To increase the number of UT Southwestern faculty in the Clinical Scholar Track, we launched the Dean’s Scholar in Clinical Research Program last fall. It provides early-career faculty protected research time, research support, didactic research training, and career guidance and mentorship to facilitate development as successful clinical investigators.

We are delighted to announce the first cohort of scholars. Out of a highly competitive applicant pool, the review committee selected (pictured above, from left):

• Emily Adhikari, M.D., Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Michael Dohopolski, M.D., Chief Resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology
• Lauren Truby, M.D., Cardiology Fellow in the Department of Internal Medicine

The Dean’s Office will provide these individuals with up to 50% research salary support for up to three years. It will also provide up to $50,000 per year for two years in startup support and tuition support for clinical research coursework at UT Southwestern. The department chair will provide additional salary support and protected research time, and as well as matching startup research support. Scholars will have guidance and support from a mentorship team.

Of note, the review committee selected two additional applicants who are external faculty recruits and will be officially recognized once they have signed their letter of intent. 

Department chairs may begin to nominate new Dean Scholar candidates now for our next cycle review, which closes May 15. Full details are available online.

UT Southwestern’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) – a $46 million, five-year grant – from the National Institutes of Health is strengthening our clinical and translational research infrastructures and enhancing career development options for our investigators. Since launching in May 2021, the CTSA Program has rolled out various offerings to accelerate the translation of scientific discovery into improved health and is celebrating various milestones.  

• The CTSA Program External Advisory Committee had its inaugural meeting last month to review UT Southwestern's CTSA Program status and hear presentations from project leads. The group of nine local and national experts submitted a report providing its assessment and recommendations. Feedback was very positive.

• Two of six scholars from the 2021 cohort of the KL2 Clinical Scholar Program have already received extramural funding through independent career development awards.

• The Informatics Coordinating Office (ICO) is now open and providing services to streamline investigator access to data and support projects across the spectrum of informatics. The ICO brings together teams of experts in bioinformatics, data science, research informatics, and applied clinical or population informatics to deliver the best informatics solutions possible for the research question. Researchers can schedule a consultation with the ICO by contacting Program Manager Aamirah Vadsariya.

Contact CTSAProgram@UTSouthwestern.edu to receive periodic updates on ongoing sponsored opportunities related to clinical and translational research.

The Office of Clinical Research (OCR) has launched the Recruitment Dashboard, a new tool to assist study teams with research participant recruitment. This secure, easy to use system can identify and display information for patients who meet study criteria based on the electronic health record (EHR).

The new Recruitment Dashboard allows study teams to see who is potentially eligible for a study, patient demographics, and upcoming appointments. Study teams can use the dashboard to filter by clinic or provider and track recruitment status and outcomes. Five studies from the Departments of Psychiatry, Urology, Neurology, and Gastroenterology are piloting the dashboard and actively recruiting.

The Recruitment Team in the OCR can help optimize your recruitment strategy with a consultation, feasibility assessment, or MyChart messaging-based recruitment request. Over a dozen studies are using or in the process of using MyChart messages to help meet their study recruitment goals. You can book a consultation online (VPN required).

More information is available online (VPN required). Send questions to Kathleen Esselink.

Master of Public Health

Join the inaugural M.P.H. class of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health and gain the skills to identify, predict, and address wide-scale health problems and respond to public health emergencies.

• Applications are open through April 1.

Master of Science in Clinical Science

Designed for those who aim to accelerate their clinical and translational research careers, the Master of Science in Clinical Science program includes courses on clinical research design, methods and biostatistics, leadership, and scientific writing.  

• Applications are open through May 31.

Didactic Session: Building Your Clinical Research Toolkit* 

Monthly sessions on successful project development and the grant application process are part of the Clinical Researcher Catalyst (VPN required), a career development program for clinical researchers.

• Tuesday, Feb. 21, at noon. "Overview of Training Resources on Campus to Build Your Skill Set." Register to attend.

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.

• Thursday, Feb. 23, at 12:15 p.m.: Kelsey Schmitt presents "Traveling Theta Waves in the Human Hippocampus and Posterior Cingulate Cortex." Register to attend. 

• Thursday, March 2, at 12:15 p.m.: Ravi Prakash, Ph.D., presents "Identifying the Underlying Biological Mechanisms in Rotator Cuff Tears." Register to attend. 

• Thursday, March 9, at 12:15 p.m.: Taylor Charron presents "Understanding the Basis for Late Symptom-Onset in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 6." Register to attend.

Community Engagement Grand Rounds*

Derek M. Griffith, Ph.D., presents “Trustworthiness: Explaining and Quieting the Echoes of Tuskegee.”

• Tuesday, Feb. 28. Register to attend.

Community Engagement Planning Grants*

Teams will receive mentorship, training, and coaching to facilitate the development of meaningful research questions, scientifically rigorous research protocols, and successful partnerships that align with the principles of community engagement. 

• Apply by March 1. View the request for proposals.

Manuscript Writing Workshop*

Learn how to carefully consider and optimize the content, organization, presentation, and flow of your scientific manuscripts to present your science in the best possible light.

• Thursday, March 2, at 4 p.m. Register to attend.

*Sponsored by the UT Southwestern CTSA Program