Research News from David Erle and Diane Havlir -- November 2024

November 2024

Dear Colleagues,

As we make our way into the holiday season, we want to pause and give thanks to you for your steadfast pursuit of knowledge and understanding, for your collaboration, and for being outstanding peers who make UCSF a great place to do research.

In this month’s edition, we celebrate researchers with new career development awards and first-time R01 similar awards, congratulate two new members of the National Academy of Medicine, and share information about career development opportunities, upcoming events, funding opportunities, and new resources related to clinical trial activation.

We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

All the best,

Diane Havlir, MD, Associate Chair for Clinical Research

David Erle, MD, Associate Chair for Biomedical Research

Career Development Awards

Natasha Ludwig-Barron, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral scholar in the Division of Prevention Science at UCSF Health, received a K01 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for a project entitled, "Proyecto Vida: Developing an HIV, HCV and opioid use MOST intervention for persons who inject drugs along the Texas-Mexico Border."

Erica Farrand, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at UCSF Health, received a K23 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for a project entitled, "Remote Evaluation and Surveillance of Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease (RESPOND-ILD): Transforming ILD Care Delivery with Remote Monitoring."

Li-Wen Huang, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the SFVAMC, received a VA Career Development award entitled, “Improving the Telehealth Delivery of Care for Older Veterans with Cancer and Cognitive Impairment."

First Time R01 or Equivalent Awards

Charlie Wray, DO, MS, associate professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine at SFVAMC, received a VA Merit Award from the VA Health Systems Research for a project entitled, "Post-Hospitalization Virtual Care Among Veterans with Heart Failure: Examining Experiences, Costs, and Outcomes."

Marilyn Thomas, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at UCSF Health, received an R00 from the National Institute on Aging for a project entitled, "Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities on Late-life Cognition in Black Adults."

Please let Ilona Paredes know if we inadvertently missed your K award, first R01 or equivalent award in this issue of the newsletter. We will make sure to feature your award in our next issue.

Election to the National Academy of Medicine

Congratulations to Lindsey Criswell, MD, MPH, and Alicia Fernandez, MD, who were elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), a society founded to advance science, inform policy, and catalyze action to achieve human health, equity, and well-being.

Lindsey Criswell, MD, MPH, professor emeritus in the Division of Rheumatology at UCSF Health, and director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, is recognized for her work on genetic and epigenetic factors in autoimmune rheumatic disorders.

Alicia Fernandez, MD, professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at ZSFG, is recognized for her work on how language and literacy barriers impact patient care and outcomes.

DOM Research Support Program Spotlight: Physician-Scientist Career Development Program (PSCDP)

PSCDP is designed to support and promote laboratory-based physician-scientist trainees in the residency, fellowship, and junior faculty stages. Established in 2021, PSCDP is a collaboration between the Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Neurology. It is led by Alexandra Nelson, MD, PhD, Cathy Smith, MD, and Sanjeev Datar, MD, PhD. Their three main focus areas are building a diverse and successful physician-scientist community, providing training and mentorship specific to the laboratory-based physician-scientist career path, and providing opportunities for career growth. They have a centralized set of resources for physician-scientist trainees and hold regular career development, networking, and other mentoring events for the laboratory-based physician-scientist community. We asked Alexandra Nelson and Cathy Smith to tell us more about PSCDP.

Can you tell us about the main goals and vision of PSCDP?

Our mission is to cultivate the career development of a diverse laboratory-based physician-scientist community at UCSF. We focus on the career stages between residency and full independence (e.g., first NIH R01 grant).

For physician-scientist trainees who are balancing the demands of clinical training with research, what are some of the most common challenges you see, and how does the PSCDP help to address these?

The biggest challenges we have learned about are (1) understanding and navigating the paths to independence at UCSF and other universities, (2) obtaining funding support and filling "gaps" in funding, and (3) balancing academic life and family life, particularly in the fellow and junior faculty stages.

How does the program foster a sense of community and support among physician-scientists at UCSF, and why is this networking important for career development?

We hold regular in-person events, whether for grant-writing workshops or panel discussions, and try to build in time to interact with one another. Since lab-based physician-scientists are a relatively small group in the larger medical and scientific communities, it's particularly valuable to commune with peers, near-peers, and mentors in the same career track. We can share the joys of our unique roles, as well as the challenges and how to navigate them. Indeed, we find more established physician-scientists at UCSF jump at the opportunity to mentor more junior physician-scientists. As a resident and postdoc many years ago, I found my casual coffees with people a year or two ahead of me were absolutely crucial. I learned how amazing my colleagues were, and also what I perceived as "secrets to success", in the lab, in the clinic, and in academia. We recently held our annual joint event with MSTP, in which (over dinner) we learned some of these "secrets to success" from senior physician-scientists: Joanne Engel, Arun Wiita, Mercedes Paredes, and Sanjeev Datar.

What success stories or feedback have you received from previous trainees who have benefited from the PSCDP resources, and how has the program impacted their careers?

Our program was only established 3 years ago, but we have already received positive feedback on two of our main initiatives: (1) grant-writing support and (2) individualized mentoring committees. With the help of Rachel Rutishauser (Medicine) and Alison Nair (Pediatrics), we hold quarterly grant-writing workshops, focused on NIH K awards and first R01 applications, which range from an overview of the grant application process to Aims page workshops. These complement the excellent internal departmental review programs, such as PREPARE. Many of the folks who have attended our workshops have gotten their K08/K23 or R01! We have also assembled PSCDP "Mentoring Committees", which we think of as a grown-up version of the thesis committee, for physician-scientists in the postdoc/junior faculty period. These individualized committees are composed of successful physician-scientists and scientists from inside and outside the trainee's department and focus on identifying career goals, navigating career milestones, and working towards independence.

Looking ahead, are there any exciting future plans or developments for the PSCDP that you'd like to share with our readers?

Over the past few years, we have become increasingly aware of the challenge for young physician-scientists in raising a family while balancing their academic lives as clinicians and researchers. Given the long training trajectory, most physician-scientists have children before achieving independence, and the costs of supporting a family, including childcare, are particularly acute. The financial and time pressures can cause physician-scientists to abandon their career path. We have teamed up with the Women Physician-Scientist Supergroup (WPSS) to survey physician-scientists at UCSF, and are currently assessing existing support for physician-scientist caregivers at UCSF and other universities. Our goal is to make it more feasible to balance family life with the physician-scientist career.

Due to the popularity of the program, we are considering adding additional departments to the PSCDP in the near future. We anticipate that expanding the scope of the program will serve to further foster networking amongst physician-scientist trainees at UCSF and contribute to a greater sense of community for trainees at all levels as they navigate this career path.

Read more about the Writing Café here

Upcoming Events

UCSF Dr. Rita Redberg Awarded Faculty Research Lecture in Social, Behavioral, and Health Policy Sciences

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

The Academic Senate is pleased to announce the selection of Rita Redberg, MD, MS, as the recipient of the Second Faculty Research Lectureship in Social, Behavioral, and Health Policy Sciences for her work on health policy and reducing low-value care. The lecture, titled “Understanding How Device Regulation Has Failed Patients” will take place on Wednesday, December 04, 2024, from 3:30 PM-5 PM on Parnassus Campus in Health Sciences West room 302, with a reception to follow.

There will also be a Zoom broadcast.

Zoom Link: https://ucsf.zoom.us/j/96680505799?pwd=v0FbvHUipGeVQi8eadRK0uavfRkuCm.1

Passcode: 564446

Dr. Rita Redberg is an exceptional scholar who has made significant scientific contributions through her pioneering research and leadership in four key areas: reducing low-value care, enhancing payor coverage policies, improving FDA regulation of drugs and medical devices, and advancing women’s cardiovascular health.

Her recent work on adoption, surveillance, and payment for new medical technologies is particularly important, raising key questions about payment decisions by insurers and the federal government. She understands that wasteful health care spending contributes to disparities in access to health care services by raising prices for insurance and care, pushing people out of care, and limiting resources that might otherwise directly address health disparities.

For questions, please contact Joey Cheng.

UCSF NIH Diversity Supplement Matchmaking Event for Postbaccalaureate Scholars

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Interested in recruiting a post-baccalaureate researcher who is eligible for an NIH diversity supplement?

This event aims to match UCSF faculty with trainees who currently have or will have a bachelor’s degree by June 2025 and are eligible for an NIH-diversity supplement. Trainees will meet UCSF faculty and discuss possible research opportunities and funding through NIH-diversity supplements. Trainees who make a match will have the opportunity to join the UCSF post-baccalaureate PROPEL Program.

The fifth annual NIH Diversity Supplement Matchmaking Event will take place on Thursday, January 30, 2025, from 9 AM-1 PM. If you make a match with a trainee, we have several resources to help you write for the supplement, including a collection of successful Diversity Supplement applications from UCSF PIs and additional resources. In addition, trainees who come to UCSF through this mechanism will have the opportunity to participate in PROPEL, which is a UCSF postbaccalaureate program that provides historically underrepresented trainees with research experience, scientific and career training to become competitive and successful applicants to top-tier research-based PhD programs.

If you are interested in attending the Matchmaking Event, please register here by December 4th.

November 22, 10 AM-11 AM for trainees: tiny.ucsf.edu/MMEinfo2025

November 22, 11 AM-11:50 AM for faculty: tiny.ucsf.edu/MMEfaculty2025

For questions, please email Ángel-Max Guerrero.

Funding Opportunity

Reminder Extramural Chan Zuckerberg Sciences Diversity Leadership Award

Application is due Tuesday, December 3, 2024

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative invites applications for a five-year funding grant (2025–2030) that supports excellent biomedical researchers with a record of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in their scientific field.

Read more about their previous grantees here. All applicants must hold an MD, PhD, ScD, MD/PhD, DDM, DVM, or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or equivalent independent investigator status at a college, university, medical school, or other research facility. Note that non-tenured and tenured faculty are eligible to apply. All applications must be completed and submitted through CZI’s online grants management portal.

Award period and start date: Awards will be five years in duration with an expected start date of September 1, 2025.

Budget: $230,000 USD total costs per year (inclusive of up to 15% indirect costs) for five years for a total of $1,150,000 USD total costs. Indirect costs cannot exceed 15 percent of direct costs.

View application guidelines here

Clinical Trial Activation Updates

OCTA’s Current Activation Pipeline Tableau Dashboard

The Office of Clinical Trials Activation (OCTA) recently relaunched the Current Activation Pipeline (CAPDash) tableau dashboard. This tool allows PIs and other stakeholders to locate the status of a clinical trial’s activation within OCTA. CAPDash tracks progress, status, and performance of activities related to the activation of research studies entered into OnCore, the UCSF Clinical Trial Management System. Data pulled from OnCore includes task completion dates and expected completion added into activation task lists, date of submissions on ePRMS, IRB approval dates, and protocol statuses. To learn more go here or email oncore@ucsf.edu with questions.

Office of Clinical Trial Activation (OCTA) Strategic Activation Manager (SAM) Support for Industry Trials

In an effort to meet the Clinical Trial Excellence campaign’s (CTEC) goal of 90-day study activation, OCTA is deploying SAM support to select new industry-funded studies. SAM support includes conducting kickoff meetings with the sponsor/CRO and internal groups involved in trial startup (OCTA, IRB, ICD, study team, PI).

SAMs will also track parallel processing across central offices (IRB, OCTA, ICD), provide bi-weekly updates to stakeholders, and assist in escalations as needed. Principal Investigators interested in working with a SAM should indicate this in the Clinical Trial Activation Request Form (new question coming in November) or contact clinicaltrials@ucsf.edu.

Learn more about the Clinical Trial Excellence Campaign (CTEC).

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