November 3, 2008
IN THIS ISSUE… NEWS AND EVENTS: ANNOUNCEMENTS: FEATURES: ARTICLES: GENERAL INFORMATION:
Evaluation Key Function Committee Face-to-Face Meeting The CTSA Evaluation Key Function Committee is convening a face-to-face meeting November 8–9, 2008, in Denver in association with the American Evaluation Association conference. Lori Mulligan, NCRR, is the NIH coordinator for this committee. Collaboration Facilitation Interest Group Face-to-Face Meeting: Using Digital Environments to Support Research & Collaboration The Collaboration Facilitation Interest Group, housed in the Informatics Key Function Committee but with cross-membership from the Communications Key Function Committee, has organized a working meeting at the end of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) meeting, to be held November 12, 1:00–5:00 p.m., and November 13, 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m., in Bethesda, Md. Contact Mini Kahlon for more information. Elaine Collier is the NIH coordinator for the Informatics Committee. New York and Connecticut (NYCON) CTSA Consortium Retreat Columbia University will host the first NYCON CTSA Consortium Retreat on November 18 and 19, 2008. The retreat is an effort to encourage joint ventures and collaborations among six northeast CTSAs (five in New York and one in Connecticut), comprising meetings with leaders from each NYCON CTSA as well as sessions focused on science/training by and for our KL2 and TL1 scholars and our master’s students. Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design Key Function Committee Face-to-Face Meeting The CTSA Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design Key Function Committee is convening a face-to-face meeting November 21, 2008, in Rockville, Md. Iris Obrams, NCRR, Dennis O. Dixon, NIAID, and Paul Wakim, NIDA, are the NIH coordinators for this workgroup. Johns Hopkins Hosts Knowledge Translation Symposium—Bridging the Gap in the Translational Superhighway: Knowledge Translation Research as a Method to Improve Return on the Public’s Research Investment The Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) and Quality and Safety Research Group (QSRG) will hold a one-day workshop on November 21 devoted to the topic of improving the return on the public’s investment in research by translating knowledge about proven interventions into practices that improve patient care. A group of international researchers, funders, payers, and consumers will discuss how knowledge translation can be applied to accomplish this goal. This meeting is funded by a grant from NIH. Attendance is free, but you must register by November 10, 2008. For more information, contact KT11212008@gmail.com. To register online, visit www.eventbrite.com/event/187904026. Public-Private Partnerships Key Function Committee Face-to-Face Meeting The CTSA Public-Private Partnerships Key Function Committee is convening a face-to-face meeting December 15, 2008, in Bethesda, Md. Lili Portilla, NCRR, and Mark Scheideler, NINDS, are the NIH coordinators for this committee. Regulatory Knowledge Key Function Committee Face-to-Face Meeting The CTSA Regulatory Knowledge Key Function Committee is convening a face-to-face meeting March 12, 2009, in Bethesda, Md. Jody Sachs is the NIH coordinator for this committee.Read CTSA institutional and consortium news and media coverage at the CTSAs in the News page on CTSAweb.org. We want to post your CTSA institutional news items and open events in the CTSA e-Newsletter and on the CTSAweb.org Events page. Please send submissions to Sylvia Parsons.
NCRR Announces New Google Search Feature on CTSAweb.org A new search feature now provides access to content from CTSAweb.org and CTSA consortium Web sites in one easy step. Using the feature, CTSAweb.org visitors can retrieve information from across consortium institutions about research activities, opportunities for collaboration, and other areas of common interest. Based on the Google search technology, the feature is available on the upper right corner of each page on the CTSAweb.org site. If you are a CTSA grantee and your Web site is not yet included in the search results, or if you have other questions about this new search feature, please contact NCRR Web systems manager Craig Hicks at hickscr@mail.nih.gov. NCRR Announces the CTSA Logo Has Been Trademarked The CTSA logo now has the trademark symbol (™) next to it. As described in last month’s e-Newsletter, NCRR is in the process of registering the CTSA logo with the United States Patent Trademark Office and, as a first step, has added the ™ symbol to the logo. Just as we have updated our materials to include the modified logo, we ask that you also update your use of the logo either by adding the trademark symbol to the logo or by replacing it. The updated CTSA logo and banner are available to download from the Communication toolkit, under Consortium Communication Tools on CTSAweb.org. You will be required to agree to the terms of use before downloading the logo or banner. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Lili Portilla at NCRR at lilip@nih.gov or (301) 451-1467. Terms of use for the CTSA logo or banner: The Clinical and Translational Science Award logo is owned by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The logo should not be changed in any way except for resizing (proportions must be maintained) if necessary, nor should the logo be used in any direct or indirect product endorsement or advertising. In addition, the following required language—“The Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) is a trademark of DHHS.”—must appear at least once on ALL materials (e.g., Web site, brochure) that include the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) logo. This copy may appear in small (mice) print so as not to interfere with the design. The Clinical and Translational Science Awards logo should not be combined with other elements to create a new logo. The user agrees to immediately discontinue use of the logo upon DHHS’s direction to do so, and DHHS retains the right to issue such direction without cause and at its complete discretion. NCRR-Funded Comparative Medicine Resource Center Connects with CTSAs The Rat Resource and Research Center (RRRC) at the University of Missouri, funded by NCRR’s Division of Comparative Medicine and led by Drs. John Critser and Lela Riley, has forged a relationship with several CTSAs to provide a valuable resource and to further drug discovery/drug development in the CTSA consortium. The RRRC has recently been awarded a supplement to expand its work with CTSAs to utilize existing and/or create new animal models for preclinical trials of newly developed drugs. These CTSA sites include: (1) Washington University, (2) Duke University, (3) Columbia University, and (4) Yale University. The RRRC-CTSA drug discovery/drug development program focuses on newly established knock-out rat models currently coming into the RRRC, but it will also provide CTSA researchers with animal models from the University of Missouri/Harlan Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Center (MMRRC; www.mmrrc.org) and the National Swine Resource and Research Center (NSRRC; www.nsrrc.missouri.edu). These other two animal resources are also located at the University of Missouri. This synergy will both increase the speed of drug screening and increase the identification of drugs that will fail in human clinical trials (Phase I and II clinical trials). Other CTSA sites interested in participating in this program are encouraged to contact the RRRC at (573) 884-9469 or visit www.nrrrc.missouri.edu. Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI) Announces New Web Site The new user-centered site design provides an updated aesthetic and easier navigation for multiple site audiences. The new site’s organizational structure is the product of stakeholder and user research activities, with the goal of balancing the needs of Emory University, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Georgia Tech investigators; newcomers; and CTSA insiders. The structure of the site is resource based, using high-level landing pages such as Key Functional Areas, Research Resources, Education and Training, and Funding Opportunities. The redesigned homepage highlights a rotating window featuring stories on community, discovery, training, resources, and the national CTSA program. To strengthen the ACTSI brand, the homepage now includes funding sources; a redesigned ACTSI logo; a tagline; and the logos of the three ACTSI academic partners, Emory University, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Georgia Tech. On www.ACTSI.org you will also find the Spotlight section, which features ACTSI investigators; the Achievements section, which presents awards, accomplishments, and purchases; the Events and Seminars section, which announces ACTSI community events; the ACTSI News section; and “partners alley,” which displays the logos of many of ACTSI’s community partners. To view this resource, please visit www.ACTSI.org. Clinical Research Network Feasibility Awards Solicitation Westat in collaboration with NCRR and the NIH Roadmap IECRN Initiative invites currently funded CTSA institutions to submit proposals for Clinical Research Network Feasibility Awards (CRNFA). CTSA investigators who can demonstrate and provide synergy with ongoing government-funded clinical research networks and clinical practice networks are eligible to apply. Proposals should focus on the following three areas: translational science dissemination research, cost-benefit/cost-effectiveness research, and community engagement research. The goal of these awards will be to create new collaborations among existing research networks that would result in mutual collaborative benefit and provide lasting and sustainable impact. Final proposals are due no later than November 13, 2008, and contract award is expected on February 1, 2009. Additional information can be found at https://www.clinicalresearchnetworks.org/8.asp. UCSF CTSI Co-Hosts Series of Workshops Related to University Community Partnerships The University of California, San Francisco, University Community Partnerships Program (UCPP), Community Partnership Resource Center (CPRC), and Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s (CTSI) Community Engagement Program are hosting a series of free workshops on topics related to university community partnerships. The first two workshops in the series (held in September) examined the basics of partnership building. Additional workshops are scheduled for October and November with plans to add more workshops to the series with topics in community-based participatory research, service learning, and program evaluation. For more information on the series, go to https://www.sf.ucsf.edu/about/events.aspx. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Program Announcement with Set Aside Funding: Drug Abuse Epidemiology and Services Research in Cooperation with the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Consortium (R01) Through this program announcement with set aside (PAS), NIDA invites applicants to develop innovative drug abuse epidemiology or health services research in cooperation with academic centers supported through the CTSA consortium. Applicants are asked to propose innovative drug abuse research that builds upon the resources available at CTSA sites. A broad range of drug abuse epidemiology and prevention or treatment health services research areas will be supported under the auspices of this PAS, as described in the complete announcement: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-09-001.html. The estimated amount of funds available for support of four to eight projects awarded as a result of this announcement is $2 million for fiscal year 2009 and $2 million for fiscal year 2010. The opening date for applications will be January 5, 2009. For additional information, please contact: Jeffrey D. Schulden, M.D. Telephone: (301) 402-1526 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Funding Opportunity Announcement NHLBI has posted a funding opportunity on Translating Basic Behavioral and Social Science Discoveries into Interventions to Reduce Obesity: Centers for Behavioral Intervention Development: RFA-HL-08-013. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Funding Opportunity Announcements NIMH has posted three funding opportunities for dissemination and implementation strategies to improve the uptake of evidence-based practices:
Renewing the Commitment: The CTSA Consortium Strategic Plan The CTSA Request for Applications lays out a broad vision for the program on the basis of needs that were projected in 2005 at NIH meetings by leaders in clinical research. After two years of operation, the CTSA Consortium Steering Committee (CCSC, formerly the CTSA Consortium Oversight Committee) revisited the vision at a face-to-face meeting on October 6–7. The process began in July 2008, when a subset of the CCSC met in Pittsburgh to identify high-priority, consortium-wide goals. At the October meeting, principal investigators (PIs) and NIH members of the CCSC engaged in a planning process to define strategic goals and align them with daily operations. Breakout groups discussed the nine broad topics identified at the Pittsburgh meeting, and some 120 meeting participants brainstormed about implementation. Four dominant strategic goals emerged by consensus, and the rest of the topics were subsumed within them:
A summary report and a background report describing the process are available on the About CTSA page at CTSAweb.org. The CTSA Consortium Executive Committee (previously known as the Operations Group) will determine the path forward. A first step has been to rename the various committees and groups within the consortium to better reflect the strategic goals. The topic-specific committees will become key function committees (KFCs). The Pediatrics Oversight Committee will be known as the Child Health Oversight Committee. NCRR anticipates the creation of strategic goal committees that will be responsible for completing each goal via coordination with appropriate KFCs and their subgroups, guided by the implementation steps delineated through the strategic planning process. The future strategic plan, as it develops, will rely on existing KFCs that work on high-visibility topics, such as clinical research ethics and core competencies, to identify conditions in which the potential of the CTSA consortium to speak with a common voice would have a major impact. Consortium-wide resources will be focused on the four key goals to ensure that the CTSA organization has identifiable objectives, milestones, and outcomes. The existing committee structure will be systematically examined and reorganized to support the strategic goals of the consortium while also providing important networking and synergizing functions to improve and support local CTSA operations. Anthony Hayward, M.D., Ph.D., NCRR’s director of Clinical Research Resources, noted, “The potential for adaptation is commonly held as a key characteristic of a successful organization, and the CTSAs are rightly entering this evolutionary phase with confidence.”
Consortium Committee Meeting Calendar
* Please note that the meetings and events listed in this newsletter are provided for your information. If you wish to participate, please contact the NIH coordinator. Updated Information on CTSAweb.org CTSAweb.org was developed to ensure access to CTSA resources, enhance communication, and encourage sharing. The site continues to evolve with the CTSA in promoting this new direction of clinical and translational science.
Reminder—The CTSA Web systems help desk e-mail is help@CTSAweb.org. Please contact the help desk if you have questions regarding the CTSA systems, including CTSA Wiki and password questions.
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