Please join us for a webinar on the SBIR/STTR program at NIH/NCATS.

May 13, 2015 1:00PM – 2:30PM EST

Webinar Link: Here

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April 20, 2015 | Mentoring may come with the job for research faculty, but formal, evidence-based mentor training has been scarce. The Translational Research Institute (TRI) is working to change that.

TRI recently sponsored UAMS’ first evidence-based research mentor training seminar, an eight-hour training that was conducted over two days in March. The seminar was led by training facilitators from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the lead site for the mentor training core of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored National Research Mentoring Network.

Mary Aitken, M.D., M.P.H., who leads TRI’s KL2 Mentored Career Development Program with Pedro Delgado, M.D., was instrumental in bringing the seminar to UAMS and was among the 11 UAMS faculty who participated in the seminar.

Quality research mentorship is critical to the development of successful clinical and translational researchers, Aitken said, and it is a priority for TRI and the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), which supports the work of TRI.

“We have to make sure we are engaging people who are interested in science as early as possible in their training and help them develop critical skills throughout their careers,” she said. “Having mentors that can establish clear communication and provide them what they need to thrive is the best investment we can make in the future of research here.”

A survey of the seminar participants afterward found that 90 percent feel it was a valuable use of their time, would recommend the seminar to a colleague, and will make changes in their mentoring as a result. Participants particularly valued the group interaction and delving into mentor-mentee cases, based on their written comments.

Aitken said the UW-Madison trainers, Pamela Asquith, Ph.D., and Robert Tillman, Ph.D., did a great job of helping the participants understand how to be better mentors and understand the level of support mentees need to succeed. Asquith co-authored two papers that reported the findings of the UW Madison-led multi-site randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of mentor training.

Aitken and other attendees also said the seminar was strengthened by the diversity of the other attendees, including their varied disciplines and range of mentoring experience.

“That really enriched the conversation,” Aitken said of the group, which represented the colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health. “I think we all benefited from the diversity of perspectives for what it takes to be a better mentor and for the team approach that is really needed in today’s research climate.”

“It’s great to re-emphasize best practices and to hear it from different perspectives,” said Steven Post, Ph.D. “I think we are all gaining a greater appreciation of the different mentoring needs for different groups.”

Pamela Asquith, Ph.D., Robert Tillman, Ph.D., with Mary Aitken, M.D., M.P.H.Pamela Asquith, Ph.D., Robert Tillman, Ph.D., with Mary Aitken, M.D., M.P.H.
Guillermo Escobar, M.D., said the group discussions will help him be a more effective mentor. “It gave me the opportunity to brainstorm with other mentors so as to improve my skills in engaging students and residents in research.”

Aitken and Beatrice Boateng, Ph.D., another seminar attendee and director of TRI’s Evaluation Program, will receive additional training to become the first UAMS faculty to lead the NIH-sanctioned seminar at UAMS within the next year.

“We’re excited for this opportunity because there’s a strong evidence base for the program,” Aitken said. “As we continue the training here, we will contribute to the ongoing evaluation, so our experiences will enrich the national program.”

TRI’s Budget and Coverage Review Unit has moved from Biomed I to the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute building’s fifth floor. The unit’s five employees completed the move on Monday, joining other TRI colleagues based in the Stephens Spine building. The employees are switching places with those in the UAMS Office of Research and Regulatory Affairs, whose seven employees moved to the first floor of Biomed I, suite 105. The TRI budget and coverage staff now in Stephens Spine are Barbara Adams, Mtonya Hunter-Lewis, Lisa Richardson, Sharon Sandria and Cynthia Spinks. The unit’s move was celebrated with cake and coffee.

When must you use the new NIH biosketch format?

According to NIH notice #NOT-OD-15-032, the new biosketch format is mandatory for all research, training, and career development grants with due dates on or after May 25, 2015.

What’s different about the new format?

• The new format allows investigators to include a link to a complete listing of their publications in SciENcv or My Bibliography.
• It allows researchers to describe up to five of their most significant contributions to science, along with the historical background that framed their research.
• Researchers may list up to four relevant peer-reviewed publications or other non-publication research products for each scientific contribution.
• The new biosketch format allows up to 20 publications and/or other non-publication research products.

Summary of Biosketch Changes

Old Format	New Format
4-page limit	5-page limit
Personal statement	Personal statement + up to 4 references
	5 contributions to Science + up to 4 references for each contribution
15 selected references	Up to 24 selected references
	Link to online bibliography (“in a publicly available digital database”)

What types of non-publication research products are acceptable?

Acceptable non-publication research products may include audio or video products; patents; data and research materials; databases; educational aids or curricula; instruments or equipment; models; protocols; and software or netware that are relevant to the described contribution.

What tools can I use to create my biosketch?

Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv), which serves as an interagency system designed to create biosketches for multiple federal agencies, supports the current NIH and NSF biosketch formats.  Use of SciENcv is not required, but encouraged by the NIH. SciENcv is currently being updated to support the new NIH biosketch format.

Additional Information

The biosketch format includes four major sections. The Contributions to Science section is a new required section that may optionally include references and a link to your complete bibliography.

1. Personal Statement (new options!)

1. May now include up to four peer-reviewed publications that specifically highlight your experience and qualifications for the project
2. May include a description of factors, e.g. family care responsibilities, illness, disability, active duty military service to explain impediments to past productivity

2. Position and Honors (unchanged)

3. Contributions to Science (new!; required)

• Include up to five contributions to science
• Include up to four references for each contribution
• Link to a full list of your published work as found in a publicly available digital database such as My Bibliography.

1. Including this link is currently optional
2. No other links/URLs may be allowed in the biosketch or application
3. The online bibliography link/URL may be either active (clickable) or not active.
4. Whether active or inactive, the link/URL to the online bibliography must be spelled out (http:// etc) and cannot be hyperlinked text/words.
5. This online bibliography link and the up to 24 references included in the Personal Statement and Contributions to Science sections replace the previous 15 reference bibliography used in biosketches.

4. Research Support (unchanged)

Details

Contributions to Science

• Briefly describe up to five of your most significant contributions to science. Be sure to include:

• the historical background that frames the scientific problem
• the central finding(s)
• the influence of the finding(s) on the progress of science or its application to health and technology
• your specific role in the described work

• Each contribution can reference up to four peer-reviewed publications OR other non-publication research products including: audio or video products; patents; data and research materials; databases; educational aids or curricula; instruments or equipment; models; protocols; and software or netware.
• The description of each contribution must be no longer than one half page including citations and figures.

URL to Complete List of Published Work (component of Contributions to Science section)

• Start putting together your online bibliography as soon as possible. Here are a couple of tools that NIH recommends:

• My Bibliography in My NCBI: Use the sharing feature to link to your works.
• SciENcv: This is a new tool that is designed to create biosketches for NIH grant applications. This tool eliminates the need to repeatedly enter biosketch information. NOTE: It is recommended that you set up your My Bibliography first.

• Alternatives to My Bibliography  (from NIH Biosketch FAQ #10):

“Per NOT-OD-15-032, the new biosketch format allows applicants to include a link to a full list of their published work as found in a “publicly available digital database” such as My Bibliography.

The NIH prefers applicants use My Bibliography. NIH cautions reviewers against accessing URLs that may compromise their anonymity.

Other publicly available sites which include data from a broad spectrum of institutions and maintain anonymity of the users accessing the sites are acceptable (e.g., Google Scholar). Links to sites managed by the investigator or applicant organization or URLS including the applicant organization name should not be used.”

• URL Construction

• Spell the URL out in full, beginning with ‘http://’ (e.g., http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm).
• Do NOT include the link as hyperlinked text (e.g., NIH Grants Web page) as eRA system processing will not retain the – active link in the assembled application image in eRA Commons.
• The online bibliography link/URL may be either active (clickable) or not active.

Using SciENcv to Create Biosketches

SciENcv is a new tool designed to help researchers complete biosketches efficiently. This tool will link to and pull in biographical information from your eRA Commons account (or other sources) and publications from your My Bibliography account. An ORCID ID can be linked as well to provide a unique author identifier.  SciENcv currently includes templates for both new and old NIH biosketch formats as well as for the NSF biosketch format. SciENcv will support additional biosketch formats in the future.

Why should I use SciENcv?

• Eliminates the need to repeatedly enter the same information
• The researcher can control the content and edit it as needed
• Creates multiple profiles so each biosketch can be tweaked to support a particular grant application and funding agency
• Export the results as a PDF or share via a URL
• Grant access to other people (delegates) to view and manage your profiles

To create a biosketch using SciENcv, follow these steps:

• Sign into My NCBI.
• Find the SciENcv box located on the My NCBI home page.

• If this is your first use of SciENcv, select the link “Click here to create a new CV.”
• If you are a returning user, select the link “Manage SciENcv” and then select to “Create a new profile” or edit an existing profile.

• When you create a new profile

• Select the second tab “From an external source.” Enter a name to identify the profile.  (You can also elect to create a  biosketch profile from scratch (1st tab) or from a copy of an existing profile (3rd tab).
• Choose “New NIH BIosketch” as the type of profile (other choices are “NIH Biosketch” and “NSF Biosketch”
• Select eRA Commons as the external source from which to pull in your biographical information. (Other choices are  ORCID or National Science Foundation)
• Choose whether to make your profile public or private.

• Select “Create.” Now your My Bibliography references and eRA commons both linked to the new profile and can be used to generate a biosketch.
• Fill out your biosketch profile, and choose citations to include from your My Bibliography collection.
• Share or download your biosketch by using the URL or PDF.

Where can I get more information?

Biosketch FAQ
Biosketch Templates and Samples
How to Use My Bibliography (Detailed)
My Bibliography (Video)
How to Use SciENcv (Detailed)
SciENcv (Video)
Application Forms and Instructions

The NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has issued new funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) to stimulate team-based research across the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) consortium. Details of these Collaborative-Innovation Awards are at the links below. Please note there is a pre-application step (X02) followed by an invited full application (U01):

Collaborative Innovation Award, Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program (U01)
PAR-15-172 • April 2, 2015
Pre-Application for Collaborative Innovation Award, CTSA Program (X02)
PAR-15-173 • April 2, 2015
PAR-15-172 and PAR-15-173 solicit proposals for innovative investigations among three or more CTSA hubs to improve research methods at any step of the translational process. Through these awards, NCATS will foster research collaboration by encouraging teams from multiple hubs to work together to develop, demonstrate and disseminate experimental approaches that overcome translational science roadblocks.

Read the Web announcement.
Review PAR-15-172.
Review PAR-15-173.
Learn more about CTSA funding opportunities.

NCATS’ CTSA program supports a national network of medical research institutions — called hubs — that work together to improve the translational research process to get more treatments to more patients more quickly.

Learn more.

Friday, April 10 is the deadline for letters of intent for the Translational Research Institute’s (TRI) request for applications (RFA) for its 2015 Pilot Award Program. This year, TRI is soliciting two categories of pilot study proposals: 1) translational science studies, and 2) studies of research processes. Budgets up to $50,000 will be considered in both categories and a review of the budgeting will be part of the funding decision. All projects must be completed within one year; however, due to the short time line for TRI’s 2015 year, investigators are urged to submit projects that can be completed within 9-10 months. Letter of intent instructions and cover page are at the RFA link above. Contact: TRIservices@uams.edu, or call 501-614-2287.

Key dates (Note IRB deadline changes):

Cover page and letters of intent are due by noon, April 10, 2015
Full applications invited, April 20, 2015
Full application due date/IRB submission date, June 8, 2015
Announce Awardees, July 1, 2015
IRB approval required by Sept. 1, 2015

In this issue: TRI leaders cast vision for next five years, await score on recently submitted NIH CTSA application; pioneering brain imaging research on juvenile sex offenders; celebrating community partners; and a $25,000 research recruitment grant.

march15

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