Back in March, CTSI Director Timothy F. Murphy, MD, discussed the effectiveness of social distancing. "Seven months later," he writes in a new piece, "we can say that the interventions put in place to combat COVID-19 made a tangible impact. We can also say that there is much we know now that we did not know then."

The 2020 UB CTSI Translational Pilot Studies Program Clinical and Translational Research Colloquium on October 16 highlighted the eleven projects awarded pilot studies funding in 2018-19, as well as the CTSI’s Community Partnership Development Seed Grant Program awardee for 2020.

Each year, the UB Clinical and Translational Science Institute Translational Pilot Studies Program Clinical and Translational Research Colloquium highlights innovative research projects that received Translational Pilot Studies awards. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 event will be held as a virtual colloquium on Friday, October 16.

The importance of community engagement to effective research cannot be overstated. This is one reason why the CTSI advocates the use of the Community Engagement Studio model. This unique method brings researchers and members of the community together, face-to-face (or virtually), for a bidirectional conversation around studies.

For researchers, finding the right participants, at the right time, is never easy. However, there are proven methods for success and an experienced team of professionals at UB’s CTSI ready to assist. In addition to the Buffalo Research Registry, the CTSI team encourages the use of ResearchMatch. This free registry of people who want to get involved in clinical trials is increasingly popular at UB and institutions around the country. 

When UB’s Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health was announced in 2015, it was heralded as a game-changer in the pursuit for improved health and reduced health disparities in Western New York. Five years later, it is clear that the impact of the CTSI on Buffalo and beyond has been vast. And the CTSI story is just beginning. 

The Igniting Hope Conference on August 15, “Mobilizing Community Resources to Achieve Health Equity During a Global Pandemic,” brought together healthcare professionals, community leaders, community members, advocates, and faculty. Watch the full recordings now.

The “Why Racial Equity and Anti-Racism?” forum held on July 14 drew a large audience of online viewers and featured deep, insightful discussion. The event referenced a number of reading and viewing resources, included here.

Almost all research at the University at Buffalo other than that focused on COVID-19 was paused on March 23, 2020. Now, nearly four months later, a “research ramp-up” is underway. While protocols inside and outside of UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center have changed, researchers are eager to resume clinical research.

Good Clinical Practice and Effective Teaching digital badges will be offered beginning with workshop series this spring. The CTSI digital badges are designed to enhance knowledge and skills related to clinical and translational research. These new digital badges add to the two the CTSI launched last year on Responsible Conduct of Research and Scientific Communication.

The Clinical and Translational Science Award-linked KL2 Mentored Career Development Award (KL2-MCDA) is now accepting Letters of Intent (LOIs) from outstanding junior faculty, and senior fellows transitioning to junior faculty positions to join the 2020 cohort of CTSI Scholars. Selected candidates will receive research mentoring, career and professional development, and partial salary and research support.   

Winners of the Buffalo Translational Consortium (BTC) 2019 Clinical Research Achievement Awards performed research studies surrounding topics of aerobic exercise recovery in sport-related concussion, mechanistic insights on prostate cancer health disparity in American men, and hospital naloxone treatment for suspected opioid overdose.

The 2019 “Tricks, Treats and Science Discoveries: Free Family Fun and Learning Fair” was a success. Over 260 community members – all clad in their best Halloween costumes – filled the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on Saturday, October 26.

The final workshop of a three-part series, to be held on November 7, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will focus on Culturally Responsive Research Engaging the LGBTQ Community. A diverse, community-friendly panel will engage the audience in discussion about disparities and perceived barriers to conducting research with this community. Previous sessions have been informative regarding the specific needs of each community as well as the importance of researchers engaging the communities at the start of their research.

Midterm exams aren’t going to be the only spooky event happening at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences this October. The 3^rd Annual “Tricks, Treats and Science Discoveries: Free Family Fun and Learning Fair” will make its return to the Jacobs School on Saturday, October 26, from 1 to 4 p.m.

The CTSI KL2 and the Buffalo Translational Consortium (BTC) Mentored Career Development Awards (MCDA) provide research mentoring in clinical and translational research and career and professional development to outstanding scientist and clinician scientists transitioning to independent positions either in academia or industry. As part of these programs, current and alumni scholars engage in mentoring the next generation of graduate and professional students and in community outreach.

A monthly, three part Community-University Collaborations in Research core competency workshop series – September 9, October 10 and November 7 – combines the core competencies of community engagement and cultural diversity. The goal of series is to bring together community and university partners to discuss the importance of research collaborations, specifically those aimed at creating culturally responsive research and addressing health disparities. The three areas of focus are Refugee, Immigrant and Latino Communities; Mental Health and LGBTQ Community.

The University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) held its biennial Creative Scientist Workshop “Enhancing Collaboration: Fostering an Evidence-Based Approach to Improving CTSA Network Capacity” on February 26-27. In a completely virtual environment, the workshop sought to foster collaboration and team science, particularly with those across the national NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium. Compared to the 2017 workshop held in Buffalo, not only did the number of registrations increase, but more than half of the CTSA hubs were represented.

The 2019 CTSI Professional Development Workshop series, offered for the third consecutive year, kicked off on May 8. “Looking Forward to Promotion and Tenure,” was presented by Suzanne Laychock, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and by Sofia Tangalos, senior staff assistant for Faculty Affairs both with the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

CTSI Chief Financial Officer Erin Bailey, MSM, and CTSI Research Administrator Erin O’Byrne, MBA provide leadership within the CTSI for publication compliance and have conducted multiple Open Research Office workshops and technical assistance sessions on this topic.

The CTSI Workforce Development Core will be awarding digital badges for the Responsible Conduct of Research and Scientific Communication core competency workshop series this spring. A digital badge is a new way of learning that allows individuals to showcase their achievements to employers, colleagues and peers. All members of the Buffalo Translational Consortium are eligible to take advantage of these free digital badging opportunities, including students, staff and faculty members.

“Taking Action Together: A Community Conversation on Opioids” was held on February 28. Co-sponsored by Erie Niagara Area Health Education Center (ENAHEC) and UB’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), the half-day event convened a diverse crowd for a discussion about the current state of the opioid epidemic and showcased how collaboration can inform research, policy and impact delivery of care.

Erie Niagara Area Health Education Center (ENAHEC) and UB’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) will be co-hosting “Taking Action Together: A Community Conversation on Opioids” on Thursday, February 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The 2018 – 2019 CTSI Seminar Series kicked off on Monday, October 29 with a presentation co-sponsored by the University at Buffalo CTSI and the School of Dental Medicine titled Iron in the Fire: The Role of Oxidized Linoleic Acid Metabolites in Pain by Kenneth Hargreaves, DDS, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Endodontics and professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Department of Physiology and Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Hargreaves is also a co-principal investigator of the Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science (the UT San Antonio CTSA hub).