Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

CSRD Newsletter

Vol. 5, No. 4, 2023.4.27

ORD Seeks to Establish VA/STARRS-LS 

Researcher-in-Residence Program

Army STARRS (Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service Members) was a DoD-funded project that commenced in 2009 and was designed to comprehensively investigate risk and protective factors for suicide, suicide-related behavior, non-suicidal self-injury, and other mental/behavioral health issues in Army Soldiers. It is the largest research study of mental health risk and resilience ever conducted among Army personnel.  STARRS-LS (Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service Members – Longitudinal Study) extends the original Army STARRS effort through follow-up of Soldiers during their careers in the Army as well as during their transition from the military to civilian life (https://starrs-ls.org/#/list/publications). To date, approximately 60% of the STARRS-LS survey cohort have transitioned to Veterans status, and therefore, data collected in this research study has significant relevance for examining longitudinal predictors of suicide in Veterans.

To increase opportunities for VA investigators, the Office of Research and Development (ORD), through the Suicide Prevention Research Impact NeTwork (SPRINT), seeks to establish a Researcher-in-Residence Program that will allow VA investigators to use data collected as part of STARRS-LS to examine predictors of suicidality and related outcomes. The Residents will work as part of ongoing STARRS-LS teams and have opportunities to develop data analytic skills necessary for research that involves large data sets.  This residency is intended to provide individuals with opportunities to establish their own suicide prevention research portfolio that will be useful for other funding opportunities.

This is a 2-year residency, with ORD supporting 50% salary for each year. Residents will be eligible for the second year of funding contingent upon the support of the mentorship team and successful completion of Year 1 residency goals. VA-salaried investigators should hold an MD, PhD, or equivalent advanced degree, and have at least a 5/8ths VA appointment at a VA medical center or VA-approved site.

Full proposals are due from applicants on June 15, 2023, by 8:00PM ET, and the residency would commence October 1, 2023. The full Request for Applications (RFA) can be found here:

https://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/centers/core/sprint/STARRS-research-in-residence-RFA.docx.

or by visiting:

VA/STARRS-LS Researcher-in-Residence Program

--from the desk of Dr. Joseph Constans, Senior Manager for Suicide Prevention

Clinical Trial and Career Development

LOI Deadline is Monday, May 1

The deadline for Fall 2023 clinical trial and career development letters of intent is May 1. Of note, many local research offices will have earlier internal deadlines to submit. Please work with your local research office if interested in submitting an LOI for the upcoming May deadline.

Broad RFAs Announced:

Pre-applications due May 1

The VA ORD Pain and Opioid Actively Managed Portfolio (POp AMP) is pleased to announce the release of its Broad RFAs.

The RFAs are now posted on the RFA page of the ORD intranet site at https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/rfa.cfm  (available on the VA intranet, only), under the section for ORD Wide Requests for Applications. 

Currently Available RFAs are: 

The Pain and Opioid Actively Managed Portfolio RFAs for the BLRD and CSRD Fall and Spring cycles will be available soon.  Please note that both the Parent Merit Review Award and the Clinical Trials RFAs require a pre-application, due May 1, 2023. Please see RFAs for submission instructions and due dates.

Finally, a webinar on these broad RFAs was held on April 18, 2023.  The webinar recording and slides are posted at this website under archived sessions:  https://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/cyberseminars/.

• Broad RFAs for Pain and Opioid Actively Managed Portfolio- 4/18/2023

Please feel free to reach out to any POp AMP Scientific contact listed in the RFAs and FAQs for further questions.

National VA Research Week 2023: Cutting-Edge Care Through Research will be observed May 8-19 (extended) and will mark the 98th anniversary of VA Research.  Information and resources to support local VA Research Week commemorations may be found at the ORD website, National VA Research Week, or ORD SharePoint site, SharePoint Home - Home. CSRD-funded investigator, Dr. Nicholas Nickols, will be recognized by VA Secretary, Denis McDonough, in the National VA Research Week Kick-Off on May 9.

ORD Open House held April 26

On April 26, CSRD joined ORD and guests for a Spring Party and Open House in ORD’s new location at 811 Vermont Ave NW in Washington, DC. The new location that has been occupied for approximately 7 months is across the street from the  main VA building at 810 Vermont Avenue NW and one block from the White House.  811 Vermont, also known as the Lafayette Building, was completed in 1940 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 2005. It occupies two-thirds of an irregularly shaped block bounded by Vermont Avenue and Fifteenth, I and H streets and has an unusual footprint that is shaped like a lowercase E. ORD moved there last September from 1100 First Street in DC.

The event, that was spomsored by ORD's Employee Engagement Tiger Team, was attended both in-person and virtually. A number of attendees are pictured above. A few snapshots are included below:

From left: CRADO Rachel Ramoni and Vetisha McClair

From left: Deputy CRADO Wendy Tenhula, Holly Krull, and Eric Schwinder

Frrom left:Jenny Moser, Nick Simon, Arun Sharma, and Mike Burgio

LOIs for Precision Oncology Actively

Managed Portfolio (AMP) due June 1

The deadline for Fall 2023 Precision Oncology AMP RFAs letters of intent is June 1.

Prior to submitting an LOI applicants are encouraged to meet with the Senior Portfolio Manager for Precision Oncology, Dr. Ken Myrie – Kenute.Myrie@va.gov).

LOI Guidance and Template is available here:

BLRD/CSRD Resources For the VA Research Community

RFAs are available here:

RFAs and Program Announcements (va.gov)

Applications due July 6 for ORD Research

Supplements to Promote Diversity

On April 26, CSRD joined ORD and guests for a Spring Party and Open House in ORD’s new location at 811 Vermont Ave NW in Washington, DC. The new location that has been occupied for approximately 7 months is across the street from the main VA building at 810 Vermont Avenue NW and one block from the White House.  811 Vermont, also known as the Lafayette Building, was completed in 1940 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 2005. It occupies two-thirds of an irregularly shaped block bounded by Vermont Avenue and Fifteenth, I and H streets and has an unusual footprint that is shaped like a lowercase E. ORD moved there last September from 1100 First Street in DC.

The event was attended both in-person and virtually. A number of the attendees are pictured above. A few snapshots are included below:

• RD-23-029 -– mentored research supplements for early career scientists from underrepresented populations. Applications due July 6, 2023

These will be offered as Type 3 supplements to active VA Merits funded by BLRD, CSRD, HSRD, and RRD.

• Budget:  $100,000/yr for up to 2 years
• Applications will only be accepted through grants.gov/NIH Assist and reviewed via eRA commons. 

The DEI supplement RFAs posted on the VA intranet, here: https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/rfa.cfm

An informational webinar was held on February 15, 2023 and is posted here: https://www.research.va.gov/funding/diversity.cfm

For more information: Carol.Fowler@va.gov.

Have you Missed Something?

If you’ve missed an edition of this CSRD newsletter, all past issues are available at Clinical Science Research and Development (va.gov). Published monthly (with a few exceptions) since the fall of 2019, the newsletter exists to reach out to CSRD researchers and stakeholders interested in CSRD Research. It includes both static and dynamic content – messages from the Director or designee, updates on Merit Review and Career Development, useful links and lists of conferences where you may meet and greet us; notices of awards, new initiatives, and program announcements; and other highlights. You can expect the newsletter to arrive in your mailbox during the last week of the month with the subject line, CSRD (current month) Newsletter. It will be sent from either Clinical Science Research and Development or from the mailbox, VHABLRD-CSRD@va.gov. For questions, additional information, or a new subscription for a colleague, contact editor Lucindia Shouse (Lucindia.Shouse@va.gov).

CSRD DMC is Seeking Biostatisticians

The CSRD Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), that provides data and safety monitoring for CSRD funded projects, is seeking biostatisticians and other new members. For more information, please contact DMC Manager Dr. Tamara Paine.at Tamara.Paine@va.gov).

CSRD Contact Information

Career Development: VHACADEReview@va.gov

Clinical Trials: clin-review@va.gov

General Mailbox: VHABLRD-CSRD@va.gov  (Please note this is a shared mailbox that should be used for general questions that will triaged by staff to the appropriate individual.)

Just-in-Time Mailbox: VHACOBLCSRDJIT@va.gov

Newsletter:  Lucindia.Shouse@va.gov

Scientific Portfolio/Program Managers: BLR&D and CSR&D Contact Information (va.gov)