CSRD May Newsletter

Veterans Health Administration sent this bulletin at 05/25/2023 04:21 PM EDT

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Clinical Science

Research and Development

CSRD Newsletter

Vol. 5, No. 5, 2023.5.25

Dr. Nickols honored in Research Week Kick-Off

Pictured from left at Research Week Kick-Off Ceremonies on May 9 are the Honorable Denis Richard McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Nicholas Nickols, CSRD-funded research investigator from the Greater Los Angeles VA; Dr. Shereef Elnahal, VHA Under Secretary for Health; Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Assistant Under Secretary for Health, Discovery, Education & Affiliate Networks; and Dr. Rachel Ramoni, Office of Research & Development Chief Research and Development Officer.

CSRD-funded research investigator Dr. Nicholas Nickols was one of six individuals honored for outstanding contributions to medical science and Veteran-centered research in Kick-Off ceremonies held on May 9 for VA’s 2023 Research week.

In remarks during the Kick-Off ceremony Dr. Nickols thanked, first, United States Veterans for their service to the nation and its people, recognizing Veterans as the reason we are here. He also thanked the Office of Research & Development for its mission-focused Veteran-centric research noting that a researcher could not ask for a more worthy objective. He thanked specifically Dr. Clancy, Assistant Under Secretary for Health, Discovery, Education & Affiliate Networks; Dr. Rachel Ramoni, ORD Chief Research and Development Officer; and Dr. Ken Myrie, Clinical Science Research and Development Senior Portfolio Manager, for the vision, direction, organization and support for those who do research for Veterans. He pointed out it was Dr. Myrie who brought him into the VA through the Career Development Award program which he recommended for everyone. In listing the many teams of which he is a part at the Greater Los Angeles VA and the University of California, Los Angeles, he cited the Prostate Cancer Center of Excellence, which he described as one of the first within the VA, noting that it is led by Dr. Matthew Rettig, his research mentor, who also brought him into the VA. Dr. Nickols ended his remarks by addressing medical students, residents, fellows and young investigators who want to do research that matters, telling them that the VA is the place to build their home.

Dr. Nickols is Chief of Radiation Oncology Service at the GLA VA and Associate Professor-in-Residence and Vice Chairperson for VA Services, UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology at UCLA. His leadership of not just oncology research but also of educational and clinical oncology has put him at the forefront of VA support for President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot and its goal of cutting the death rate from cancer by 50 percent over the next 25 years. He and his team developed the first Positron Emission Topography imaging program within the VA and demonstrated its value at the molecular level in the planning of radiation therapy for prostate cancer. He also helped build a collection of subject matter experts and mentors from across the oncology field to form GLA's first prostate cancer clinical research team. Dr. Nickols is in the first decade of his VA career.

Each May National VA Research Week is celebrated to raise awareness of Veteran focused medical research. The Kick-Off was the first of many events happening across the nation, each dedicated to honoring and celebrating VA researchers. The 2023 theme was Cutting Edge Care through Research dedicated to showcasing the meticulous efforts of the 3,700 investigators who work daily to discover breakthroughs and support health outcomes for our nation’s Veterans. The week publicly recognizes the great work in research that is done year-round by researchers from 110 active research sites with funding amounting to more than $2.2 billion and resulting in 18,000 published articles.

Atlanta VA Hosts One of Many Research Week Events

ORD Representatives Dr. Lina Kubli (front, center) and Dr. Mark Roltsch (front, right) are pictured below at the Career Development Award breakout session at Research Day at the Atlanta VA , one of many events happening across the nation during National VA Research Week, May 8-19.

LOIs Received for Spring Funding Round

CSRD has a requirement for a Letter of Intent (LOI) to be approved prior to submitting an application that is for a Clinical Trial or the Career Development Program. The deadline (May 1, 2023) resulted in 28 LOIs for Clinical Trials. The Career Development program received 52 Letters of Intent, including 26 for BLRD and 26 for CSRD. We use the opportunity in LOI review to ensure the service direction, eligibility, and proposed science are aligned with CSRD interest and priorities. We intend to send response letters to submitting research offices the week of May 29. We also encourage applicants to read the letter for important feedback, including the encouragement to contact their specific program officer in advance of application submission.

Precision Oncology AMP LOIs due June 1

The deadline for Letters of Intent (LOIs) for the Fall 2023 Precision Oncology Actively Managed Portfolio (AMP) RFAs 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)

Centralized Positions Process Streamlined

The VA Centralized Positions panel reviews nominations for ORD-funded Research Positions at GS 14 and GS 15. All other ORD funded position classification requests should be submitted via Leaf to Research HR Classification Shared Services Unit, Human Resources Operations Office, Workforce Management and consulting.

The submission process for the Centralized Positions at GS 14 and 15 has been recently streamlined and First Level classification review by the VISN Central Classification Unit is no longer required. We have also updated instructions for submitting GS 14 and GS 15 Hybrid Title 38 positions for approval.

The most up to date submission instructions, forms and informational webinar recordings are found at: https://www.research.va.gov/resources/centralized_positions.cfm.

Finally, as of March 2023, the Centralized Positions panel has become a single cross-service reviewing all promotion nominations regardless of the funding service. Review meetings will be held quarterly in Mid-June, Mid-September, Mid-December and Mid-March. Complete and correct packets must be received via IRBNet at least 30 days prior to the next scheduled meeting to be reviewed at that meeting. Please contact your service POC for any questions:

BLRD/CSRD: Dr. Carol Fowler, carol.fowler@va.gov

HSRD: Robert Small, robert.small@va.gov

RRD: Tiffany Asqueri, Tiffany.Asqueri@va.gov

Barnwell/Middleton Ceremony is June 29

A joint ceremony for recipients of the John Blair Barnwell and William S. Middleton Awards will be held June 29 at the San Francisco VA.

Dr. Kristina Yaffe is the 2022 is the recipient of the Barnwell Award for outstanding achievement in clinical science which is Clinical Science Research and Development's (CSRD) highest honor for scientific achievement. The award recognizes senior VHA investigators who have achieved international acclaim for clinical research accomplishments in areas of prime importance to VA's research mission and who have demonstrated a high level of clinical commitment to Veterans. The award will be presented by Dr. Miriam Smyth, Acting Director of CSRD.

Dr. Judith Ford is one of the 2022 recipientss of the Middleton Award which is the highest honor awarded annually by the Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development Service (BLRD) to senior VA biomedical research scientists in recognition of their outstanding scientific contributions and achievements in the areas of biomedical and bio-behavioral research relevant to the healthcare of Veterans. The award will be presented by Dr. Holly Krull, Acting Director of BLRD.

Dr. Mark Roltsch, CSRD Scientific Portfolio Manager, also will attend the awards ceremony.

Supplement Applications due July 6

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.

Publication Highlights:

An article by CSRD-funded investigator, Dr. Christie Roumie, has been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. An abstract of the article titled, "Primary Occurrence of Cardiovascular Events After Adding Sodium–Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors or Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Compared With Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors: A Cohort Study in Veterans With Diabetes," may be accessed at https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-2751 where a PDF file of the article can be downloaded.
An article titled, "Analysis of Plaque Characteristics by Virtual Histology-Intravascular Ultrasound in Short-Term Follow-Up Post-Acute Coronary Syndrome and Association With Lipid-Lowering Therapy: Insights From the PREMIER Trial," was recently published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association at
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.122.028873. CSRD-funded researcher Dr. Subhash Banerjee was the principal investigator for the project that led to the article.

Please Meet and Greet Us

Here are a few places, CSRD representatives will be over the next few weeks:

Dr. Lori Davis will represent the Office of Research & Development at the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology annual meeting May 30-June 2 in Miami Beach, Florida. Dr. Davis who is a CSRD-funded investigator, will be a panel participant along with representatives from academia, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, European regulatory agencies, and industry.
Dr. Ken Myrie, CSRD senior portfolio manager for precision oncology, and Dr. Nicholas Simon, CSRD scientific portfolio manager, will be attending the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting June 2-6 in Chicago, Illinois.

CSRD DMC is Seeking New Members

The CSRD Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), that provides data and safety monitoring for CSRD-funded projects, is seeking biostatisticians, neurologists, 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)


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