Biomedical
News
February 2003, Vol. 21 • No. 2
Table
of Content
Research and Graduate Studies:
Get to know us!
The Office of Research and Graduate Studies
is responsible for the facilitation, development, and oversight
of all biomedical research activities and education (graduate
and postgraduate) within the Medical School. In this issue of
the Biomedical News we continue to highlight the ORGS units
and programs that are administered through the Office of Research
and Graduate Studies: the Program in Biomedical Sciences and
the Center for the Advancement of Clinical Research.
The
Program in Biomedical Sciences Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary
http://www.med.umich.edu/pibs/index.html
Five years ago the Program in Biomedical
Sciences (PIBS) was created to provide a gateway for Ph.D. students
to enter any of 10 Ph.D. programs (now 13 programs) associated
with the University of Michigan Medical School. In providing
choices among 300 faculty members, PIBS aims to provide each
student with the greatest opportunity to make an optimum connection
with a faculty mentor, which in turn makes Michigan more attractive
to top graduate school applicants. Over the last five years
applications have risen 40% at a time when graduate programs
nationwide are reporting difficulty in recruiting students.
During their first year, students do research rotations with
faculty from any program while starting a curriculum tailored
to their needs in consultation with faculty advisors. At the
end of the year, students commit to both a lab and Ph.D. program
for dissertation work. To ensure that the needs of both the
students and the Ph.D. programs are served, PIBS is governed
through balanced representation of the 13 programs. This is
done on committees determining policies, admission decisions,
and curriculum coordination.
The PIBS staff that coordinates recruiting, admissions, and
first year services for the students are located in the Graduate
and Postdoctoral (GAP) Center on the second floor of the Taubman
Medical Library. More information on PIBS, with links to the
Ph.D. programs, can be found on the PIPS website listed above.
Center
for the Advancement of Clinical Research (CACR)
The Center for the Advancement of Clinical
Research (CACR), formerly named the Center for Clinical Investigation
and Therapeutics (CCIT), was founded in 1998. In 2001 Dr. Daniel
Clauw (then Interim Director) and Dorene Markel (Program Director)
joined CACR. Dr. Clauw was formally appointed as CACR Director
effective November 2002. Dr. Clauw is also Professor of Internal
Medicine in the Rheumatology Division and Director of the Chronic
Pain and Fatigue Research Program. Over the past year the CACR
team has been transforming and reorganizing CACR with the goal
to become the leading academic clinical research unit in the
country. CACR strives to improve the quality and quantity of
clinical research being performed at the University of Michigan,
with particular attention focused on increasing federally funded
clinical research.
CACR’s cores and units offer numerous services to support
clinical research at the University of Michigan:
-
Administration
Core and Oversight Committees
-
Research Development Core
-
Education and Certification Core
-
Research Support Core, consisting of 3 units;
1)Project Management and Monitoring Unit
2)Study Coordination and Conduct Unit
3)Human Subjects Unit
-
Biometics and Outcomes Research Core (BORC)
At
this time, CACR is in a growth phase and not all of the above
services are fully functional. Following CACR’s move off-site
to Domino’s Farm this spring, additional staff will join
the unit.
CACR would like to highlight the activities of its Education
and Certification Core (ECC). This Core recently expanded to
provide clinical research and Good Clinical Practices (GCPs)
education opportunities and resources to faculty and staff at
the University of Michigan. The ECC is headed by Erich Jensen,
Project Manager, who joined CACR after years of directing global
clinical research education activities in industry, academia,
and professional organizations. The ECC is currently producing
or developing 3 educational programs for faculty and staff interested
or engaged in clinical research:
"New" Study Coordinator Program
This monthly 4-hour interactive program began in December of 2002.
It is for new study coordinators (6 months or less on the job).
It consists of three basic modules: (1) ABCs of Clinical Research
Requirements; (2) Roles and Networks of Study Coordinators (at
UM); and (3) "How To’s" of Clinical Research Study
Files.
"Brown Bag" Series for Study Coordinators
These monthly 1-hour "lunchtime" sessions are under
development and will target experienced study coordinators to
assist and inform them on current and challenging issues on conducting
clinical research.
"Clinical Research Grand Rounds" for Investigators
This monthly program is also under development and will deliver
unique and current "hot topics" on clinical research
requirements and issues by experts to the clinical research investigators.
Watch for more information about CACR in the future and visit
our web site at http://www.med.umich.edu/cacr
to learn more about CACR or to contact CACR staff.
The
Medical School Announces an Increase in the IRBMED Fee Charged
to Industry Sponsors
For the first time since 1997, when the fee was introduced, the
Medical School will increase the charge to industrial sponsors
for review of protocols involving human research participants
by the Medical School's Institutional Review Board. The fee will
increase from $1,000 to $1,800.
Sponsored projects routed to the Medical School Grants Office
must carry the new fee as of February 17, 2003. Previously reviewed
proposals, or those undergoing current review, will be grandfathered
into this system. The Medical School Grants Office will make the
determinations for any exceptions to the new fee during the transition.
A review
of peer institutions indicates this increased fee is consistent
within the practices of the group. Industrial sponsors of research
involving human subjects are accustomed to paying fees for IRB
review as a direct cost line item in the study budgets. Contact
the Medical School Grants Office (763-4272) with questions.
HIPAA
and Research
HIPAA is
the "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act"
of 1966. In general, it requires health care providers and others
to obtain written authorization from patients before using or
disclosing their "protected health information" (PHI)
for purposes other than medical treatment and billing, including
many types of research projects. The deadline for compliance with
the HIPAA "Privacy Regulations" is April 14, 2003.
While HIPAA does not directly govern research conduct, it does
regulate holders of medical records and other PHI often used in
the course of research projects. Thus, many research projects
conducted at or by the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS)
will be affected by HIPAA compliance requirements. Over the coming
days and weeks, information about HIPAA compliance will be disseminated
through e-mail, web postings, seminars, the Biomedical News special
bulletins, and other mechanisms. This information will assist
UMHS researchers in determining the extent to which HIPAA impacts
their research activities, and the steps they will need to take
to become HIPAA-compliant by the April 14, 2003 deadline.
Welcome
Dr. Smith! New Chair for Biological Chemistry
William L. Smith, Ph.D., recent chairperson
and Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
at Michigan State, will serve as the new Chair of the Department
of Biological Chemistry and the Minor J. Coon Professor of Biological
Chemistry, pending approval by the U-M Board of Regents. Dr. Smith
received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the U-M in 1971.
OVPR
Third Annual Staff Recognition Awards
The Office of the Vice President for Research announces two staff
recognition awards.
The first award, the Distinguished Research Administrator
Award, will honor one or more individuals who have demonstrated
superlative service to the research community over a number of
years in a manner exemplifying the highest goals of research administration.
This award is open to staff members in all units of the University.
The second is the OVPR Exceptional Service Award
to recognize one or more individuals or teams that have risen
to meet a specific challenge or performed exceptionally and tackled
their work in a way that goes beyond the ordinary fulfillment
of a position's duties. Such exceptional performance might be
through outstanding service related to workshops and conferences,
creation of communications products, computer-programming tasks,
work on committees, proposal development, or the launch of new
programs. The Exceptional Service Award is open to all
staff members in OVPR and its units and is not limited to those
involved in research administration.
The award recipients will be announced by April 8, 2003 and an
awards reception in their honor will be held on campus on Thursday,
May 8, 2003. Please take some time to consider colleagues within
your unit or staff, who work in other units, who deserve special
recognition for their contributions to research administration.
The deadline for nominations is Thursday, February 20, 2003. Please
submit the nomination materials to the attention of Curt Smitka
in OVPR. You may also contact Curt (763-6048, cwsmitka@umich.edu)
if you have questions regarding the program or the nomination
process. Materials are available on the web at:
http://www.research.umich.edu/contacts/ovpr/staff.awards/OVPR_service_awards.html
Funding and Award Opportunities
Limited Submissions
UM
Research Partnership Program for the Support of Scholarship, Research
and Graduate Education
Internal Deadline March 10, 2003
The Office of the Vice President for Research
and the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies announce
the 2003 Research Partnership Program, which includes the following
funding opportunities available to faculty and graduate students:
-
The Spring/Summer Research Grants Program will award a minimum
of 30 grants to faculty to enable them to hire doctoral students
to assist with their research and scholarly projects while providing
both financial support and tasks of intellectual benefit to
participating doctoral students.
-
The Distinguished Faculty and Graduate Student Seminars Program
will provide a maximum of 10 awards to groups of faculty, students,
or graduate programs proposing innovative seminars and colloquia
to foster collaboration and stimulate new research.
The application deadline for both awards is Monday, March 10,
2003. Contact: Stacy Wilkin at 763-6048 or swilkin@umich.edu.
The guidelines and application
forms may be obtained online at: http://www.research.umich.edu/funding/um_sources/RPP2003.html.
Junior
Faculty Career Development Program
Internal Deadline: March 3, 2003
The Career Development Program of the Head and Neck Specialized
Program of Research Excellence is intended to address the urgent
need for increased number of clinicians and basic scientists devoted
to head and neck cancer research. It is intended to provide the
necessary support, mentorship, and research environment to enable
young faculty to establish independent funding and research focus.
$67,500 per year will be awarded to two qualified candidates,
each with a three-year commitment to establishing a head and neck
research program. Preference will be given to Assistant Professors
with outstanding new translational research programs relevant
to head and neck cancer. Candidates whose prior research experience
focused on a field other than head and neck cancer will also be
eligible for this award; prior head and neck research experience
is not a prerequisite. In addition to the monetary support, two
faculty research mentors (one basic science, one clinical) and
one SPORE mentor will be assigned which will ensure that the translational
goals of the project and the overall SPORE grant are maintained,
and will provide knowledge and advice regarding head and neck
cancer.
Applications will be ranked according to the following criteria:
relevance to head and neck cancer; translational significance;
scientific merit potential for future faculty success; strength
of mentorship plan; commitment of host department.
Contact Tania Piotrowski at (734) 998-6769 or taniag@umich.edu
for an application packet.
**Investigators successful in obtaining external funding within
the three-year commitment will return unused funds to the Career
Development fund, which will be used for funding new investigators.
The
Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholars Program in Global Infectious
Disease
Internal Deadline: February 7, 2003
http://www.ellisonfoundation.org/emf_gid_nsa_over.jsp
The University of Michigan has been invited
to nominate one candidate to apply for The Ellison Medical Foundation
New Scholars Program in Global Infectious Disease for 2003. An
eligible candidate would be a new independent investigator of
outstanding promise in basic biomedical research or clinical sciences
relevant to understanding global infectious disease.
These awards are intended for investigators who are in the first
three years of their research career following their postdoctoral
fellowship experience. As of February 28, 2003, nominees must
hold regular full time appointments (tenure or non-tenure) on
the faculty of the sponsoring institution and they must not have
been in such an appointment, at the sponsoring institution or
other institution(s), for more than three years as of July 15,
2003.
The award provides up to $50,000 per year for a four-year period.
Funding for years two, three and four is contingent upon submission
of an acceptable progress report. Depending on the number of nominations
received by the Foundation and the qualifications of the nominees,
at least ten Scholars will be selected.
Nomination letters should come from the Department Chair, summarizing
the nominee's qualifications. The nomination should also include
a two-page curriculum vitae.
To facilitate our response, all potential nominations must be
submitted by
Friday, February 07, 2003 to Associate Vice President for Research
Robert F. Todd, 4075 Fleming Building, Box 1340, who will convene
a small faculty committee to review the preliminary nominations
and select the UM candidate. Visit http://www.ellisonfoundation.org
for detailed information.
The
Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholars Program in Aging
Internal Deadline: February 7,2003 http://www.ellisonfoundation.org/emf_nsa_over.jsp
The University of Michigan has been invited to nominate one
candidate to apply for The Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholars
Program in Aging for 2003. An eligible candidate would be a new
independent investigator of outstanding promise in the basic biological
or clinical sciences relevant to understanding aging processes
and age-related disease. The award is intended to provide significant
support to new investigators needed to permit them to become established
in the field of aging.
These awards are intended for investigators who are in the first
three years of their research career following their post doctoral
fellowship experience. As of February 28, 2003, nominees must
hold regular full time appointments (tenure or non-tenure) on
the faculty of the sponsoring institution and they must not have
been in such an appointment, at the sponsoring institution or
other institution(s), for more than three years as of July 15,
2003.
The award provides up to $50,000 per year for a four-year period.
Funding for years two, three and four is contingent upon submission
of an acceptable progress report. Depending on the number of nominations
received by the Foundation and the qualifications of the nominees,
at least ten Scholars will be selected.
Nomination letters should come from the Department Chair, summarizing
the nominee's qualifications. The nomination should also include
a two- page curriculum vitae.
To facilitate our response, all potential nominations must be
submitted by
Friday, February 07, 2003, to the office of Associate Vice President
for
Research Robert F. Todd, 4075 Fleming Building, Box 1340), who
will convene a small faculty committee to review the preliminary
nominations and select the UM candidate. Visit http://www.ellisonfoundation.org
for complete details.
Open Submissions
AAMC
& the Center for Disease Control Potential Extramural Projects
Deadline: February 19, 2003 (letter of intent)
The Association of American Medical Colleges is pleased to announce
that the new Center for Disease Control Potential Extramural Projects
(PEPs) were released January 14, 2003. These provide an opportunity
for funding for a variety of research projects. Full information
is available at http://www.cdc-cafunding.org.
Bravewell
Leadership Award
Deadline: February 28, 2003
The Philanthropic Collaborative for Integrative Medicine announces
the Bravewell Leadership Award for Integrative Medicine. The purpose
of the award is to recognize and support outstanding medical professionals
in their efforts to transform the culture of healthcare. The Award
of $100,000 will be conferred next fall at a ceremony in New York
City. Visit http://www.bravewell.org
for detailed information and the nomination process.
Ellison
Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Award in Global Infectious Disease
Deadline: February 28, 2003 (letter of intent)
The Ellison Medical Foundation requests letters of intent
for their Senior Scholar Award in Global Infectious Disease. Awards
will be made for up to $150,000 per year for up to four years.
The Program will focus its support by placing emphasis on emerging
parasitic and infectious diseases, caused by viral, bacterial,
fungai, protozoal, or helminthic pathogens of major global public
health concern. See the Foundation website for complete details
on the award program:
http://www.ellison-med-fn.org/emf_gid_ssa_over.jsp.
Bristol-Myers
Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Infectious Diseases
Research
Deadline: April 7, 2003
Bristol Myers Squibb is currently accepting nominations for their
annual award of $50,000 to a scientist who has made an outstanding
contribution to progress in infectious diseases research in laboratory
or clinical studies. Complete details and nomination forms can
be found on their website: http://www.bms.com/foundation/awards.html.
Seminars
Immunology
Seminar
http://www.med.umich.edu/immprog/
February 5, 2003
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Room 2901 LRC
The Graduate Program in Immunology and the Department of Internal
Medicine, Division of Rheumatology will co-sponsor a seminar.
Ram R. Singh, M.D., University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
will speak on "Looking for Good Samaritans: Immunoregulatory
CTLs and NKT cells in lupus." Contact: Ellen Elkin, 615-4846
or eelkin@umich.edu.
Center
for Organogenesis Winter 2003 Seminar Series
http://www.med.umich.edu/medschool/organo
February
6, 2003
3:30 p.m.
Room 5915 Buhl Bldg.
Douglas Forrest, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Human
Genetics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, will speak
on "Thyroid hormone receptors and the development of the
auditory and visual sensory systems". Contact: Rebecca Pintar,
936-2499 or rpintar@umich.edu.
