To support the education of clinical and translational researchers, the Office of Clinical Research (OCR), the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP), and the UT Southwestern CTSA Program launched the Clinical Research Foundations Training Curriculum in July.

Clinical Research Foundations is designed to provide comprehensive education to all clinical research personnel at point of hire and to ensure research personnel have a consistent foundational understanding of the requirements to successfully deliver clinical research. This training is geared toward Clinical Research Managers, Clinical Research Coordinators (CRCs), Clinical Research Assistants (CRAs), and Research Nurses. However, all managers can assign this curriculum as needed to anyone who may benefit from this training.

Individuals new to clinical research roles at UT Southwestern will be automatically assigned this training, but more experienced clinical research staff and faculty also may benefit from the wealth of information covered in the curriculum. The program has over 4 hours of locally produced, readily available content that covers the conduct of clinical research at UT Southwestern and affiliates.

As of September, over 100 individuals from UT Southwestern, Parkland Health, Children’s Health, Texas A&M University, and Texas Health Resources have completed the Clinical Research Foundations training course. For more information, contact OCR@utsouthwestern.edu.

Donghan “Mo” Yang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the O’Donnell School of Public Health and Director of the Biostatistics and Data Science Core, is the newest Texas Health Resources (THR) Clinical Scholar.

Dr. Yang is a biostatistician and data scientist who specializes in leveraging real-world health care information and advanced analytics to address important questions in clinical research and care. He develops methods and infrastructure for transforming raw electronic health record (EHR) data into scientific insights through the application of informatics, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence (AI) approaches.

As a THR Clinical Scholar, Dr. Yang aims to utilize large language models to extract social determinants of health from medical notes and investigate the incremental value of these note-derived features in predicting heart failure readmission. This project has the potential to implement AI technology to improve our clinical data at UT Southwestern and THR.

The Informatics Coordinating Office (ICO) provides translational research assistance by facilitating access to data and EHR tools for UT Southwestern clinicians, researchers, students, and staff via concierge service. The goal of the ICO is to provide research teams with data to translate discovery into better health. Funded by the Clinical Informatics Center and by the CTSA Program, the ICO supplies numerous services, including:

Research Support

· Study design consultation

· Analytics planning

· Data and sample management

Informatics Consultation

· Support creating Epic registry

· Clinical decision support and other tools in Epic

· Participant recruitment tools and strategies via EHR

· Dataset design, preparation, and implementation in Epic

Bioinformatics Support

· Next generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis: RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, scRNA-seq, etc.

· Omics data analysis: (LC-MS and LC-MS/MS) metabolomics and proteomics, (SomaScan) proteomics

· Machine learning: data pre-processing, unsupervised clustering, dimensionality reduction, feature selection, predictive models, deep-learning models (AI), etc.

· Medical image analysis: MRI, CT, PET, OCT, OCTA, etc. 

Send a request via email to schedule an initial consultation with the ICO.

Clinical and Translational Science Forum*

This interactive forum provides an opportunity for trainees to meet with established investigators in clinical and translational research to share their ideas and experiences.

• Oct. 19: Emily Melikman, B.S.N., RN, presents A Comparison of Epidural and Intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia Following Lumbar Spinal Fusion Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Study. Register to attend.

• Oct. 26: Christina Herrera, M.D., presents An Update on Placental Profiling Using a Multimodal Approach. Register to attend.

• Nov. 2: Proshad Efune, M.D., presents Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Respiratory Adverse Events after Pediatric Tonsillectomy. Register to attend.

Successfully Earning a K (SEAK) Grant Writing Workshop*

SEAK weekly workshops will keep you accountable as you write sections of your grant application for review at each session, turn in a completed grant at the conclusion of the program, and take part in a mock study section as part of the process. 

• Apply by Oct. 23.

Advancing Research to Improve Health Outcomes*

Learn about the Greater Plains Collaborative (GPC), the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Network (PCORNet), and the types of studies that can be implemented through these networks.

• Oct. 24. Register to attend.

Velos Budget Training Session

Learn from the Clinical Trial Finance team about the fundamentals on how to use coverage analysis to create a comprehensive, detailed budget.

• Oct. 24 at noon via Teams. Email SPAOutreach@utsouthwestern.edu to secure a spot.

Clinical Informatics Colloquium

Bryan Steitz, Ph.D., and Robert Turer, M.D., present Promoting Engagement Through Information Sharing: Impact of Open Results on Patients and Providers.  

• Oct. 24. Join the Zoom meeting at 1 p.m.

Live Training to Help You Master the R and K Series*

These 4.5 hours training events are designed for those preparing to write K or R grants. You can register with your UT Southwestern email address. Send question to the CTSA Program.

• R Series: Oct. 25 at 11 a.m.
• K Series: Oct. 25 at 11 a.m. and Oct. 26 at 11 a.m. (K series applicants must attend both events)

One Health Collaborative Symposium and Poster Session*

Experts from UT Southwestern and Texas A&M University present Leveraging Translational Research with One Health: Connecting Humans, Animals, and the Environment.

• Nov. 3. Register to attend.

Grant Writing Library*

UT Southwestern faculty members have free access to a grant writing library designed to help

researchers in the process of securing National Institutes of Health funding.

• Contact the CTSA Program to request free access.

*Sponsored by the UT Southwestern CTSA Program