|
Dear Colleagues,
In this issue, we provide guidance and updates about the impacts of recent federal government activities on DOM research, congratulate Dr. Laurence Huang for receiving the 2025 Academic Senate Distinguished Faculty Award, and share many career development and funding opportunities with you.
To help commemorate Women's History Month, UCSF Profiles highlights hundreds of women faculty, trainees, and staff scientists – many from DOM – who are essential contributors to our research mission. You can also check out a list of women-sponsored events here.
| | Updates from the Associate Chairs for Research | | |
We want to take a moment to provide a few updates and reminders related to the recent Executive Orders and federal government policy changes impacting our research community. Despite continued uncertainty, we have seen some encouraging signs, including the resumption of NIH study sections and receipt of notices of award. However, some funding is being delayed or discontinued and aggressive actions have been taken against some of our peer institutions. In early March, a federal court granted a preliminary injunction extending the temporary restraining order that had been in place and maintaining current F&A rates while the legal challenges proceed, and the government remains open after last week’s passage of a continuing resolution.
In light of the uncertainties, a UC-wide hiring freeze was announced on March 19. We recognize the impact that the freeze will have on many research projects and anticipate that leadership will share guidance about procedures for requesting exceptions for mission-critical positions as this becomes available. In some cases, it may be possible to re-deploy existing UCSF research staff to participate in your projects without requiring a new hire, while at the same time providing a new source of support for these staff members. For CRC positions, please consider using CRC Connect to exchange information about CRCs with bandwidth to take on additional work and available CRC positions. Please contact us if you have other ideas about how to keep research moving forward in the face of the hiring freeze.
We would like to share a helpful summary document, which underscores the importance of NIH funding, compiled by John Wherry at the University of Pennsylvania.
Key points include:
- NIH funding yields a terrific return on investment (2.4-fold return).
- Essentially all new drugs have their origin in science funded by the NIH.
- NIH-supported academic research centers and universities support the training of approximately 29,000 MDs and 8-10,000 PhDs per year, which is crucial for the health of Americans and for the private sector.
Although you most likely have seen these in various communications, we would like to highlight a few resources:
-
If you receive any grant-related communications from the NIH or any other federal agency, please contact CGAwardTeam@ucsf.edu.
-
If you have general questions about your research or wish to share any information to the Office of Research, please email Research@ucsf.edu.
-
Given the rapidly evolving nature of this situation, we encourage you to stay informed through the Office of Research website.
As we navigate these challenges together, we deeply appreciate your dedication to science and research. Your work is invaluable, and we remain confident that we will continue to advance our mission through collaboration and advocacy.
Best,
Diane and David
| | |
Announcing the 2025 Academic Senate Distinguished Faculty Awardee
The UCSF Academic Senate is happy to announce the faculty selected by their peers as the 2025 Distinction in Teaching and Distinction in Mentoring Award winners. An event to recognize their efforts will be held on Friday, April 25, from 3 PM - 5 PM on Mission Bay Campus, in Byers Auditorium, Genentech Hall. The event will also be broadcast via the Zoom link below.
Join via Zoom: Click to join, Passcode: 844554
Add to Calendar: Click to add
The Spring 2025 recipient of the Academic Senate Distinction in Mentoring Award for faculty at the rank of full professor is Laurence Huang, MD. Dr. Huang is a professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine, and the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine. He has been an active and dedicated research mentor to trainees at all levels, including faculty peers, fellows, high school students, and international scholars in Uganda. Dr. Huang helped establish new mentoring programs, including the UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Mentor Development Program (MDP), and has held many mentoring leadership roles, including serving as one of two founding Co-Directors of Faculty Mentoring and Sponsorship in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine.
Please contact Joey Cheng and Liz Greenwood for any questions.
| | Career Development Resources | | |
PRE-Proposal Application REview (PREPARE) Program
Ongoing
Check out what our faculty have to say about their experience with this program:
"This was fantastic and very helpful. I especially appreciated the focus on the review criteria to guide the discussion." - Rahul Kumar, PhD, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at ZSFG.
For additional information, click here. To request a concept sheet, full proposal, or summary sheet review, click the button below.
| | |
March Writing and Focused Work Café
Friday, March 21
Do you miss writing or working in the company of others? Do you need some protected time to write that manuscript, draft a grant section, put a presentation together, or get caught up on reading, analyze data, or just want to build community around focused writing or working?
The UCSF CAPS Developmental Core will be hosting a Writing and Focused Work Café, and you are invited! The CAPS Writing Café is open to all researchers, regardless of their area of focus, and is not limited to those conducting research related to AIDS.
Who: Faculty, trainees, and staff from any university
What: Writing and focused work retreat
When: Friday, March 21, 10 AM-1 PM Pacific time
Where: Online (Zoom link will be provided to those who RSVP)
How: Please bring a work-related project you need to complete. We will briefly share what our goals are for this time and then follow the Pomodoro technique to keep us focused by working in intervals for a total of hours with short and small breaks in between. This is a great way to boost productivity while feeling connected to each other.
Please RSVP to Mireya Avila if you would like to attend or if you have questions. We ask that you only participate if you are able to stay for the entire duration.
| | |
Training Courses for Clinical Research Investigators, Spring 2025
The CTO Clinical Research Investigator Foundations Intensive offers essential resources for Principal Investigators (PIs) conducting clinical trials at UCSF. While the CTO PI Intensive is aimed at PIs, clinical research staff, and administrators are encouraged to join the CTO Foundations and Advanced series. All sessions are held via Zoom, and while attendance at all modules is recommended, it is not mandatory. For more information about dates and sessions, visit the CTO website here.
| | |
Reminder EXTRAMURAL Grand Challenges
Application is due Tuesday, March 25
Grand Challenges (GC) is excited to announce five new requests for proposals (RFPs).
The new RFPs include:
Like all Grand Challenges projects over 20-plus years, the newly announced RFPs will foster innovation to address urgent global priorities, and the grantees, funders, and others in the Grand Challenges network will work in the spirit of partnership to maximize their combined impact.
We invite you to read summaries of selected Grand Challenges grants, explore an interactive world map of projects across the Grand Challenges network, and sign up on the Grand Challenges website to receive email updates.
| | |
Reminder UCSF Clinical Research Informatics Postdoctoral (CRISP) Fellowship
Application is due Tuesday, April 1
The Clinical Research Informatics Postdoctoral (CRISP) Fellowship provides one to two years of tailored training for clinician investigators aiming to enhance healthcare through the science of clinical research informatics.
The CRISP program is designed for clinical postdoctoral fellows with strong mentorship who plan to submit a K award within two to three years. Applicants from underrepresented medical backgrounds and candidates from the Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry are especially encouraged to apply.
CRISP fellows obtain advanced didactic training in the methods of clinical research informatics and participate in regular work-in-progress and career development sessions. Fellows receive a stipend commensurate with their PGY/postdoctoral fellow status plus tuition assistance for didactic training. Applicant departments are responsible for covering approximately 40% of the total fellowship costs.
| | |
UCSF Society of Hellman Fellowship
Application is due Monday, April 7
The Society of Hellman Fellows aims to provide short-term support to outstanding assistant professors whose research demonstrates originality and the potential for distinction. Awards are available for basic, clinical, or translational research. The award budget ranges from $40,000 to $70,000, with most awards set at $50,000. Funds must be used within two years of the Fellowship award date.
Eligibility:
- Assistant professors in the tenure-track, In Residence, Clinical X, Health Sciences, or Adjunct series who have made significant progress in their research and demonstrated creativity are eligible. The award is intended for those whose work requires further development to attract additional funding.
- Special preference will be given to those facing challenges in obtaining independent funding, such as research that is complex or innovative and takes longer to establish, or research that is impacted by the demands of clinical practice.
There is no limit to the number of applications that may be reviewed. This opportunity is exclusively available to early-career UCSF faculty. A committee of past UCSF Hellman Fellows will review all applications and select up to twelve awardees. To access the Hellman Fellows Application Cover Sheet click here. Please note that the selection process for this opportunity is no longer being run through the Limited Submissions Program. For question, please contact hellmanfellows@ucsf.edu.
| | |
UCSF Pulmonary T32 Grant Openings
Application is due Monday, April 7
Trainees on this grant are expected to engage in full-time research with a focus on lung health and disease. The T32 can provide one year of funding support, including funds for travel and education.
Postdoctoral fellows are eligible if they meet the citizenship requirements outlined below:
At the time of the award, the trainee must be:
1. a citizen of the United States,
2. a non-citizen national,
3. must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence and possess an Alien Registration Receipt Card (1-151 or 1-551) or some other verification of legal permanent resident status.
This position requires a payback obligation. For more details information, please refer to the Service Payback Obligations.
Please reach out to Vanessa Trafas or Prescott Woodruff with any questions.
| | |
UCSF ZSFG-Based Human Biospecimen Development Initiative
Application is due Friday, April 18
The Office of Collaborative Research (OCR), the Bakar ImmunoX Initiative, and the Director of Research for UCSF at ZSFG are pleased to announce the ZSFG-Based Human Biospecimen Pipeline Development Initiative, a new award to support UCSF researchers at ZSFG in establishing new or strengthening existing biospecimen pipelines, particularly those serving vulnerable patient populations.
An awarded proposal will receive up to 50% support (*) from a Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) for one year, provided through OCR. The OCR CRC can assist with a variety of tasks, depending on biospecimen pipeline needs, including:
- Study planning and setup
- Participant recruitment and screening
- Informed consent process
- Clinical coordination and sample acquisition
- Data collection and management
- Regulatory compliance
- Patient care and communication
Eligible PIs must be based at ZSFG. Proposals will be prioritized based on their potential to leverage unique patient populations at ZSFG to improve inclusivity and represent vulnerable populations, support high-impact research areas, particularly in understudied fields, and provide community benefits by creating infrastructure or data that supports future research efforts.
Given current research uncertainties, we see this as an opportunity to help researchers build infrastructure, generate preliminary data, and position themselves for larger, sustainable funding opportunities.
To read more about the Human Biospecimen Development Initiative, click here. Send any questions regarding this application to the OCR Director, Vincent Chan, PhD.
| |
|
DOM Cohort Grant
Application is due Wednesday, April 30
Each year, the UCSF Department of Medicine offers grants of up to $100,000 for a period of 12-24 months either to initiate the development of new UCSF patient cohorts or to expand the use of existing UCSF cohorts into new areas. The goal is to develop cohorts that could be widely used by both clinical and bench investigators.
All UCSF faculty members with a primary appointment in the Department of Medicine faculty at any site are eligible to apply. Special consideration will be given to new or junior investigators with mentors who have relevant experience in the design, creation, and/or maintenance of patient cohorts. To read more about eligibility criteria and application details, click here. Please reach out to Danielle Mizuiri with any questions.
| |
|
Institute for Human Genetics 2025 Basic and Clinical Science Seed Grants Initiative
Application is due Friday, May 2
The Institute for Human Genetics (IHG) is pleased to announce the Exploratory Grants Program, to help seed small research projects that foster collaborations between basic science researchers and clinicians. This program will fund selected grants for up to one year. The objective of this funding is to encourage new collaborative research projects focused on solving unmet clinical needs using genetics/genomics. The seed grant application should include a proposed collaboration between a clinical and a basic science researcher and requires at least one of the principal investigators (PIs) to be a member of the IHG core faculty.
Up to $50,000 can be requested for reagents, services, and equipment. PI salaries cannot be part of the budget; however, trainee salaries can be included. For application instructions, click here.
For questions, please contact Maribeth Ruperto.
| | Upcoming NIH Requirement: SciENcv for Biosketches and ORCID ID Integration | | |
Starting with NIH submissions due on or after May 25, 2025, all applicants will be required to use the Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) to create their biosketches. Additionally, all Senior/Key Personnel must enter their ORCID ID into SciENcv under the Persistent Identifier (PID) section of the Common Forms.
To help faculty and staff prepare for this transition, the Institute for Global Health Sciences, in collaboration with the Office of Collaborative Research, is hosting a SciENcv workshop:
Date: Wednesday, April 30
Time: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: Genentech Hall (in-person attendance is encouraged)
Join via Zoom: Click to join, Meeting ID: 958 0902 3507, Passcode: 736170
This workshop is open to faculty, postdocs, and students who want to learn more about setting up and using SciENcv effectively.
| | If you'd like to contribute to future newsletters, please send your items to Ilona Paredes. | | |
ReSearch ReSource Newsletter
The Office of Research delivers a monthly communication of news and resources dedicated to the research enterprise, a helpful companion to DOM Research News! Read the newsletter here.
| | |
Copyright © 2025, University of California, San Francisco, All rights reserved.
Please send comments, suggestions, and questions to:
diane.havlir@ucsf.edu and david.erle@ucsf.edu
| | | | |
