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June 2024 | CTSC Newsletter
To ensure you're always viewing the entire newsletter, check at the bottom of the email to see if the newsletter has been "clipped" and click "view entire message" if so. You can also view the full newsletter on the News and Announcements page of our website.
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News of new NIH initiatives focused on Long COVID and Women’s Health has us excited for what is to come in the future. We are currently working with partners to prepare upcoming RFA’s for these initiatives so please look for announcements in the coming months.
Additionally we are excited to launch our brand new podcast "From Research to Real Life" where we will be discussing topics aligned with the goals of the CTSC with community members and collaborators from across our seven partner institutions and beyond.
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From Research to Real Life Podcast
Introducing the CTSC's new monthly podcast!
From Research to Real Life is dedicated to providing resources, stories, conversations, and inspiration to researchers and the community to help advance medicine and health equity, and move your work from research to real life.
This season we'll be talking with researchers and community members about collaborative projects, community impact, technology, funding, events, and more!
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Our first episode features CTSC Principal Investigator, Dr. Grace McComsey, and Executive Director, Shannon Swiatkowski giving us an in-depth, proper introduction to the CTSC.
Subscribe and listen to the trailer and first episode on our website or on any of these platforms:
Or, watch and subscribe to the video podcast on YouTube!
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Meet the CTSC Team |
Shannon Swiatkowski, MS, MHcM,
Executive Director
Meet our long-standing team member, whose journey with the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) of Northern Ohio spans the better part of 18 years, starting when she joined Case Western Reserve University back in 2006. With a background that almost veered into medical school, she found her true calling in research and collaboration, shaping the path of the CTSC with her commitment and enthusiasm.
In her tenure with the CTSC, she has seen both her role and the organization evolve significantly. Initially focused on supporting administrative and communications initiatives, her role has expanded to leadership by fostering a collaborative environment, ensuring that all team member's strengths are harnessed effectively. Her approach to leadership is deeply participative, embodying the philosophy that no task is too small, and every contribution is vital to the collective success. This is rooted in her belief that leaving someone better off than when they started is a true measure of achievement.
Her passion for research is personal and profound. "I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for research," she reflects, recounting her bout with pneumonia at just ten days old. She is also a breast cancer survivor. The life-saving power of antibiotics and cancer treatments, products of dedicated research, instilled in her an unwavering commitment to the field. Research, to her, is not just a professional endeavor but a lifesaving mission.
She champions the diversity of strengths within her team. She emphasizes the importance of seeing each individual's unique contributions, fostering an inclusive environment where collaboration is key. "I try to identify collaborations and connect the dots, including more people who need to be included," she says, highlighting her role in weaving a diverse tapestry of talent and ideas.
Her top three values—participative leadership, achievement, and thoroughness—guide her work daily. She believes in leading by example, where no task is beneath her, ensuring that her contributions, no matter how small, add up to a greater whole. Her thoroughness means she never wants to drop the ball, prioritizing effectively to keep her team's trust.
Outside of her professional life, she embraces a variety of interests and roles. As a native Ohioan, mom, wife, and foodie, she finds joy in activities like grilling, baking, and smoking meats. She and her family also fostered cats during the pandemic, helping socialize and rehabilitate them for adoption. Her love for the arts is evident in her involvement in Zelena Polja Tamburitzans, an adult Croatian folklore dance group, with whom she is traveling to perform at a festival in Zagreb, Croatia this summer.
Among her greatest achievements, she cites raising her two children as paramount. Balancing a demanding career while being deeply invested in their lives is a testament to her dedication and resilience. Her health battles and triumphs have taught her to find humor in life's challenges, always striving to get better and stronger.
In her 13 years with the CTSC, she has built not just professional networks but lasting relationships, mirroring the family closeness she cherishes. Her journey is a testament to the power of collaboration, the importance of research, and the strength found in diversity and perseverance.
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ICYMI
Don't miss out on important news, events, and announcements! Previous editions of our newsletter are available on the News and Announcements page of the CTSC website.
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We're Hiring!
The CTSC is searching for an Assistant Director of Research Evaluation (Senior Research Associate).
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The Assistant Director of Research Evaluation will serve as a subject matter expert and advisor in leading multiple cross-institutional program evaluation activities, and will work closely with the CTSC Director of Evaluation to provide an in-depth analysis on the translational research and CTSC education programs and initiatives, specifically with the CTSA program, to develop strategic action plans and to determine the overall impact of the programs and initiatives.
The primary responsibilities of this position include: evaluation for translational science education programs and the CTSC, facilitating data capture and electronic tracking, assessing new approaches and best practices to evaluate and visualize outcomes, measure impact, managing progress and outcomes reporting to funders and stakeholders, disseminating scholarly work, and providing data and analyses to be utilized for continuous quality improvement of the CTSC of Northern Ohio.
View the full position posting to learn more, apply, or share with your qualified colleagues.
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CTSC of Northern Ohio Dissemination & Implementation Symposium
Save the Date!
- Friday, October 18, 2024
- 8:00AM - 12:00PM
- Virtual via Zoom
Learn from national and local experts about how to apply dissemination and implementation research principles to your research and practice!
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Community Research Call for Applications
The Office of Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Education and Research at Case Western Reserve is now accepting projects from community partners for student teams in Collaborative Practice I (CPI) for the upcoming academic year (2024-2025).
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CPI is a service learning course at CWRU for health professions and social work students. The course meets every Wednesday at 3:00-5:00 PM from early September 2024 through April 2025 and consists of two main parts: Interprofessional Service Learning and Interprofessional Teamwork. During the academic year, one student team devotes approximately 25 hours to a community-based project proposed by a community partner organization.
Projects are broadly focused on health and well-being. Examples of projects include creating, revising, or delivering health education materials; program planning and/or evaluation; developing resource guides; needs assessments; and identifying and reviewing best practices to support current programming.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, Collaborative Practice I included 66 unique community partners and more than 300 students from eight different professions that completed 57 projects in the community.
- Interested organizations should contact Anna Thornton Matos at abt11@case.edu
- The deadline for project submissions is August 12, 2024. Collaborative Practice I begins September 11, 2024.
For more information complete this form.
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Local Regulatory and Monitoring Support
The CTSC and UH Clinical Research Center Research Support Core are partnering to offer investigators short-term local regulatory assistance
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Some of the services offered are:
- Protocol Development
- Informed Consent Writing
- PRMC Submission
- Initial IRB Submission (UH & CWRU IRBs)
- IRB Amendment Submission
- Internal Compliance Audit Support
- Add a relying site to UH IRB on an existing protocol
To see how we can help you and your team, submit a SPARCRequest and also an RCS REDCap Request. A regulatory specialist will reach out to you within 2-3 business days to review your request.
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Clinical Research Monitoring Support
The CTSC and UH Clinical Research Center Research Support Core (CRC) are also partnering to offer investigators short- and long-term clinical research monitoring support for clinical research trials as a fee-for-service.
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These services are eligible for CTSC Vouchers and include:
- Performance of Pre-Monitoring Site Visits and Site Initiation Visits
- Informed consent process review
- Study eligibility verification
- Study protocol development consultation
- Site staff protocol training and development
- Source Data Verification
- Pre-Audit preparation
- Corrective And Preventative Action Plan (CAPA) development and implementation guidance
- Conduct of interim-monitoring visits
- Good Clinical Practice (GCP) compliance review and verification
- Performance of Investigational Product documentation review and verification
- Conduct of Study Close Out Visits
To see how we can help you and your team, submit a SPARCRequest and also an RCS/CTSC REDCap Intake Request. A monitoring specialist will reach out to you within 2-3 business days to review your request.
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Mobile Research Unit
The UH Mobile Clinical Research Unit is the first of its kind in Northeast Ohio and is available as a Voucherable service and as an eligible core for Core Utilization Pilots
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The 39-foot Mobile Research Unit is a fully equipped clinic and laboratory designed to expand access to research opportunities to underserved areas across the region such as rural areas, underrepresented racial and ethnic communities, and to those unable to travel such as senior patients, students on college campuses, hospitalized patients in our regional hospitals, or nursing home residents.
Use cases may include research study and clinical trial visits, screenings, research and health education, public event appearances, community outreach and more.
Learn more about the Mobile Research Unit's capabilities and specifications at UHhospitals.org/MobileCRC .
Visit the Voucher Program website and Core Utilization Pilots Program website for eligibility and application instructions.
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FDA Regulation Courses Available in Fall 2024
Registration is now open for two new courses for Fall 2024
- Regulatory Strategy and FDA Communications (MGRD 530)
- Patent Law and Biomedical Sciences (MGRD 531)
These courses are supported by the Graduate Education Office in the School of Medicine in
collaboration with faculty from Weatherhead School of Management, School of Law, Industry
Partners, and Alumni of Case Western Reserve University.
Registration deadline is August 23, 2024. Download the flyer for course descriptions and registration information.
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CTSC Webinar Recordings Now Available
Did you miss a live READI Webinar or Science Cafe? Recordings are now available on the CTSC website and are embedded on their respective schedule webpages for viewing.
Science Cafe
READI Programming and Workshops
- 2024 READI Program recordings are available to view on the READI Programming and Workshops website including READI Research Policy Impact, READI Special Populations, and READI Community Engagement
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Delores Collins, Executive Director, A Vision of Change - Promoting Research Equity by Diversifying Clinical Trial Enrollment: A Vision of Change Community Health Worker CTSC Pilot
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Veranda Rodgers, MBA, Executive Director, Pregnant with Possibilities Resource Center - Elimination of Black Women's Barriers to Clinical Research on Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
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Stacey Easterling, MPH, National Institute for African American Health - Be INFORMED Community Wellness Project
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Laura Kleinman, Senior Transportation Connection - Trials-Within-Cohort with Semi-Structured Interviews to Identify Health Goals of Older Men with Complex Multimorbidity and Test Supports to Improve Clinical Trial Engagement
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Sydney Beeman, MA, NCC, LPC, The Gathering Place - Community Engagement in the Development of an Abbreviated Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Intervention for Depression in Older African American/Black Breast Cancer Survivors
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Dan Radocaj, El Centro De Servicios Sociales, Inc. - Reducing Barriers for Hispanic and Latina Patients with Breast Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy
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Angela Newman-White, MS, First Year Cleveland - Realizing the Net Benefit of Newborn Screening: Addressing Racial Disparities in Awareness, Return of Results, and Time to Treatment
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Robert Combs, Elite Youth Enrollment - Elite Youth Enrollment Better Together Program: Focus on Mental Health and Clinical Trials
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Andre L. Brown, PhD, MPH, Cuyahoga County Board of Health, and Minzhi Ye, PhD, Kent State University - Achieving Health Equity: Recognizing the Health Profiles of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities and Closing the Gap in Clinical Trials
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Veronica Dahlberg, HOLA Ohio - HOLA Ohio Project
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News from our KL2 Scholars
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Thursday, July 18, 2024 | 12:00PM - 1:00PM | Virtual via Zoom | | |
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Science Cafe - Parkinson's Disease
Bring your ideas and an open mind to the next Science Cafe - a monthly educational series that gathers together scientists, investigators, trainees, and community members to engage in meaningful discussions aimed at forging new collaborations through common interests in exciting areas of research.
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Every month will feature a new research focus, content expert, fresh perspectives, collaborative thinking and open discussion.
In July, we'll be having a collaborative discussion on Parkinson's Disease led by Dr. Thyagarajan Subramanian, MD, MBA, Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience and Bioengineering, University of Toledo
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Thursday, June 27, 2024 | 11:00AM - 12:00PM | Virtual via Zoom | | |
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CTSC of Northern Ohio READI Webinar Featuring Dr. Consuelo Wilkins
Join the CTSC of Northern Ohio as we host Dr. Consuelo Wilkins, for a Research Equity, Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion (READI) Webinar.
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Dr. Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI, tenured Professor of Medicine, Senior Vice President and Senior Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is a nationally recognized physician-scientist leader in health equity research focused on integrating social, cultural, and environmental factors into clinical and translational research. | |
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Tuesday, July 23, 2024 | 4:00 - 7:00PM
East Palestine High School Gymnasium
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OH/PA University Research Consortium State of Science Update Open House and Public Meeting
Free and open to the public
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Join the OH/PA University Research Consortium for our second state of the science update.
Together, we will:
- Hear what we've learned by analyzing soil and sediment data collected after the train derailment in East Palestine.
- Meet researchers funded by NIH doing studies in response to the derailment.
- Brainstorm ideas for future research that aligns with community interests.
Agenda:
- 4- 5pm: Meet with Researchers
- 5- 6pm: Presentations
- 6-7pm: Meet with Researchers
Refreshments will be provided!
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Friday, August 2, 2024 | 10:00AM - 3:00PM | The Cleveland Foundation | | |
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2024 CTSC of Northern Ohio Health Equity Research Bootcamp
Calling all aspiring health equity researchers!
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Have you always wanted to do research, but didn’t know where or how to start? Does your heart beat to the drum of health equity and you want to use your professional and lived experience to impact evidence-based practices in the clinic and community? Look no further and join us for our second Health Equity Research Bootcamp and join experts sharing insights on the health equity research landscape
Registration is complimentary. Light breakfast and lunch will be provided. This program is being submitted for Continuing Research Education Credit (CREC).
Please register no later than Friday, July 26, 2024!
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Thursday, October 17, 2024 | 8:30AM - 4:30PM
InterContinental Cleveland Hotel & Conference Center
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Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute |
The Weathering Theory and Cancer Prevention Symposium: Strategies for Promoting Health Equity in Marginalized Communities
Save the Date!
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This year we are turning a spotlight on the theory of weathering and the interconnection with social, psychological, and environmental factors on health disparities.
We are pleased to welcome our keynote speaker, Dr. Arline T. Geronimus, author of the book Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society. She is also a professor in the School of Public Health and a research professor in the Institute for Social Research at the University Michigan, where she is also affiliated with the Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health.
We will explore ways to address health equity for families and communities longitudinally. We look forward to working together with you to create strategies that address cancer health equity for all.
Please save the date and plan to join us. The symposium is free to attend. More information and details to follow!
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Friday, October 18, 2024 | 8:00AM - 12:00PM | Virtual via Zoom | | |
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CTSC of Northern Ohio Dissemination and Implementation Symposium
Save the Date!
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Learn from national and local experts about how to apply dissemination and implementation research principles to your research and practice!
Details and registration coming soon! For questions, contact wfd-ctsc@case.edu
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Click on the images below to be directed to more information from the CTSC and our colleagues: | | | | |
