November 2024 | CTSC Newsletter

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Happy November,

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of our Themed Pilot: Health Equity Through Integrative Medicine. This initiative is designed to empower patients and providers by ensuring accessible conventional, complementary, and innovative care options. We strongly encourage community engagement, and we invite community collaborators to contribute and co-design proposed studies.

Alongside our commitment to innovative translational projects, we are dedicated to advancing equity in Northern Ohio. To ensure that appropriate populations are effectively reached and enrolled, the CTSC provides protocol modification and development services to tailor study design and recruitment methods. We invite proposals that actively engage community partners to create meaningful impact. We will award up to four grants of up to $50,000 each. To foster collaboration, proposed studies must involve at least two different CTSC institutions. Community engagement is highly encouraged, with community collaborators serving as co-investigators and contributing to the co-design of the study.

Below are the details for this year’s Themed Pilot Program. Please note that applications must be submitted electronically by Monday, December 2, 2024, at 11:59 PM via InfoReady. I encourage you to submit your proposals and collaborate with colleagues across various disciplines. Together, we can advance research that truly makes a difference in Northern Ohio and beyond.

Also, I’d like to congratulate Dr. John Chae, MetroHealth CTSC Oversight Committee; Dr. Shari Bolen, Community Engaged Research Module Lead; Yvonka Hall CTSC CAB member, and Da'na Langford, READI Themed Pilot Awardee for being recognized as notable leaders in health care by Crain’s Cleveland Business. Their dedication to innovation and education not only keeps Cleveland at the heart of the health care landscape, but also leads the charge in promoting public health.

Be sure to check special events and workshops below. Please participate and get to know the CTSC of Northern Ohio team, your partner institutions, and community!

The CTSC Annual Pilot Award Program Seeks Letter of Intent for One-Year Projects; LOIs due November 15, 2024 at 11:59PM via InfoReady.

The goals of the 2025 CTSC Pilot Program are:

To foster innovative new clinical and translational research that supports research development to address urgent questions or to develop preliminary data that can provide initial support to establish proof of concept and be used to launch new NIH or other externally-funded research proposals;
To encourage interdisciplinary teams of investigators that span across CTSC partners to stimulate investigators from other areas to lend their expertise in clinical and translational science while developing collaborations or new research avenues;
To support research collaborations with community partners and organizations; and
To advance health equity in Northern Ohio through research.

Both Translational Research and Translational Science Projects are eligible.

Up to (8) grants, will be awarded with budgets up to $50,000 each in direct costs. All research activities must be completed by June 30, 2026.

The call for letters of intent and full 2025 RFA is available on the CTSC website.

The CTSC Themed Pilot Award Program Offers New Pilot Funding Opportunity to Achieve Health Equity Through Integrative Medicine Approaches. Applications due December 2, 2024 at 11:59PM via InfoReady.

The goals of the 2025 CTSC Annual Themed Pilot Program are:

To better define and map a path to whole person health by expanding and building on current activities while advancing new research strategies and ideas;
To complement conventional health care, not serve as an alternative;
To support complementary approaches to therapies (including healthy nutrition and life style modification) and encourage innovative applications that detail how therapies or interventions can be delivered equitably across the patient populations.

Both Translational Research and Translational Science Projects are eligible.

Up to (4) grants, will be awarded with budgets up to $50,000 each in direct costs. All awardees must provide a mandatory six-month progress report and a 12-month final report no later than July 31, 2026.

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than Monday, December 2, 2024 at 11:59 PM via InfoReady. For more information on the Themed Pilot program, visit our Themed Pilots page.

Meet the CTSC Team |

McKenzie Ritter, PhD,

Assistant Director, Research Education and Training

Director, ATLAS Program

McKenzie Ritter is the Assistant Director of Research Education and Training for the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative of Northern Ohio. In this role, she has spearheaded a

training program and various educational resources. McKenzie coordinated the inaugural Advanced Translational Leadership in Academic Science (ATLAS) program, a 7-month faculty development initiative focused on cultivating leaders in team science. She also serves as a co-project manager for the Workforce Development module. There she is

assisting in the creation of a public facing learning platform that will

provide clinical research education to various groups (i.e. high school students, undergraduates, investigators, research support professionals, and community and rural health workers).

McKenzie joined the CTSC in June of 2023 after completing her graduate work in Physiology

the month before. She was involved in a graduate student track for the CTSI of Southeastern

Wisconsin, which made her aware of the larger network of CTSAs across the country.

“As a graduate student in a basic science lab, we were always talking about how translational

our research was and putting that into talks and fellowship applications. It wasn’t until I joined

the CTSI of Southeastern Wisconsin that I realized how early in the translational spectrum that

my work was. The CTSI redefined my idea of translational research and I wanted to get involved

in work that was further along in the translational spectrum,” McKenzie noted.

Fun Fact: McKenzie and her fiancé have a goal to visit all 30 NFL stadiums together. So far, they

have checked 11 off their list and will hit a 12th later on this season!

READI, Set, BRACE Experience in 2024

Published as an NIH best practice in 2023, Building Research for Academic and Community Equity (BRACE) was developed in Cleveland as a toolkit for community-based research partnerships. The Research Equity, Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion (READI), Set, BRACE Experience in 2024 gathered community members into cohorts interested in research. Then research faculty mentors joined each cohort along with a navigator chosen from previous BRACE experiences. Together they worked through the toolkit, learning the best practices of:

Information transparency (in which both partners fully understand what is involved in a partnership);
A spirit of fairness and equity (both in decision-making and budget allocation);
A commitment to research translation (ensuring the knowledge generated is useful to the community);
A shared respect for both partners’ knowledge, resources, skills, and networks; and
A dedication to quality, ethical research to improve people’s and communities’ lives.

We would like to congratulate everyone who participated in the READI, Set, BRACE Experience for their dedication and commitment to advancing research equity.

"The READI, Set, BRACE Experience was truly transformative. It provided me with actionable insights to bridge health disparities in our community and facilitated valuable networking opportunities with other professionals who are equally passionate about making a positive impact. I left feeling more equipped and inspired to continue this critical work."

Crystal Ann Hall

Northeast Ohio Outreach Supervisor, Help Me Grow, Bright Beginnings

“My thoughts and experience from the READI, Set, BRACE Experience is the multifaceted approach to address Social Determinants of Health across federal programs through timely and accessible data, integration of public health, health care, and social services, and whole-of-government collaborations, in order to advance health equity, improve health outcomes.”

Tierrha Mcloyd, C-CHW

Certified Community Healthcare Social Worker

University Hospitals Home Care Services

We're Hiring!

Assistant Director of Research Health Equity

The Assistant Director of Research Health Equity is responsible for executing the goals and objectives as described in the Clinical and Translational Science Award with emphasis on diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible clinical and translational science workforce development, outreach, and engagement with the Collaborative's internal and external partners and the community at large.

CTSC Recruitment Services

Our recruitment services at the CTSC of Northern Ohio are designed to support the effective engagement of diverse and underserved populations in clinical trials. We focus on reaching individuals distinguished by factors such as language, disability, cultural background, geographic location, socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity. Our dedicated Manager of Research Participant Recruitment, Jerry Tribout, is available to provide expert consultations, helping you meet your recruitment goals and access institutional expertise in reaching special populations.

Submit a SPARCRequest for a Clinical Research Recruitment and Support consultation.

Community Engagement Studio - Parkinson's Disease in African American Population

Date: Monday, November 25th at 4:00pm

We are pleased to inform you about an upcoming Community Engagement Studio (CE Studio). CE Studios are opportunities for researchers to receive community or patient input on the development, implementation, or dissemination of a research project.

This studio will provide feedback on Parkinson’s Disease in African American population groups. We are actively seeking members of the community to participate in the CE Studio. The studio will last 2 hours, all participations are compensated $100.00 for their time.

If you’re interested in participating in the CE Studio, the first step is to meet one of the following criteria below and complete the survey in the following link.

Criteria for the Parkinson’s Disease Studio:

African American interested in Parkinson's
African American family members or care givers who provide support or have supported individuals with Parkinson's
African American military or non-military groups

For more information on this study you can read more here: Parkinson's Disease in African American Population or if you’re interested in learning more, please contact Ivory Simms, the CE Studio Staff Lead at ijs34@case.edu.

Parkinson’s Disease CE Studio Informational Meeting

Date: Monday, November 25th at 4:00PM

For more information about the CE Studio, community members are invited to attend a 1 hour informational Zoom meeting.

To Attend Via Zoom:

Zoom Link

ID: 94251109746

Passcode: 515874

Publications and study information from our collaborators

COVID study reveals virus-induced inflammation during pregnancy, redefines vertical transmission

(October 2024)

A study published by Dr. Ruth Farrell in The EMBO Journal shows that mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections during pregnancy can trigger immune responses that harm the developing fetus, even without direct viral infection. The researchers found that small viral proteins can pass through the placenta, causing inflammation in fetal tissues. This study challenges previous assumptions about vertical transmission and underscores the need for better care and research for pregnant individuals during health crises.

Congratulations to our CTSC Voucher Awardees

SAFE-Communities Statistician - PI: Vanessa Ho, MD, MPH, PhD, FACS Director of Trauma Research, Trauma Surgery, MetroHealth
Impact of Vitamin D on Post COVID Vaccine Response - Cohort Development - PI: Shahdi Malakooti, MD, Rheumatologist and Physician Scientist, CWRU
AAPI Community Model Development: Single Point of Access - PI: Ye Fan Glavin, PhD, Clinical Assitant Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health School of Medine, CWRU

CTSC Event

Wednesday, November 13, 2024 | 12:00PM | Virtual via Zoom

CTSC Quarterly Big Data Webinar: Epic Cosmos Database Intermediate

A follow-up from the September Epic Cosmos Database Basics webinar, attendees will be able to dive deeper into database strategies including data visualization in SlicerDicer and performing complex queries.

Learn more and register for the CTSC Quarterly Big Data Webinar

CTSC Event

Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 12:00PM | Virtual via Zoom

CTSC of Northern Ohio Science Cafe - Cardiovascular Health Equity

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Shari Bolen, Director of Population Health and Equity Research from MetroHealth to discuss Cardiovascular Health Equity for our November Science Cafe. Science Cafe is 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.

Learn more and register for the November CTSC Science Cafe

CTSC Partner Event

Friday, November 15, 2024 | 9:00AM | Glass City Center, Toledo, OH

Symposium on Brain Health and Aging

Join us at the Glass City Center on Friday, November 15th from 9:00AM - 5:00PM as leading researchers and healthcare professionals will provide insight on the latest advances surrounding brain health and aging through a series of keynote addresses, poster presentations and panel discussions. This event is open to all students, researchers, healthcare professionals and the general public. The symposium is brought to you by The University of Toledo's College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Learn more and register for the Symposium on Brain Health and Aging

CTSC Partner Event

Tuesday, November 19, 2024 | 11:00AM | Virtual via Zoom

ClinicalTrials.gov: Results Regulations Overview

This class will go over the federal regulations regarding which trials are required to report results with ClinicalTrials.gov. It will also give a brief overview of how to go about entering results and who to reach out to for help regarding results reporting. Presented by: Rachael Massey, CREC: 3. To Join the Webinar.

CTSC Event

Wednesday, December 4, 2024 | 11:00AM | Virtual Webinar

CTSC Research Health Equity Webinar Featuring Kelly Aschbrenner

In this webinar, Dr. Kelly Aschbrenner will explore practical strategies and tools for integrating health equity into implementation research. She will address the challenges of adopting and sustaining evidence-based interventions, particularly in communities facing social, structural, and economic barriers, such as minoritized racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, and those with limited English proficiency. The webinar will also highlight how contextual factors, like poverty and segregation, can worsen health inequities. Designed for researchers in implementation science, the session aims to help them incorporate health equity into their work.

Learn more and register for the CTSC Research Health Equity Webinar

CTSC Partner Event

Wednesday, December 4, 2024 | 12:00PM | Virtual Webinar

Cardi-OH Statewide Webinar: Primary and Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Women

The Ohio Cardiovascular and Diabetes Health Collaborative (Cardi-OH) will present a free webinar on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. titled “Primary and Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Women,” featuring keynote speaker Leslie Cho, MD, from Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.

Objectives of this 1.00 CME credit webinar include:

Identify cardiovascular risk considerations unique to women.
Provide evidence-based patient education on the prevention and risk management of cardiovascular disease.
Screen and treat cardiovascular disease risk factors in women.

Learn more and register for the Cardi-OH Statewide Webinar

Save the Date!

Saturday, December 7, 2024 | 8:00AM | Wolstein Research Building

CTSC of Northern Ohio Epic Cosmos Datathon

Join us Saturday, December 7, 2024 from 8:00AM - 5:00PM for a multi-institutional Epic Cosmos Datathon! Over the course of the day, teams will harness their skills, tackle challenges, and transform concepts into tangible results. The event culminates in a dynamic presentation session, where each group will share their findings and insights with attendees.

Stay connected to the CTSC for official registration link and event details!

Save the Date!

Friday, March 21, 2025 | 8:30AM | Tinkham Veale University Center

Get ready to hit the trail with Research Discovery Day, hosted by the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative of Northern Ohio! Venture into the latest clinical and translational science through dynamic poster sessions, compelling oral presentations, and an inspiring keynote speaker. Highschool students will have a one-of-a-kind chance to explore exciting career paths in clinical research, from investigators to project managers, through interactive panels and networking lunches with leading experts. With a wealth of services and opportunities from CTSC and its partners, this is your chance to be inspired, connect with trailblazers, and discover the future of science and healthcare in an unforgettable way.

Visit our website to dive in and get all the details.

Get Involved:

Submit Your Poster Abstract and Volunteer for Research Discovery Day

Call for Poster Abstracts

We are excited to announce the opening of the Call for Poster Abstracts for the Discovery Day 2025! As part of this event, we will be showcasing CTSC-connected research through a scientific poster session highlighting the latest advancements in translational science.