MICHR to tackle goal of diversifying and improving research to speed therapies for benefit of all patients

PaTH’s Discovery-to-Implementation forums brought together various stakeholder groups from multiple health communities to share key learnings through research from affiliated health systems and to explore the potential for forming learning communities.

The new MICHR Predoctoral T32 program is an experiential research training program that provides translational science training. Students will learn the fundamentals of translational research through an individualized, mentored research project and team-based learning experiences.

Once at work, her curious nature has her asking questions the way anthropologists ask – open ended, wondering how everything is intertwined with everything else in society, and taking that richness and complexity as a starting point for her ethnographic research.

Hendy, a MICHR Postdoctoral Translational Scholars Program (PTSP) scholar and winner of this year’s three-minute-thesis (3MT) competition between U-M and the University of Minnesota, understands the importance of clear, concise communication when it comes to research. “The 3MT process forces you to strip out jargon, tell a good story, and get to the punchline quickly,” Hendy explained.

Consider nominating your mentor for the 2023 Distinguished Clinical & Translational Research Mentor Award. This award is part of MICHR's continuing efforts to foster a culture of learning, especially in the area of clinical and health research.

The team found that use of and support for EA is widespread at Academic Medical Centers, with support focused on single-patient requests. Gaps in support are common for activities after initial submission, such as FDA reporting and data collection.

Designed for senior postdocs, senior staff, and faculty in clinical and translational research, participants in the Mentoring Academy will address challenges facing postdoc and faculty mentors via case studies, group discussions, and role-plays.

The program is designed to introduce students in health-related professional degree programs to research early in their course of study.

The application deadline is February 1.

This funding is intended to support investigators in developing novel solutions and strategies that overcome common scientific and operational roadblocks in translational research. Projects should propose addressing a common cause of inefficiency or failure in research projects at any stage of translation.

Applications are due February 13

The new MICHR K12 is a two-year award that provides protected research time, mentorship, and competency-based career development for translational scholars with a doctoral degree in a clinical or health focus.

Application deadline is March 1, 2023.

Volunteering in community programs with older adults in North Minneapolis, studying geography and gerontology, and experiencing the devastating effects of dementia in her own family drove Jessica Finlay, PhD toward novel public health research on environmental factors affecting dementia risk.

The Applied Biostatistical Sciences (ABS) Network and MICHR are hosting a lecture with David Corliss, PhD, who will talk about “Ethical Analytics: Best Practices for Recognizing and Addressing P-Hacking and the File Drawer Problem.”

Ella Greene-Moton, a longtime MICHR community partner, was elected President-Elect of the American Public Health Association, which is a three-year term including the President-Elect, President, and Past President respectively.

The NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory announced a new fellowship program for early-career investigators (including post-docs and junior faculty) from underrepresented minority groups with a scholarly interest in pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs).  

The Social & Behavioral Research Best Practices Training Course was recently updated for health researchers with support from a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Originally developed in 2017, it has since been updated and expanded to include a new module on Community Engagement and with the most up-to-date guidance on social and behavioral clinical trial conduct.

As the translational research enterprise — both in the United States and internationally — continues to expand, there is a growing need to increase the number of people pursuing training in the fields of clinical research and translational science. This includes a continuing demand for a well-trained workforce of research investigators, clinician-scientists, and other research professionals.

”The STEP.up people did a fantastic job of matching our interests, so we had things outside of work we could talk about too. I got to learn a lot about clinical trials, an area where my knowledge was lacking. And, you know the old adage: do as I say, not as I do," said Kathleen Ignatoski, STEP.up Mentor. “I put into practice some of the things that I was counseling Blake to do (most of the time before we talked about it), and it helped me tremendously.” 

The time it takes to create a database is also significant and continues to grow as we adopt virtual research practices. Research participants may now choose to submit data from their cell phone, a home computer, or via an iPad provided during an on-site clinic visit. These new approaches require study teams to consistently embrace new technology as well keep pace with ever-changing data security and privacy considerations.

When medical school student Shriya Tanti first came to the U.S. with her family from India when she was in sixth grade, she didn’t speak any English. Overcoming that and other challenges helped shape the adventurous, and somewhat fearless person she is today.

Kozik designed the logo on her KoziMicrobe website, where she introduces herself as a U-M microbiologist and research investigator. She co-founded the Black Microbiologists Association and is interested in the human microbiome, systems biology, and inflammatory disease.