If you missed TRI’s annual Research Regulatory Conference – Virtual Research in a Complicated World, video recordings are now available. Below are YouTube links for each part of the agenda.

Keynote speaker Erin Rothwell, Ph.D., from the University of Utah, presented, “Promoting Informed Decision Making for Consent in Virtual Research,” to kick off the conference. https://youtu.be/0hGEd1QM-2I

Keynote speaker Chris Lindsell, Ph.D., from Vanderbilt University, “ACTIV-6, TREAT-NOW and Other Stories: Lessons Learned from Running Decentralized Platform Trials during a Pandemic.”  https://youtu.be/uOJZKHIppC8

Q&A Panel: Common Compliance Issues with Remote Research

Moderator: Edith Paal, M.S.Journ., MPH, director, UAMS Institutional Review Board

Panelists:

• Aline Andrews, Ph.D., RD, co-interim director, Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center; professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, UAMS
• Jamie Baldner, B.S., CCDM, research informatics director, Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, UAMS
• Hari Eswaran, Ph.D., professor and director of Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, and Institute for Digital Health and Innovation, UAMS
• Darri Scalzo, research compliance officer, Office of Research Compliance, UAMS
  https://youtu.be/sztEOYtg-W8

Chris Long, Ph.D., presented “Ethical Considerations Regarding Returning Results to Research Participants.”
https://youtu.be/PbRiPKlnrrU

Joseph Sanford, M.D., and Kevin Sexton, M.D., presented “Digital Health Resources in Remote Research.”
https://youtu.be/mrDp99bQwjQ


View many other video presentations in TRI’s Video/Knowledge Library.

In this month’s TRIbune, we highlight the exciting addition of the Clinical Informatics Fellowship Program, a TRI-supported collaboration between UAMS and Arkansas Children’s. This important and unique program is among the first nationally accredited in the U.S., and is attracting talented doctors with informatics expertise.

This issue also includes important implementation science news, an announcement of our Team Science Voucher Awardees, and our TRI Study of the Month features Sumant Inamdar, M.D.  

Read The TRIbune.

UAMS Site Principal Investigator: Sumant Inamdar, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, UAMS College of Medicine.

Summary: The SpHincterotomy for Acute Recurrent Pancreatitis (SHARP Trial) is testing the effectiveness of Endscopic Retrograde CholangioPancreatography with sphincterotomy, a common procedure for the condition. it is an NCATS Trial Innovation Network (TIN) facilitated study.

 Significance: Pancreatitis can cause severe pain. A sphincterotomy opens a blocked duct in the pancreas to allow fluids to drain, which researchers hypothesize provides long-term relief to the acute pain associated with the condition.

TRI Services: Budget development, Medicare coverage analysis, regulatory and research nurse coordinator services.

Sponsor: NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

The UAMS Translational Research Institute (TRI) and UAMS Center for Implementation Research (CIR) have selected five clinical faculty as the 2022 Implementation Science Scholars.

Using the principles of implementation science, faculty at CIR will guide the scholars through 10 didactic sessions per year and provide oversight and mentoring for their experiential implementation science projects. The two-year program will provide 20% salary support (up to salary cap).

Based at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, the scholars and their project titles are:

Amit Agarwal, M.B.B.S., M.D. Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Medical Director Chronic Ventilator Program, Division of Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Arkansas Children’s Hospital/UAMS College of Medicine
Implementation of Standardized Tracheostomy Care Method by Multidisciplinary Team Model (MDT) and Incorporating High-Fidelity Simulation to Train Caregivers of Children Requiring Long-Term Mechanical Ventilation

Shipra Bansal, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Implementing Standardized Bone Health Care Guidelines in Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Holly D. Maples, Pharm.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, UAMS College of Pharmacy; Director, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Reducing the Variations in Diagnosis and Treatment of Pediatric UTI’s in Arkansas

Spyridoula Maraka, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor, Program Director of Endocrinology Fellowship, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, UAMS College of Medicine; Staff Endocrinologist, Central Arkansas Veterans Health Care System
Implementation of Combined Strategies to Minimize Levothyroxine Overuse

Deepa Raghavan, M.D., FCCP, Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, UAMS College of Medicine; Medical Director, VA Medical ICU; Staff Pulmonologist, CAVHS
Bridging Gaps in COPD Care 

This month’s TRIbune newsletter highlights former KL2 Research Career Development scholar Taren Swindle, Ph.D., and TRI’s preparations for the next cohort of KL2s. Information sessions are being held in advance of the 2022 Request for Applications, which will be released in November.  

We also announce our rural-research themed TRI pilot awardees and our Study of the Month, which highlights a TRI-supported study. This month we feature Michael Wilson, M.D., Ph.D., who is the site principal investigator for the METH-OD clinical trial.

This month’s issue also includes 11 publications that cite TRI for its support.

Read The TRIbune.

The first summer writing challenge sponsored by the Translational Research Institute (TRI) revealed that UAMS researchers enjoy a friendly competition.

TRI celebrated the end of its inaugural 91-Day Writing Challenge on Sept. 1.

“We had 173 submissions, almost two per day, which is pretty phenomenal,” said TRI Director Laura James, M.D., who led the outdoor event for the seven winning writers.

Eligible Writing Challenge participants included all researchers who have used TRI’s services or resources to aid their projects.

James, assisted by College of Medicine Dean Susan Smyth, M.D., Ph.D., announced the winning writers as the temperature was climbing toward 100 degrees for the first time in three years. Fortunately, a Loblolly Ice Cream truck was just steps away and helped the 25 UAMS Little Rock attendees survive the heat.

Don Willis, Ph.D., an assistant professor, had the highest number of manuscript submissions – 10 – with three primary authorships and seven co-authorships. He won the Astounding Apprentice Award: Most Publications for the Rank of Assistant Professor/Instructor.

Based at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, Willis said the competition was a good complement to a strong culture of manuscript writing at the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus.

In fact, four of the seven Writing Challenge winners are part of the Office of Community Health and Research, led by Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., MBA, the outgoing vice chancellor for UAMS Northwest, and director of the TRI Special Populations Core, and associate director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

“I didn’t do this alone,” said Willis, who attended the ceremony remotely via Facebook with McElfish and others. “We have an incredible team that provides a lot of support for one another, which makes it possible to submit and publish at the rate we have.” 

Summer is a great time to write, he said, and this year was busier than ever with a flood of research data pouring in at the right time.  

“I enjoy writing in the summertime on my back porch and front porch,” he said.

As institutional awards, the Writing Challenge awards can be used in UAMS promotion and tenure applications, James announced at the celebration.

Other Writing Challenge winners are:

• Jennifer Vincenzo, Ph.D., PT, MPH, associate professor, UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, Office of Community Health and Research
  Wise Wordsmith Award: Most publications for the rank of associate professor for eight publications (two primary authorships and six co-authorships)

• Nahed El-Hassan, M.D., professor, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
  Sage Scribe Award (tie): Most publications for the rank of professor for five publications (three primary authorships and two co-authorships)

• Holly Felix, Ph.D., MPA, professor, UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, Office of Community Health and Research
  Sage Scribe Award (tie): Most publications for the rank of professor for five publications (five co-authorships)

• Nishank Jain, M.D., assistant professor, College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine,
  Best Representation of Applied Data Sciences
  
• Sara Landes, Ph.D., associate professor, College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
  Best Representation of Implementation Science
  
• Jennifer Andersen, Ph.D., assistant professor, UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, Office of Community Health and Research
  Most Reflective of Community Engagement & Partnerships

The celebration also included prize drawings for all those who competed. Winners are:

Emily Hallgren, Ph.D., $25 gift certificate to UAMS Nutritional Services

Kristie Hadden, Ph.D., $25 gift certificate to UAMS Nutritional Services

Kate Stewart, M.D., MPH, $25 gift certificate to UAMS Nutritional Services

Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., MBA, TRI staff will facilitate submission of one manuscript of her choosing

Jennifer Vincenzo, Ph.D., Free statistical consultation for study planning purposes

Rosemary Nabaweesi, Dr.P.H., M.B.Ch.B., One manuscript submission fee to be funded by TRI

In this issue of The TRIbune, we highlight the new “Going Digital” webinar series for researchers, which begins Sept. 17. This 3-part series is designed for all researchers, especially those who have questions about how to incorporate some of the latest technologies into their studies.

You’ll also read about TRI’s two new data scholars, Melanie MacNicol, Ph.D., and Michail Mavros, M.D. Our Study of the Month highlights a digital health research project led by Tuhin Virmani, M.D., Ph.D., and supported by the UAMS Rural Research Network. We also have the latest UAMS researchers’ journal publications citing TRI for its resources and support.  Read The TRIbune.

LITTLE ROCK — A statewide COVID-19 antibody study led by UAMS found that by the end of 2020, 7.4% of Arkansans had antibodies to the virus, but there were wide disparities among racial and ethnic groups. UAMS researchers released their findings this week to a public database, medRxiv (med archive).

The study included analysis of more than 7,500 blood samples from children and adults across the state. It was conducted in three waves from July to December 2020. The work was supported by $3.3 million in federal coronavirus aid that was then allocated by the Arkansas Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act Steering Committee created by Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Unlike diagnostic tests, COVID-19 antibody testing looks back into the immune system’s history. A positive antibody test means the person was exposed to the virus and developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease known as COVID-19.

“An important finding of the study is the significant differences in COVID-19 antibody rates detected within specific racial and ethnic groups,” said Laura James, M.D., the study’s principal investigator and director of the UAMS Translational Research Institute. “Hispanic populations were almost 19 times more likely to have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies than whites, and Blacks were five times more likely to have antibodies as whites during the course of the study.”

These findings highlight the need to understand factors that impact SARS-CoV-2 infection in underrepresented minority populations, she added.

The UAMS team collected blood samples from children and adults. The first wave (July/August 2020), revealed low rates for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, averaging 2.6% in adults. However, by November/December, 7.4% of adult samples were positive.

Blood samples were collected from individuals seen at medical clinics for non-COVID reasons and who were not known to have had COVID-19 infection. The antibody positivity rates reflected cases of COVID-19 in the general population.

While the overall positivity rate in late December was relatively low, the findings are important because they indicate previously unrecognized COVID-19 infections, said UAMS’ Josh Kennedy, M.D., a pediatric allergist and immunologist who helped lead the study.

“Our findings underscore the need for everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they can,” Kennedy said. “Very few people in the state have immunity from a natural infection, so vaccination is key for getting Arkansas out the pandemic.”

The team found little difference in antibody rates between rural and urban residents, which surprised researchers who thought rural residents might be less exposed.

The antibody test was developed by UAMS’ Karl Boehme, Ph.D., Craig Forrest, Ph.D., and Kennedy. Boehme and Forrest are associate professors in the College of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

The UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health helped identify study participants through their contact tracing call center. In addition, samples were obtained from UAMS Regional Program sites across Arkansas, the Arkansas Federation for Medical Care and the Arkansas Department of Health.

Faculty within the College of Public Health and College of Medicine participated in the epidemiologic and statistical evaluation of the data and included College of Public Health Dean Mark Williams, Ph.D., Benjamin Amick, Ph.D., and Wendy Nembhard, Ph.D., as well as Ruofei Du, Ph.D. and Jing Jin, MPH.

The study represents a major collaboration for UAMS, including the Translational Research Institute, Regional Programs, the Rural Research Network, the College of Public Health, the Department of Biostatistics in the College of Medicine, UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, Arkansas Children’s, the Arkansas Department of Health and Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care.

The Translational Research Institute is supported by grant TL1 TR003109 through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).