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Faculty Resources
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| Appointments & Promotions |
Funding Opportunities and Deadlines |
| Find Immune Reagents for Research in Nonhuman Primates |
NIH Applications Policy |
| University of Pittsburgh Cores and Resources |
CSR Study Section Descriptions |
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| Appointments & Promotions |
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1. Guidelines for Faculty Appointment and Promotion:
http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/documents/SOMGuidelines-08.pdf
a. Criteria for Appointment as Instructor and Assistant Professor; Promotion to Assistant Professor in the Tenure Stream or outside the Tenure Stream
b. Criteria for Appointment as Associate Professor with Tenure; Promotion to Associate Professor or Professor with Tenure; Conferral of Tenure as Associate Professor or Professor
c. Purposes of Tenure
d. Obligations and Responsibilities of Tenure
e. Tenure Policies
f. Length of Tenure Stream Service Prior to the Conferral of Tenure
g. Terms of Appointment (Tenure Stream Faculty)
h. Criteria for Appointment as Associate Professor or Professor without Tenure; Promotion to Associate Professor or Professor without Tenure
i. Criteria for Appointment as Clinical Associate Professor or Clinical Professor; Promotion to Clinical Associate Professor or Clinical Professor
j. Distinguished Service
2. Policy on Conferral of Tenure Concurrent with a New Appointment: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/library/recruitment/offer-letter-guidelines/conferral-of-tenure.php
3. Procedure for Faculty Appointments: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/library/appointment/faculty-appointments.php
4. Procedure and Approval Requirements for Faculty Appointments: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/documents/tenurechart-appts.pdf
5. Procedure for Faculty Promotions: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/library/appointment/faculty-promotions.php
6. Procedure and Approval Requirements for Faculty Promotions: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/documents/tenurechart-prom.pdf
7. Pathways in the Tenure and Non-Tenure Tracks: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/documents/pathways-nov.pdf
8. Description of Faculty Titles with Prefixes: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/library/appointment/non-tenure/titles.php
9. Preparing a Portfolio for Appointment and Promotion: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/library/new-faculty/som/preparing-a-portfolio.php
10. Seven Year Tenure Stream Chart for PhD Faculty and Physician Faculty without Clinical Responsibilities: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/documents/7-year-chart.pdf
11. Ten Year Tenure Stream Chart for Physician Faculty with Clinical Responsibilities: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/documents/tschart-clinres.pdf
12. Mid-Course Review of Clinical Tenure Candidates: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/library/appointment/tenure-stream/mid-course-review.php
13. Suggested Department Chair/Division Chief Letter to External Referees for Mid-Course Review: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/documents/midcourse-chairletter_003.doc
14. Standing Committee for Tenured Faculty Promotions and Appointments Operating Procedures: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/library/appointment/portfolio-submission-tenure/operating-procedures.php
a. Checklist for Preparation of Faculty Portfolios for Appointment and Promotion with Tenure, Conferral of Tenure, or Appointment and Promotion in the Tenure Stream
b. Supplemental Information for Candidates Recommended for Appointment and Promotion with Tenure, Conferral of Tenure, Appointment and Promotion in the Tenure Stream
c. Impact Factor
15. Standing Committee for Non-Tenured Faculty Promotions and Appointments Operating Procedures: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/library/appointment/portfolio-submission-nontenure/procedures.php
a. Checklist for Preparation of Faculty Portfolios for Appointments and Promotions without Tenure
16. Joint Appointments Committee Operating Procedures: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/library/appointment/portfolio-submission-nontenure/procedures.php
a. Joint Appointments Policy
b. Checklist for Preparation of Faculty Portfolios for Joint Appointment or Promotion
17. Standing Committee for Volunteer/Clinical Faculty Promotions and Appointments: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/library/appointment/volunteer-clinical/criteria.php
a. Criteria for Appointment and Promotion
b. Checklist of Required Materials for Submission of Portfolios for Promotion and Appointment
18. Volunteer Clinical Faculty Appointment and Reappointment Documentation of Teaching and Service Form: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/documents/clinfac-form.doc
19. Curriculum Vitae Format: http://www.medfaculty.pitt.edu/documents/cvformat.final_001.pdf |
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| Funding Opportunities and Deadlines |
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| Agency | Application Deadline | More Information |
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| AST Distinguished Fellows Forum | August 17, 2009 | www.a-s-t.org/distinguishedfellows | | RUPHI-CTSI Pilot Grant Program: Translating Research into Practice | RFA Release Date: May 8, 2009
Proposal Due Date: July 8, 2009, 5:00 p.m.
Project Start date: September 1, 2009, pending IRB approval | http://www.oorhs.pitt.edu/ | | Basic to Clinical Collaborative Research Pilot Program (BaCCoR) | August 15, 2009
October 15, 2009
January 15, 2010
April 21, 2010 | Submit applications to Ms. Melissa Penkrot, mam266@pitt.edu.
Contact Dr. Jeremy P. Somers, somersj@pitt.edu with questions about the program. | | ROTRF Clinical Research Grants | October 1, 2009 | See attached document
and visit
http://www.rotrf.org/news/focusonclinicalresearch.html | | NIAID Database of Foundation Funding Opportunities | N/A | http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/budget/opps.htm | American Society of Transplantation
(AST R01 Bridge Grant) | No Deadline | http://www.a-s-t.org/index2.cfm?Section=research_funding&Sub1Section=ast_grants&Sub2Section=faculty_grants&content=r01_bridge.html
| | National Institutes of Health - Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research | Applications may be submitted at any time. | http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-015.html |
DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY NIH SUBMISSION SCHEDULE
FALL 2009
The following dates are FINAL SUBMISSION DATES for the upcoming NIH R01, K award, and R21/R03 submissions, unless the application is in response to an announcement with a unique deadline:
New R01s (electronic):
Wednesday, Sept. 9: Draft budget (list of personnel, percents of effort) to assigned pre award administrator
Wednesday, Sept. 16: Budget finalized and attachments to Surgery Grants Administration
Monday, Sept. 21: Entire application submitted to Office of Research
Monday, Oct. 5: Last date for submission to NIH
New K Award Series (electronic):
Wednesday, Sept. 16: Draft budget (list of personnel, percents of effort) to assigned pre award administrator
Wednesday, Sept. 23: Budget finalized and attachments to Surgery Grants Administration
Monday, Sept. 28: Entire application submitted to Office of Research
Monday, Oct. 12: Last date for submission to NIH
New R21s/R03s (electronic):
Tuesday, Sept. 22: Draft budget (list of personnel, percents of effort) to assigned pre award administrator
Tuesday, Sept. 29: Budget finalized and attachments to Surgery Grant Administration
Friday, Oct. 2: Entire application submitted to Office of Research
Wednesday, Oct. 16: Last date for submission to NIH
Resubmission, Revision or Renewal of R01s (electronic):
Friday, Oct. 9: Draft budget (list of personnel, percents of effort) to assigned pre award administrator
Friday, Oct. 16: Budget finalized and attachments to Surgery Grant Administration
Thursday, Oct. 22: Entire application submitted to Office of Research
Thursday, Nov. 5: Last date for submission to NIH
NOTE: For budgeting purposes, the earliest possible award start date for these proposals is July 1, 2010.
Resubmission, Revision or Renewal of K Awards (electronic):
Thursday, Oct. 15: Draft budget (list of personnel, percents of effort) to assigned pre award administrator
Thursday, Oct. 22: Budget finalized and attachments to Surgery Grant Administration
Thursday, Oct. 29: Entire application submitted to Office of Research
Wednesday, Nov. 12: Last date for submission to NIH
Resubmission, Revision or Renewal of R21s/R03s (electronic):
Tuesday, Oct. 20: Draft budget (list of personnel, percents of effort) to pre award administrator
Tuesday, Oct. 27: Budget finalized and attachments to Surgery Grant Administration
Monday, Nov. 2: Entire application submitted to Office of Research
Monday, Nov. 16: Last date for submission to NIH
NOTE: For budgeting purposes, the earliest possible award start date for these proposals is July 1, 2010. |
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| Documents |
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ROTRF Focuses on Clinical Research - The Science of Human Organ Transplantation
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| Find Immune Reagents for Research in Nonhuman Primates |
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Check out the NIH Nonhuman Primate Reagent Resource for specialized reagents.
Read the full article. |
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| NIH Applications Policy |
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After a year of working with the new Grants.Gov system, we have developed a policy for submitting NIH applications through the system.
The attached document will be updated as changes occur. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
The Research Administration Office
Department of Surgery
NOTE: Please see the links below concerning NIH changes to Peer Review.
1. Updated implementation timeline for key actions in the revised peer
review system
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-023.html
2. New Scoring Procedures for Evaluation of Research Applications
Received for Potential FY2010 Funding
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-024.html
3. Enhanced Review Criteria for Evaluation of Research Applications
Received for Potential FY2010 Funding
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-025.html
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/cycle/part11b.htm |
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NIH Submissions Policy
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| University of Pittsburgh Cores and Resources |
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Center for Biomedical Informatics http://www.cbmi.pitt.edu
The Center for Biomedical Informatics serves as the coordinating point for informatics activities and as a catalyst of collaborative efforts. The Center offers seminars, symposia, and courses addressing key topics; monitors and publicizes funding opportunities; helps organize collaborative efforts to secure funding; offers consultative support to informatics research and development efforts; and supports efforts to enhance information access through system integration.
Biomedical Research Support Facility / Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering http://www.pitt.edu/~rsup/mgbresupfac5.html
The Biomedical Research Support Facility is a group of specialty core facilities developed to enhance the research environment at the University of Pittsburgh and to optimize the productivity and competitiveness of researchers. The cores provide an infrastructure that allows research to remain competitive and take advantage of the remarkable shifts in our fundamental understanding and applications of cell and animal model systems. A brief description of the core facilities follows:
- BioSensor Facility
The Biosensor Facility provides real-time biomolecular interaction analysis utilizing a Biacore 3000 system. The Biocore 3000 works on the principle of surface Plasmon resonance (SPR), which allows for measurements of changes in refractive index at a surface. Briefly, one interactant (the ligand) is immobilized to the surface of a sensor chip. A solution containing potential binding partner(s) is passed over the immobilized surface, and binding is visualized as a change in refractive index at the surface (response units) over time. SPR allows for immediate visualization of interactions in a label-free manner, lessening the potential impact of labels on the interaction of interest.
- DNA Sequencing Core
The DNA Sequencing Core performs sequencing reactions on submitted DNA templates and primers, analyzes the products by capillary electrophoresis on automated sequencers, and provides the resultant sequences as an electronic database. In addition, the core personnel consult with investigators in the preparation of DNA for automated sequencing and assist with DNA sequence data analysis.
- Mass Spectrometry Core
The Mass Spectrometry Core operates a VG Quatro II trip quadrupole mass spectrometer that is used for high sensitivity analysis of proteins, peptides, lipids, and small molecules by electrospray ionization in either the positive or negative ion mode. This facility sees to develop techniques to analyze minute quantities of biomolecules via on-line analytical and microcapillary HPLC and nanoelectrospray procedures. Techniques available include molecular mass measurements, assessments of chemical modifications through mass increases, daughter ion scans for peptide sequencing (MS/MS analysis), precursor ion scans, constant mass difference scans, selected ion monitoring and on-line HPLC. In addition, the mass spectrometry core also houses an Applied Biosystems Voyager-DE STR mass spectrometer. This is a matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometer. This instrumentation is equipped with 337 nm nitrogen laser and 100 well sample plate. Capabilities of this instrumentation include analysis of masses up to 400 kDa, the ability to measure both positive and negative ions, the ability to analyze in linear and reflector modes as well as the ability to perform post source decay (PSD) analysis.
- Peptide Synthesis Core
The Peptide Synthesis Core provides comprehensive services fro synthesis, purification, and characterization of synthetic peptides that are verified by mass spectrometry. Facility personnel are available fro consultation with investigators regarding the design of synthetic peptides, estimates of yield, and considerations of purity requirements. Peptides can be produced at standard scales of ~0.025 mM (10-20 mg), 0.1 mM (50-100 mg), 0.2 mM (100-200 mg), and 0.5 mM (300-500 mg), with actual yields dependent on peptide length and content. Peptides may also be prepared with specialized modification, such as acetylation, biotinylation, phosphorylation, cyclization or fluorescent dyes. The facility has the capacity to produce viral peptides under Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) conditions for use in human clinical trials with appropriate production documentation for submission to the FDA and other regulatory agencies.
- Structural Biology Facility
The Structural Biology Facility houses an Aviv 62A DS Circular Dichroism (CD) Spectrometer and a companion Aviv UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. The instruments have attachments to provide temperature control, total fluorescence, and automated titration. CD spectroscopy measures the difference between the absorption of the left- and right-circularly polarized light. The secondary structural elements of a protein each contribute uniquely to its CD spectrum that can then be deconvolved to provide net structural information. Given its sensitivity to protein conformation, CD spectroscopy may also be used to monitor protein unfolding and protein-ligand interactions. This is a non-destructive technique, so samples may be recovered after examination.
Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences http://ccehs.upmc.edu/CCEHS/
The Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences coordinates educational programs of the Schools of the Health Sciences designed to meet the needs of practicing health care professionals, including faculty. Included are internal conferences, formal courses and self-directed learning activities available as monographs, videotapes and computer-based formats. The center provides assistance in instructional design, development of educational objectives, evaluation and conference management. Certification credit is provided through accreditation by national continuing education organizations such as the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Programs serve local, regional, national and international audiences. Telecommunication technology is available through the center for broadcast of programs to rural and international locations.
Center for Research on Health Care Data Center http://www.crhc.pitt.edu/DataCenter
The Center for Research on Health Care Data Center (DC) provides state of the art data management and analysis services to the University of Pittsburgh’s clinical and health services researchers. The DC’s mission is to provide researchers with consistent, high quality information technology, data management, and statistical services. The DC operates as a team, providing expertise in all phases of research, thus, ensuring efficient use of resources. The DC is committed to quality assurance and research integrity. With extensive experience, the DC is able to provide research faculty with experts in data management, data entry, programming, and statistical analyses.
The DC consists of 15 faculty and staff. The director of the DC is responsible for ensuring high standards for research quality on every project, acting as the liaison between principal investigators and the DC team, assisting principal investigators with budget planning to ensure sufficient funds for data needs, ensuring that projects are assigned and completed in a timely manner, and ensuring the data analysis and data management are completed efficiently and within budget.
The DC is comprised of three primary units: Information Technology, Database Laboratory, and Biostatics. Each is described below:
• The information Technology unit is responsible for designing internet applications, fulfilling programming needs, evaluating new software, and systems administration.
• The Database Laboratory provides expertise in developing databases, designing tracking programs, and constructing data entry and verification procedures.
• The Biostatics unit is comprised of Ph.D., Masters’ and Bachelors’ degree level statisticians. They are responsible for ensuring that each study has the appropriate design, sample size, and statistical analyses. They are involved in all phases of the study from pre-award (conducting power analyses and consulting on the methodology) to post-award (running statistical applications and consulting with principal investigators to interpret findings.)
The DC has approximately 20 personal computers and three servers that are linked via an intranet with every team member having access to the Internet. One of the servers is a dedicated web server, enabling the DC to offer secure web –based data management. Two other servers are behind a firewall with only people on the intranet having access. All of the databases that are developed are relational and either use Access or SQL Sever, or a combination thereof. Databases are store on the internet, but only selected members of each research team have access to the specific folders that contain the de-identified data (principal investigator, project coordinator, systems analyst, database manager, and statistician). The identified data are stored in a separate table with only the systems analysts, principal investigator, and project coordinator having access. The databases are backed-up daily and archived weekly. The DC’s web page contains resources to enable investigators to monitor and track the progress of their studies as well as track the level of effort spent by the DC on a particular project.
Center for Statistics http://www.stat.pitt.edu/consulting/consulting.html
The Center for Statistics offers statistical consulting services, including design, data summarization, analysis, and interpretation of results. Researchers from various disciplines (within the arts and sciences, as well as clinical research and education) are welcome. Typically, only short-term consulting projects are undertaken. The consulting is done by graduate students under the supervision of faculty members in the Department of Statistics.
Corporate Communications
Corporate Communications can provide consultation or advertising and other participant recruitment strategies, as well as editorial and graphic design services for brochures, posters, fliers, bus signs, bookmarks, and ads for newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. Corporate Communications offers its services at no charge to UPMC programs; the research program bears only the printing (or production) and ad placement costs.
Department of Immunology Flow Cytometry Facility http://immunology.medicine.pitt.edu/content/flow/flow.html
The Department of Immunology Flow Cytometry Facility, under the direction of Lisa, Borghesi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Immunology, is a fee for service, user and technician-operated facility. The facility is available to all Department of Immunology members and to the research community on a first-come, first-serve basis. The facility is equipped with a BD FACS Aria Cell Sorting System containing three lasers with the ability to provide 11 parameter multicolor analysis and a BD LSR II Flow Cytometry System with two lasers and the capability of detecting a maximum of six colors. This facility provides backup for the STI Flow Cytometry Core.
Functional Imaging Research Program (MR Research Center and PET Facility)
http://www.mrctr.upmc.edu ; http://www.pet.upmc.edu
The Functional Imaging Research Program, a joint facility of the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, allows researchers to make full use of two powerful imaging modalities, positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The physical proximity of these facilities encourages collaboration by bringing investigators and imaging specialists together in an atmosphere of open communication. One of the programs main goals is to facilitate combined modality imaging, in which complementary information from PET and MR images is combined in a single functional image. This program is directed by faculty members from the School of Medicine.
- Magnetic Resonance Research Center (MRRC)
The Magnetic Resonance Research Center (MRRC) is dedicated to the development and application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for medical and biological research and is forging new paths in the use of functional MRI to study cognitive, sensory, and motor function in the brain. The MRRC currently operates state-of-the-art 1.5T and 3.0T MRI scanner. The 7.0T whole body scanner is the most powerful whole-body scanner in the state of Pennsylvania and one of a small group of such instruments that are currently being installed at leading research institutions throughout the United States, Japan and Europe.
- The Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Facility
The Positron Emission Tomography (PET) facility supports a variety of research efforts in collaboration with faculty in the Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Radiology, Medicine, and Anesthesiology and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Researchers at this facility developed a prototype combined PET/CT scanner and demonstrated this technology as the most powerful imaging tool available for localizing, evaluating and therapeutically monitoring head and neck cancer. The combined PET/CT scanner, known commercially as the Biograph, was FDA approved in 2001 as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool for cancer treatment.
General Clinical Research Center http://www.gcrc.pitt.edu
The General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) on the 8th floor of Montefiore Hospital has been active at the University of Pittsburgh since the early 1960s, the time that marked the inception of the national NIH GCRC program. GCRC research encompasses the University’s six Schools of the Health Sciences, affiliated hospitals, specialized programs and clinical facilities. Diverse resources applicable to research on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of a broad spectrum of diseases and health problems are available through the GCRC.
Infrastructure support to investigators includes facilities, equipment and personnel for conducting clinical research. The GCRC facilities include inpatient beds, and outpatient suite, a metabolic kitchen, a DEXA scanner, and a sample processing laboratory. Personnel include specialized registered nurses, a bionutritionist, a research subject advocate, biostatisticians, information technologists, and support staff, all of whom have completed the University’s on-line training required of individuals engaging in human subject research.
The GCRC is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Protocol review and approval from the GCRC Advisory Committee is required prior to study initiation.
Satellite locations include Magee-Womens Hospital Clinical Research Center, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Clinical Neuroscience Research Center and the Hillman Cancer Center. Laboratories supported by the GCRC include the Pharmacogenetics Core Laboratory, the PET Radiochemistry Laboratory, the Sleep and Circadian Rhythms Laboratory, and the Information Technology and Biostatics Center.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine http://www.mirm.pitt.edu/
The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine serves as a single base of operations for the University’s leading scientists an clinical faculty working to develop tissue engineering, cellular therapies, biosurgery and artificial and biohybrid organ devices.
Molecular Medicine Institute http://www.mmi.pitt.edu
Over the last decade, the University of Pittsburgh has fostered the development of outstanding programs on the science, technology, and clinical practice of molecular medicine. This effort was consolidated under a flagship organization, the Molecular Medicine Institute (MMI). The mission of MMI is to function as a nucleus for gene and protein therapy research at the University of Pittsburgh and as such, provides the infrastructure and resources necessary to rapidly translate molecular medicine protocols from bench to bedside.
Core technologies are provided by MMI to allow research to remain competitive, and take advantage of remarkable shifts in our fundamental understanding and application of cell and animal model systems. MMI enhances the research environment at the University and abroad by conveniently providing access to the last instrumentation and technology. The current core components of MMI are: the Clinical Research and Oversight Core; the DNA Sequencing and Gene Discovery Core; the Human Gene Therapy Applications Laboratory; the Peptide Synthesis Core which also performs GLP synthesis; and the Pre-Clinical Viral Vector Core.
- Pre-Clinical Viral Vector Core
The mission of the Viral Vector Core is to provide state-of-the-art viral vector technology as well as novel vectors in support of Molecular Medicine research and clinical programs. The Core has been awarded a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to serve as a preclinical vector core for NHLBI-funded investigators.
The Viral Vector Core was established in 1991 as part of the gene therapy initiative at the University of Pittsburgh. Several institutes including the former Genetics Institute, the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute all contributed to its initial development. The core was designed to function both as a service facility as well as a research and development facility. As such, the Core has served as a hub for a number of gene therapy projects in recent years. The Core is located in the in the Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering and is directed by Drs. Paul Robbins and Andrea Gambotto.
The Core has experience with five types of viral delivery systems: retrovirus, lentivirus, adenovirus, adeno-associated, and herpes simplex virus for transfer of therapeutic genes. The role of the Core is to 1) construct and provide vectors expressing the appropriate genes; 2) provide cell lines, viruses, packaging lines, plasmids, and protocols; 3) work with investigators to optimize viral gene delivery and expression; and 4) provide technical assistance and training to individuals in the use of viral vectors for gene transfer, as needed.
Office of Clinical Research, Health Sciences http://www.clinicalresearch.pitt.edu
The Office of Clinical Research, Health Sciences (OCR) promotes the growth of clinical research within and across the six schools of the Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. The OCR’s mission is to facilitation promotion of an interdisciplinary collaborative environment that fosters the translation of research to the community. A successful collaborative environment will increase the institution’s competitiveness for clinical and translational research initiatives, promote the development of young clinical investigators, facilitate subject recruitment into clinical research studies, and improve health in the community by increasing access to university-based and medical system-wide clinical research. In addition, OCR provides research-related resources for volunteers, sponsors, investigators and research staff.
The OCR offers a number of services including the Clinical Research Informatics Service (CRIS), a data management core (including assistance with study design, data collection methods and data analyses), and Institutional Data and Safety Monitoring Board (IDSMB), research coordinator assistance, assistance in subject recruitment and an IRB submission service. In addition, OCR provides education and training resources for investigators, coordinators, and other key personnel involved in clinical research. The OCR website provides information on these as well as clinical research studies currently being conducted at the University of Pittsburgh.
Office of Enterprise Development http://www.oed.pitt.edu/about.asp
The Office of Enterprise Development (OED) helps faculty members who have brought their research to the next level—where moving it forward means moving it out of the University and into the hands of a business partner. OED can help inventors recognize when a discovery may have commercial potential; analyze the market potential and competitive landscape; strategize on how to protect intellectual property rights; understand how industry will measure risk and assign value; position a discovery for adoption by a commercial partner; present their ideas as solutions to a problem; evaluate when a discovery may require creation of a start-up company; navigate University processes/policies for invention disclosure, patenting, and conflict of interests; identify and connect with potential licensing partners and transform a scientific discovery into a viable business opportunity.
OED is a service of the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences, and acts as a resource for health sciences faculty pursuing entrepreneurship and interactions with industry. OED is a central link bringing the University of Pittsburgh's world class researchers together with the life sciences business community. By connecting University scientists and inventors with industry professionals, OED acts as a catalyst, stimulating academic-industry collaborations. OED also assists in the development of new life sciences start-up companies in the Pittsburgh region. In fulfilling their mission, OED strives to reward and retain faculty inventors, induce closer ties to industry, and promote economic growth in western Pennsylvania.
Office of Technology Management http://ech-link.tt.pitt.edu/about_overview.html
The Office of Technology Management (OTM) is responsible for the protection, management, and commercialization of intellectual property for the University. The OTM facilitates the invention commercialization process, including the protection (through patents and copyrights) and licensing of inventions; the post-licensing oversight of agreement compliance; distribution of royalties and fees; and record keeping for all aspects of the University’s intellectual property. Technology transfer is accomplished either by a license to an existing company or the creation of a new development-stage entity. The Office works closely with faculty members and corporate contacts to establish ongoing relationships and enhance research and its extension to commercial opportunities.
Pittsburgh Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Center for Biomedical Research http://www.cmu.edu/nmr-center/
The Pittsburgh Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Center for Biomedical Research is supported as a Biomedical Research Technology Facility by the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health. Established in 1986 by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, the center brings together scientists and clinical investigators in a concerted research program focusing on the application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to the biomedical sciences. Center investigators from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and local hospitals use animal and cellular models in their studies and have expertise in such diverse fields as biology, physics, computer sciences, neuroscience, medicine, and surgery. Other academic, medical, and industrial researchers are welcome to use the Center’s facilities.
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center http://www.psc.edu/
The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) provides university, government, and industrial researchers with access to several of the most powerful systems for high performance computing, communications and data-handling available to scientists and engineers nationwide for unclassified research. PSC advances the state-of-the-art in high-performance computing, communications and informatics and offers a flexible environment for solving the largest most challenging problems in computational science.
Protein/Peptide Sequence Laboratory http://www.pitt.edu/~biohome/index.html
The Protein/Peptide Sequence Laboratory is able to provide investigators with as much amino acid sequence or compositional data as possible from submitted samples. Chemical (Edman) protein /peptide sequencing and amino acid analytical services are provided. A PE BIosystem 492 Procise cLC sequencer provides state-of-the-art Edman chemistry, and in-gel digestion and separation is also available.
Technology Commercialization Alliance http://www.pitt.edu/tca/
The Technology Commercialization Alliance (TCA), which is overseen by the Office of the Provost, is the central gateway for the most innovative, inspired commercial ideas at the University of Pittsburgh. Through TCA, Pitt’s faculty, staff and students have at their fingertips all the resources necessary to ensure commercial success. Likewise, investors and members of private industry have in TCA a partner that will help them identify the best opportunities on campus.
Founded in 2002, the TCA is the premier resource for commercial innovation at the University of Pittsburgh, providing extensive entrepreneurial support, education, and outreach for the University of Pittsburgh faculty, staff, and students in their development of commercial innovation.
TCA gives innovators information, motivation, and technical support they need to bring their ideas successfully to market. The University is rich in resources that enhance every step of your project, from prototype design and analysis to entrepreneurial education, legal counsel, business collaboration opportunities, funding sources, and licensing.
Transgenic and Chimeric Mouse Facility http:///www.genetics.pitt.edu
The Transgenic and Chimeric Mouse Facility is located at the Biomedical Science Tower-3 at the University of Pittsburgh. The purpose of the facility is to provide a centralized service to produce transgenic and chimeric mice for investigators throughout the University of Pittsburgh and its affiliated institutions and hospitals. The facility contains injection and tissue culture rooms, and animal rooms for housing and breeding mice involved in the procedures for generating transgenic chimeric mice. The animal facility is a barrier facility, in which mice are fee of specific pathogens known to adversely affect their health and fecundity. This arrangement ensures the pseudopregnant female mice, transgenic mice and knockout mice delivered to the investigator will be healthy and meet the health requirements of their own animal facility. Services include DNA Microinjection, Mouse ES Cell Electroporation, Mouse ES Cell Microinjection, Embryo Derivation and Cryopreservation.
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) http://www.upci.upmc.edu
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in western Pennsylvania. Since 1985, the UPCI has been committed to improving the understanding of how cancer develops; to characterizing new lifesaving approaches for cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment; and to educating future generations of scientists and clinicians. Presently, UPCI receives a total of $149 million in research grants, and is ranked 14th in funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
The Institute's 500 faculty and staff, representing over 30 disciplines, work together closely to improve the understanding of cancer and to develop new lifesaving procedures in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. In the last five years, UPCI recruited more than 100 investigators and laboratory personnel. Among these recruits are many internationally respected physicians and scientists coming from prominent academic research centers, including NCI, Harvard University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Columbia University, and Imperial Cancer Research Fund (the leading cancer research institute in the United Kingdom).
Research conducted at UPCI reflects a comprehensive approach to understanding and defeating cancer. Basic research findings made at UPCI are the basis for the design of new and promising clinical studies that lead to quick and early patient access to new and innovative treatments. Currently, patients have access to approximately 350 open clinical trials at UPCI.
UPCI-initiated clinical research has garnered national and international recognition for the advanced treatment of melanoma, as well as brain, prostate, lung, ovarian, and breast cancers. Epidemiologic studies conducted through UPCI are yielding knowledge about the interaction of biological and environmental factors that contribute to cancer. UPCI's Behavioral Medicine and Oncology Program contributes valuable information on the biological markers linking emotional and physical well-being in cancer patients. UPCI findings in clinical and basic research appear regularly in prominent publications such as New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Science and Nature Medicine. |
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| CSR Study Section Descriptions |
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The Center for Scientific Review has updated and enhanced its study section descriptions. New reviewers often use them to learn about their study sections. Applicants also regularly use these descriptions to request a CSR study section that might best review their applications.
The CSR's chartered study section descriptions are now more transparent and reflective of the types of applications actually reviewed by CSR study sections. The updated descriptions were designed to be more user-friendly for applicants ─ particularly new applicants. The changes apply only to CSR’s chartered study sections, and not to any others organized by CSR or other NIH institutes or centers.
CSR enhanced its descriptions in response to requests from study section chairs and others in the scientific community who participated in evaluations of CSR’s review groups.
View the new descriptions at http://cms.csr.nih.gov/PeerReviewMeetings/CSRIRGDescriptionNew/
NIH encourages applicants to submit a cover letter with their application to suggest which study section(s) they think could best review their applications. CSR cannot guarantee it will follow these suggestions, but it does so when appropriate and possible. Having applications reviewed by study sections with the needed experts helps ensure the quality of NIH peer reviews and the identification of those projects most likely to advance science and health. More information on cover letters is available in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for NIH and Other PHS Agencies: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm
The descriptions for chartered study sections now have the following format:
- A one-paragraph overview of the scientific areas reviewed by the study section
- A bulleted list of the key specific topics
- Links to the membership roster and the three most recent meeting rosters of the review panel
- Links to related study sections that review similar areas of science
CSR expects to update these descriptions at least every year or sooner if needed. Updated descriptions of recurring special emphasis panels will be produced early in 2009. Study section chairs will help revise these descriptions during biannual reviews of CSR Integrated Review Groups (IRGs).
Background
The scientific boundaries and study section descriptions for CSR’s IRGs and their respective study sections were systematically rewritten between 2001 and 2004 as part of the Panel on Scientific Boundaries for Review initiative. Since then, science has evolved and CSR has updated the study section descriptions based on input from leaders of the scientific community who have participated in Open House Workshops, ongoing working groups to review study section performance, and biannual IRG evaluations. Based on more recent input, CSR took additional steps to improve its study section descriptions. At a recent biannual IRG review, the study section chairs drafted study section descriptions in the new format. The chairs responded positively, and CSR decided to update and enhance all of its chartered study section descriptions.
Inquiries
Please direct specific questions about individual study section descriptions to the respective Scientific Review Officer (SRO) by using the meeting roster links on the study section pages, which can be found via the Review Group Description Web site: http://cms.csr.nih.gov/PeerReviewMeetings/CSRIRGDescriptionNew/
CSR’s Division of Receipt and Referral can provide guidance on the process used to refer grant applications to IRGs. If you have questions about the assignment of your application to a CSR IRG, call the CSR Division of Receipt and Referral on 301-435-0715. General information on the application assignment and referral process is available on CSR’s Web site: http://cms.csr.nih.gov/ResourcesforApplicants/.
Direct Link for this Notice: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-027.html |
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