Upcoming CCTS Events
CCTS Develops New Resources for ClinicalTrials.gov Requirements
The federal reform efforts concerning ClinicalTrials.gov have officially taken effect. Learn the latest about requirements to register your clinical study and report your results with our new video, new web page, new drop-in clinics, and two upcoming trainings.
Evolving EHRs to Improve Healthcare
Dr. James J. Cimino, CCTS codirector of Informatics and director, UAB Informatics Institute, sketched out a vision for the next generation electronic health record (EHR) in an invited seminar at Vanderbilt University’s Department of Biomedical Informatics.
What's New on the CCTS Website?
We've added a new Featured Video element to our home page, the first of many coming enhancements to help our visitors find the latest and greatest content on our website.
CCTS Seeking New K-Scholars
Calling all full-time jr. faculty with a clinical or research doctorate! If you are interested in translational or patient centered outcome research, consider applying for an institutional K award, which provides funding for up to 2 years. Letters of Intent (LOI) due March 6, 2017. Applicants must request an LOI packet.
Welcome to Our 2017 CTSTP Trainees!
Our annual Clinical Translational Science Training Program (CTSTP) in underway. The 2017 cohort includes 23 trainees, who will receive a certificate in CTS research when they complete their requirements come June.
What's New on the CCTS Website?
Check out our 2016 Pilot awardees, 16 rising stars of science representing five CCTS Partners. Also new is a set of log templates, added to our Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Library page, which clinical investigators can use to track everything from adverse events and protocol deviations to IRB reviews and informed consent.
USA Center for Healthy Communities Hosts 2nd Community Engagement Forum
CCTS Partner University of South Alabama hosted this event on Jan. 13, drawing researchers, students, and community members from across the state to strengthen community engagement research skills and share expertise.
Jan. CCTS Forum Demos i-Corps Approach to Sharpening Science
Dr. Molly Wasko, associate dean for Research, Innovation, and Faculty Success, UAB Collat School of Business, encouraged the standing-room only crowd of scientists and engineers to better understand their research “customers.”
Mark Your Calendar for Innovating in Healthcare!
On Wednesday Feb. 1, our next CCTS Forum will explore idea formation to revenue generation and everything in between with Dr. Amy Hester, director of Nursing Research and Innovation, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Bring your inner health science entrepreneur and join us!
Play and Learn! CCTS Launches Kaizen-based Game to Teach Scientific Reproducibility
To help young investigators meet an impending NIH policy requiring formal training in scientific rigor and reproducibility, CCTS has developed a web-based quiz game based on the Kaizen platform. Open to all investigators across the CCTS Partner Network. All T, K, and F awardees are encouraged to participate. The game goes live on Jan. 23, 2017. Register by Friday, Jan. 13.
CCTS Announces New Dates for Community Health Innovation Awards (CHIA)
The fifth annual cycle of the CHIA grant, which supports projects that think boldly and creatively about solutions to public health challenges, will open on Jan. 30, 2017! Local community organizations are encouraged to register and plan on attending the mandatory CHIA workshop in early March.
March Seats Filling Fast for Accessing Clinical Data for Research with i2b2!
All January and February sessions are full for our hands-on i2b2 training, cohosted by the UAB Informatics Institute, so register for March 2 or March 21 today. Registration is required. Supervisor approval is required for nonfaculty participants (e.g., trainees, staff), and all attendees are strongly encouraged to request i2b2 access prior to their session. Due to high demand, only one session per customer.
CCTS Alum: Where Are They Now?
In this new feature, we catch up with CCTS alum Dr. Michele Kong, who participated in our Clinical and Translational Science Training Program (aka CTSTP) in 2014 and received a CCTS Partner Network Multidisciplinary Pilot award in 2015. We highlight her journey from concerned pediatric intensivist treating critical cases of RSV to a translational pediatric researcher actively seeking the cure.
All UAB Dept. of Medicine Divisions Now Live in OnCore
The OnCore implementation wave continues to sweep across UAB, with the final remaining DOM divisions joining the three that went live in Dec. 2017. Congratulations to the OnCore team for another successful launch! Wave 2 is on target for April 2018, when 80% of more of trials with billables will be captured.
Join Us Jan. 31 for "Harnessing Hyaluronic Acid: From Cell Therapy to Reducing Inflammation"
The next Health Sciences Entrepreneurship (HSE) seminar features Glenn D. Prestwich, PhD, University of Utah Presidential Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Research Professor of Biochemistry, and Director of the Center for Therapeutic Biochemicals. Prestwich will discuss his latest entrepreneurial venture. HSE is a collaboration among UAB, UKMC, University of Arkansas Medical Center, and University of Utah. Join us at PCAMS or by videoconference (meeting ID 6829).
Feb. Forum to Explore Low Health Literacy Challenges in Clinical and Translational Research
Health literacy, defined as the ability to understand and use health information and access health care, is critical to good health. Low health literacy contributes to health disparities, reduces participation in clinical trials and research studies, and increases health care costs. Join us on Wednesday, Feb. 14, when we will discuss the latest efforts to address low literacy.
Register Today for Translational Science 2018
TS18, which takes place April 19-21 in Washington, DC, is just around the corner. Registration is open, with early bird rates still in effect. Don't miss out on this premier scientific event, the ideal place to join your colleagues for the most innovative research, a best-in-class abstract hall, and the chance to meet key thought leaders and influencers in the field.
New Innovation Lab To Focus on Lifestyle Interventions that Last-Apply by Feb. 9
Are you an early career scientist researching lifestyle interventions that target weight loss, fitness habits, and improved metabolic profile? Are you an obesity researcher frustrated by the dearth of programs showing long-term success? If the answer is yes to either question, consider participating in the next NCATS iLab. "Staying Power: Developing Lifestyle Interventions that Last," cohosted by UBuffalo and Vanderbilt University, will take place April 23-27, 2018, in Warrenton, VA. Researchers from diverse disciplines who are within 10 years of terminal degree, residency or fellowship are encouraged to apply for this immersive, residential workshop.
STRIDE: On the Move and in the News
Strengthening Translational Research in Diverse Enrollment (STRIDE), a collaborative project among three CTSA Hubs (UAB, UMass, and Vanderbilt University) that seeks to develop and test innovations to increase participation of under-represented groups in clinical trials and other research, received a shout out from NCATS Director Dr. Chris Austin in his Jan. 2, 2018, Director's Corner message. STRIDE's personalized informed consent intervention, featured in a Dec. Trial Innovation Network webinar, is just one of the novel methods under development.
Deadline Approaches for STEP-UP Summer Research Program-Apply by Feb. 1
Designed for undergrads majoring in a STEM field who are from under-represented racial and ethnic groups, a disadvantaged background, or have a disability, this 10-week program provides a $5000 research stipend, an all-expenses-paid trip to present at the annual NIH STEP-UP symposium (July 30-31, 2018), and year-round mentoring support and career development advice.
Working at the University-Industry Interface: Effective Strategies for Active Researchers
This seven-session webcast series, which is free for University Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP) members such as UAB faculty and staff, will provide strategies for creating better research partnerships between corporations and universities. Topics include managing expectations, handling proprietary info, preparing proposals and budgets, addressing compliance and contracts issues, negotiating intellectual property, and leveraging government involvement. The biweekly series, offered by Academic Impressions and UIDP, launches Wed., Feb. 7 and runs through May 2, 2018. Questions? Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , UAB Office of Industry Engagement.
Science of Team Science 2018 Announces Call for Presenters, Posters
This annual international conference seeks to build the evidence base for how to conduct, manage, and support effective and efficient team-based research. Thought leaders from a broad range of disciplines and fields will gather in Galveston, TX, May 21-24, 2018, to share state-of-the-art knowledge, strategies, and connections. Workshop proposals are due Feb. 5; poster abstracts are due March 20.
Resolve to Leverage CCTS Resources in the New Year!
We sometimes hear, "I didn't know CCTS does that!" From our award-winning project panels to cutting-edge informatics expertise, from career enhancing trainings to the latest in clinical trial supports, from just-in-time funding mechanisms to collaborative opportunities with multidisciplinary and community partners from across our network and beyond, CCTS offers a value proposition that is second to none. Get to know us in 2018--your science will thank you.
Welcome to Our 2018 CTSTP Trainees
The CCTS Clinical and Translational Science Training Program (CTSTP) kicked off last week with a record breaking number of participants. Not only is this the largest cohort in the CTSTP's history, but it also includes the highest number of virtual trainees (17) and trainees from Partner institutions. All will receive more than 50 hours of instruction in the latest clinical and translational science competencies.
Earn a CCTS Certificate in Mentoring Excellence
Bring your questions and concerns and join us as we explore the nuances of the mentor-mentee relationship. Our case-based discussions help participants discover new strategies to maximize the benefits of this career-enhancing skill. Open to investigators at any level from across the CCTS Partner Network. The 8-week series starts Friday, Jan. 19.
Join Us Jan. 9 for "Healthcare's Digital Future"
The next Health Sciences Entrepreneurship (HSE) seminar features Sameer Ather, MD, PhD, who will discuss his journey from physician-scientist in Cardiology at UAB to founder and CEO of the online start up, XpertDox, LLC, which uses a proprietary algorithm to "help patients find the best care for their disease." HSE is a collaboration among UAB, UKMC, University of Arkansas Medical Center, and University of Utah. GoToMeeting available.
ACTS Extends Abstract Deadline for Translational Science 2018
It's not too late to take your research to Washington, DC, April 19-21, for #TS2018! Submit a poster abstract in one of several tracks, including basic/translational science, clinical trials/epidemiology, informatics and digital health, education and career development, science and health policy/ethics/outcomes, and health equity/community engagement, by Monday, Jan. 15. We hope to see you there.
Upcoming Informatics Meetings Offer Unique Translational Learning Opportunities
Are you interested in the latest tools, techniques, and trends in precision medicine, clinical informatics, bioinformatics, and big data for translational 'omics research? If so, mark your calendar for several upcoming events focused on the latest advances in these fields. Calls for abstracts to participate as a speaker or presenter are open or opening soon!
Save the Date for Our Next CCTS Monthly Forum!
Breaking with our usual Wednesday tradition, the next CCTS Monthly Forum will take place on Monday, February 11. Time (4-5:30pm), location (Pittman Center for Advanced Medical Studies or PCAMS), format (lively discussion preceded and followed by yummy hors d' oeuvres) remain the same. Feb. Forum will focus on major transformations that are changing the way we conduct clinical trials, including the latest recommendations from the national Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative.
CCTS January Forum Offers Tips to Master Peer Review
Joined by a multidisciplinary panel of biomedical journal Editors-in-Chief, CCTS teed up best practices for mastering peer review to nearly 80 attendees, including a record-breaking number of virtual participants.
Apply for a Life Sciences Internship with HudsonAlpha and Affiliates
If you are a student who attends a college or university or who has a permanent address in Alabama, consider applying for a BioTrain Life Sciences internship with CCTS Partner HudsonAlpha (HA). BioTrain has over 20 paid positions in research, computational biology, chemistry, business, marketing, and genetic counseling. The summer internships run for nine weeks and include a Biotech Boot Camp and weekly professional development seminars. Applications for Summer 2019 are due by Friday, February 15, 2019.
CCTS/SCOR Launch Grant Preparation Intensive Cohort Program
Are you working on a K, R, or national foundation grant? Is your deadline May 2019 or later? If so, CCTS and the UAB Scientific Community of Outcomes Researchers (SCOR) invite you to apply to one of our new intensive grant development cohorts. The program offers four months of highly structured activities, leveraging CCTS programs with a proven track record for strengthening science and improving scores. The program will also connect you to a pool of highly experienced mentors from across the CCTS Partner Network. We welcome all trainees, postdocs, and early stage career faculty who are committed to dedicating weekly time and energy to their goal. Please note our next cohort will begin in June if you are not ready to start this intensive process yet.
CCTS Drug Discovery Seminar Series Starting Soon
This 11-week seminar series introduces attendees to the world of drug discovery: from the basics of determining valid targets and high-throughput screening to moving a drug from preclinical to clinical trials and submitting Investigational New Drug (IND) forms to the FDA. New sessions will explore intellectual property issues and molecular modeling in the drug discovery space. Cosponsored by CCTS Partners UAB and Southern Research. Graduate students can earn 1 credit pass/fail by attending all sessions. Series kicks off at noon on Monday, February 4.
CCTS Extends Deadline for Clinical/Translational Research Program
Predoctoral students finishing their second year now have an extra week to apply to the CCTS Clinical/Translational Research Program (aka the CCTS TL1). This immersive program provides 12 months of protected time for trainees to develop projects focused on reducing health disparities and/or diseases that disproportionately affect the Deep South. Other benefits include a stipend, tuition/training support, mentorship, and becoming a "translational thinker." Apply by Friday 8, 2019.
Broaden Your Career Options with a CCTS Clinical/Translational Research Program
Are you a predoctoral student finishing your second year in a health professions program (MD, PhD, PharmD, DDS, DMD, DVM, etc.)? If so, you may wish to apply for the CCTS Clinical/Translational Research Training (TL1) Program, a mentored research experience that provides skills that will help equip the curious and creative with the tools and expertise to thrive as investigators in any setting (e.g., academic medicine, government, pharma). The immersive program provides 12 months of protected time for trainees to develop projects focused on reducing health disparities and/or diseases that disproportionately affect the Deep South. The program provides a stipend and support for tuition, among other benefits. Apply by Friday, February 1.
Translational Training Symposium Registration Now Open
The inaugural CCTS Translational Training Symposium will take place at the Intercontinental New Orleans on February 20-21. This networking and learning opportunity, held in conjunction with the annual Southern Society for Clinical Investigation Regional Meeting, offers something for everyone, from pre- and post-doctoral students and early career scholars to mentors and training grant leaders. Seating is limited, and attendees must be pre-registered. Registration will close on Friday, February 1.
Featured Community Partner: The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama
Through its national network, the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) seeks to "improve health, develop leaders, and create change" by providing awards to graduate students to design and implement innovative community service projects that address local unmet health needs and social determinants of health. In the process, Fellows develop skills and a dedication to underserved populations through a yearlong program of leadership development training, reflection, relationship building, and mentoring. The Alabama chapter of ASF is currently accepting applications for up to 18 graduate students from multiple schools and disciplines across the state. ASF surveys indicate that "faculty are the most influential reason students apply," so if you are in that position of influence, please help spread the word! Fellows must attend an orientation on April 6-7, 2019, and a mid-year retreat on October 5, 2019. Apply by Friday, February 1. Contact AL Chapter Executive Director This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions.
STEP-UP Helps Underrepresented Undergrads Spend a Summer Conducting Biomedical Research
The CCTS and the UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center invite currently enrolled and eligible undergraduate freshmen through juniors to apply to the national 2019 Short-Term Research Experience for Underrepresented Persons (STEP-UP) Program. This ten-week summer biomedical research experience offers a $5,000 stipend as well as invaluable mentoring and career development advice. Summer interns also receive support to travel to the Bethesda, MD, campus of the National Institutes of Health to attend the Annual STEP-UP Symposium on July 28-30, 2019. Do you teach undergrads? Please help spread the word. Applications are due Friday, February 1.
CCTS Announces CHIA 2018 Grantees
Congratulations to our 6th Annual Community Health Innovation Award (CHIA) grantees, who were honored at an awards ceremony on Monday, December 17, 2018, at the UAB National Alumni House. Thanks to the generosity of our CHIA 2018 donors, a total of $56,000 was distributed to launch or extend four projects addressing critical health concerns in the Birmingham community. CCTS also thanks the staff, faculty, and volunteers, including mentors and judges, who help make the CHIA program a success every year.
Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Translational Research Learning Opportunities
Graduate students, postdocs, trainees, and faculty from early career to senior level are encouraged to take advantage of several outstanding training opportunities on the horizon. Whether you wish to develop new translational a/o clinical research skills, meet new mentors or collaborators, or brainstorm solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing our health system, there is an upcoming event for you!
Dr. James J. Cimino, CCTS codirector of Informatics and director, UAB Informatics Institute, sketched out a vision for a next-generation electronic health record (EHR) in an invited seminar at Vanderbilt University’s Department of Biomedical Informatics this week. His talk reviewed what EHRs currently do right and wrong, highlighted their true potential, posted the missing link to achieving that potential, and described what is needed to support their evolution.
“EHRs have helped us improve billing, the legibility and availability of medical data, results reporting, order entry, alerts and reminders,” Cimino said. “Yet problems persist, including alert fatigue, redundant data capture, data overload (note bloat), incomplete data, and poor navigability.” Despite an early focus on EHRs as a tool to “guide and teach,” a la Dr. Lawrence L. Weed’s 1968 seminal article on medical records, they continue to fall short of their full potential.
EHRs could do a better job at minimizing annoyance, informing us about the patient, educating users, assisting with patient care, and supporting research, but they don’t. “So what’s the missing link?” he asked the audience.
The answer, according to Cimino, is “situational awareness,” a formal representation of symptoms, exam findings, interpretations, differential diagnoses, and other interrelationships that could help improve the impact of EHRs on patient outcomes. “What can we not afford to miss? What is ok to ignore?” he asked. He traced the differences between several generations of EHR development to underscore his point (see image).
The challenges to achieving this “intelligent assistant” version of the EHR “are not trivial and will require informatics, design, and educational solutions rolled out in tandem,” Cimino said. Steps to building it will be incremental, integrated, and will need to reach “critical mass.” But he painted a compelling picture of the benefits of such an effort: an EHR that would not only offer improved data capture, a better user interface, smarter alerts and reminders, and reduced redundancy, but also deliver a true learning health system capable of supporting just-in-time education for decision support.
Cimino concluded, “Representing situational awareness data will require fundamental informatics research, but I believe it can be done non-disruptively, so that we can evolve with our EHRs to a new era of health care. I'm looking for postdoc superstar researchers to help!"
Interested clinical informatics postdocs can reach Dr. Cimino via the Informatics Institute website.
Several of the federal clinical trial reform efforts announced for 2017, reported on most recently in the Dec. 16, 2016, issue of the CCTS Digest, have gone into effect. This includes the ClinicalTrial.gov requirements to register and report results, which applies to all NIH funded or partially funded studies initiated on or after Jan. 18, 2017.
CCTS has developed several new resources to help raise awareness about the requirements and the to empower investigators with the tools and expertise to successfully meet the regulatory expectations and avoid potential penalties. Additional guidance and support with regulatory requirements (both federal and UAB) are available on request by emailing us at
CCTS Solutions
- Our new video, “ClinicalTrials.gov: New Clinical Trials Policies,” has a serious title and message for clinical trialists and their teams, but delivers it with humor and brevity (and a catchy tune!). Our hope is the video will go viral, helping raise awareness of the requirements to register clinical trials and report their results. Please watch and like and share with others!
- The new Clinical Translation landing page reviews the federal policies taking effect in 2017 and provides a list of websites, checklists, trainings, videos, and articles for investigators to learn more, including how to use the Protocol Registration and Results System, the database for entering clinical trial results on clinicaltrials.gov.
- CCTS has added a special consultation clinic to its First Wednesday Drop-in Clinics line up, which will provide investigators with the opportunity to talk to one of our Clinical Research Support Program (CRSP) specialists about meeting the new clinicaltrials.gov requirements. A second clinic will take place in conjunction with the Biostatistics clinic on the third Wed. of the month. Both clinics take place at PCAMS from 11:30am-1pm. No appointment is necessary.
- Two additional upcoming trainings will provide overviews of the new requirements. The CCTS Lunch and Learn will take place on February 21 from 11:45am-1pm in Spain Auditorium. The CCTS Research Seminar on March 16 from noon-1pm at PCAMS. Visit our Events page for more information about these and other CCTS learning opportunities.