In This Week’s Update:

COVID-19 Updates:
- Apply Now to Use the COVID-19 Biobank
- COVID-19 Vaccine: What’s RNA research got to do with it?
- COVID-19 Research Open House Week
- NIH Funding to Address Vaccine Hesitancy
UR CTSI Researchers Suggest Vaping Could Cloud Your Thoughts
Third Party Participation in Clinical Trial Activity
Building and Utilizing a Successful Mentoring Team
PCORI Funding Opportunities
Funding Opportunities

Welcome back and welcome to a new year!

COVID-19 Updates:

Apply Now to Use the COVID-19 Biobank
The COVID-19 Biobank is a collection of thousands of stored samples from hospitalized COVID-19 patients. University of Rochester research faculty and staff can now apply for access to COVID-19-positive and -negative serum, plasma or peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples and associated, de-identified clinical data. See what the Biobank has to offer and apply to use the Biobank by Friday, January 15, 5:00 pm.

COVID-19 Vaccine: What’s RNA research got to do with it?
Two COVID-19 vaccines made history in December - not only because they are 95% effective, but because they are the first RNA-based vaccines ever to be approved for use in humans. Learn how the mRNA vaccines relate to the University of Rochester’s long history of expertise in RNA biology research.

COVID-19 Research Open House Week
The National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), which aims to improve the efficiency of COVID-19 data sharing and analyses, is hosting an Open House for newcomers from Tuesday, January 19 through Monday, January 25. A one-hour symposium will kick off a week of open Clinical Domain Team meetings where new collaborators can get help launching their research questions. View the week's agenda and email data2health@gmail.com for invites to Domain Team meetings of interest.

NIH Funding to Address Vaccine Hesitancy

The NIH is offering funding for community-engaged research that addresses vaccine hesitancy, uptake, and implementation among populations who experience health disparities in the US. Research is needed to understand and address misinformation, distrust, and hesitancy regarding vaccines for COVID-19, pneumococcal, influenza, hepatitis B, HPV, and herpes zoster. Apply by Friday, February 5.

Vaping Could Cloud Your Thoughts

Two new studies led by Dongmei Li, Ph.D., associate professor in the UR CTSI, provide the first evidence of an association between vaping and mental fog in people. Both adults and kids who vape were more likely to report difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions than their non-vaping, non-smoking peers. Kids who started vaping early (between eight and 13 years old) were also more likely to experience mental fog than kids who started vaping later.

Third Party Participation in Clinical Trial Activities

Effective immediately, if you are assisting with the conduct of a clinical research study (industry-sponsored clinical trial or otherwise) and you learn that the sponsor intends to engage a third party to assist in any aspect of the trial (e.g., data entry), please communicate with your research administrator in the Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA) about the situation before the services begin. Please do not sign any documents related to these kinds of arrangements prior to reviewing with ORPA. For questions, please contact Anthony Beckman, associate director of ORPA.

Building and Utilizing a Successful Mentoring Team

The Junior Faculty Biomedical Research Association is hosting Vivian Lewis, M.D., vice provost for Faculty Development & Diversity, and Jennifer Gewandter Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, for a discussion about mentoring. The pair will share their insights into finding mentors, creating a mentoring team and developing peer mentors. After the session, there will be a workshop to help troubleshoot attendees' specific mentoring challenges.
Date: Wednesday, January 20
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm

Patient-Center Outcomes Research Funding

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), which aims to help patients make better-informed healthcare choices, has several funding opportunities opening tomorrow, Tuesday, January 5.

Implementation of PCORI-Funded Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Results aims to move evidence developed with PCORI funding toward practical use in improving healthcare and health outcomes. Letter of Intent due: Tuesday, January 26.
Improving Methods for Conducting Patient-Centered Outcomes Research aims to fund studies that address high-priority methodological gaps in patient-centered outcomes research and clinical comparative effectiveness research. Letter of Intent due Tuesday, February 2.
Pragmatic Clinical Studies to Evaluate Patient-Centered Outcomes will fund trials or studies that compare two or more alternatives for: 1) addressing prevention, diagnosis, treatment or management of a disease or symptom; 2) improving healthcare system-level approaches to managing care; or 3) eliminating health or healthcare disparities. Letter of Intent due Tuesday, February 2.