women in science and historically underrepresented minority students in research. Students participate in UROP for either academic credit or work-study funds. All work-study costs are covered by UROP. Limited supplementary research funds are also available from UROP. UROP also assists faculty by offering research peer groups, peer mentors, and skill building workshops ranging from computer and writing workshops to statistics.

The first application deadline is August 10, 2001, however, faculty applications will be accepted until September 15, 2001. You can also submit your application electronically via UROP's web page. The address is http://www.umich.edu/~urop. Once on the page, click on the Faculty and Administrator Information button, then click on Faculty Application. Contact Sandra Gregerman for an application packet and/or additional information at 998-9381 or sgreger@umich.edu.

Outside Employment Disclosures

All instructional and research track faculty are reminded of the importance of keeping their outside employment disclosures up-to-date. If there has been a change in your activities since your annual disclosure in April, or if you are a new faculty member and haven't yet disclosed to your department, please read the policy and download the form at: http://www.med.umich.edu/medschool/orgs/ResearchPolicies/index.html. If you have any questions, please contact Connie Bridges, Director of Administration for Research and Graduate Studies, 763-4086 or e-mail cbridges@umich.edu