February 7, 2021
Call for Requests:
Community Engagement Virtual Salons (CEVS)

CEVS bring researchers together with patients, community members, and health care stakeholders to actively participate in cross-talk. It provides a forum for generating research questions, identifying evidence gaps, and defining outcomes meaningful to patients. To see a CEVS in action, take a look at the summary video featured below.

If you're interested in working with us, click here to learn more.
Black History Month

Students, faculty and staff will celebrate Black History Month with a wide range of cultural and educational activities across the university including screenings, performances and lectures, some hosted virtually due to the ongoing pandemic.

Is It Time to Ditch Those Cloth Masks for Something Better?

The CDC upgraded its guidance acknowledging that cloth masks are not as effective as surgical and N95 masks to protect against COVID-19 as the highly contagious Omicron variant continues to drive a record-breaking number of cases across the country.

Upcoming Events
Community Health Justice: Working to Ensure Health Equity in Care Delivery

February 9, 1:00pm ET

As health delivery services evolve and technology advances, healthcare professionals must keep pushing for equity in healthcare. Providers, hospitals, researchers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and health systems play vital roles in maintaining equity in care delivery.
Research Resources Workshop:
Advanced Research Computing

February 9, 4:00pm ET
Envisioning Hunger Free College in NJ

February 10th & 11th

Please join us for a free virtual conference focused on addressing student food insecurity at New Jersey colleges and universities. We will highlight innovative programming at institutions across the state and discuss how to move our campuses toward becoming hunger free.
Health News
Get free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. Order your tests now so you have them when you need them.

Funding Opportunities
Brand New Brand

Brand New Brand! is a juried, pro bono initiative where Ideas On Purpose rebrands a local nonprofit, for free. To be considered for Brand New Brand!, the nonprofit organization must:
     - Be within 150 miles of NYC.
     - Be “doing,” not funding.
     - Have been a 501c3 established for at least 3 years.
- Be able to host and manage a new website (WordPress).
- Agree to use/keep up the site and branding as provided for at least two years after the partnership.
- Agree to have the organization’s decision makers (a specific liaison, the executive director, etc.) attend 1-3 meetings at the IOP office.
- Commit to continuous communication with IOP throughout the branding process.
- Sign a contract outlining the specifics of the partnership, including exact tasks required (getting approvals, etc.), hour estimates, responsibilities and more.
- Be prepared for a few expenses (we’ll work to keep these to a minimum).

Application deadline is March 17th.
Learn more here.
Community Resources
New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub: The State of New Jersey has put together a list of resources about the COVID-19 virus including testing sites, signs and symptoms, and FAQs about social services. 

You can find community-based and local COVID-19 testing site locations and hours here.

Middlesex County residents can register for a free COVID-19 test at sites throughout the county. Appointments required. The sites provide saliva-based test kits developed at Rutgers University.

Visit New Jersey’s COVID-19 Vaccine Registration site to pre-register for the vaccine. New Jersey's Covid-19 Vaccine Appointment Call Center can be reached at 855-568-0545.
New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science

This newsletter is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number, UL1TR003017 to Rutgers University. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official views of the NIH.

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