If you’re a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, who’s 38 or younger and was born abroad, consider applying for the Vilcek Foundation Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. Three scientists who have shown extraordinary promise will receive an unrestricted $35,000 cash prize. Applications are due August 14, 2012. For more information or to apply, visit www.vilcek.org.

A new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that 63 percent of multiple myeloma patients have a reduced risk of disease progression or death if treated with lenalidomide (Revlimid®) following a stem cell transplant. The study was co-authored by Richard Mariarz, MD, medical director of the Adult Stem Cell Transplantation Program & Center for Hematologic Malignancies at the Knight Cancer Institute.

Read the OHSU News Release to learn more.

This June, we’re going back to the basics with one of our most popular Funding Focus seminars: Grant Writing 101. The seminar will be held Thursday, June 14 from 12 to 1 p.m. in Mac Hall 2201. It’s open to all researchers and research administrators at OHSU, but it’s perfect for those new to OHSU or to the grant writing in general.

You’ll learn the key elements of a successful proposal, including how to:

• Plan your work
• Have all the write elements in place
• Understand OHSU processes
• Know your audience
• Have a great idea and strong science
• Write a great application

This presentation is one of a series of workshops that Research Funding and Development Services offers throughout the year, designed to share advice, tips, and general information on funding for the OHSU research community. It’s free; no need to register. Questions? Contact funding@ohsu.edu.

Mentoring high school and undergraduate students is an important part of our research work at OHSU. Here’s a checklist of steps you need to take to ensure your trainee has the best experience possible.

What we need to know about volunteers and intern:

If you are mentoring a high school or undergraduate student or teacher this summer, either on your own or through a program (such as CURE, ASE, OIDD Summer Youth Employment Program, Murdock Collaborative Research Program, CROET Summer Student Research Awards, Partners in Scientific Inquiry, etc.), please email Susan Shugerman, Assistant Vice Provost for Education Outreach, with the name and grade level (high school or undergraduate) of the individual(s) you are mentoring. Indicate if they are here as a participant in a particular program.

Steps to ensure your trainee has the best experience possible:

• You must register your student with Research & Academic Volunteer Services if he/she is (all must apply):
  • 16 years of age or older,
  • commits to at least 40 hours of work total,
  • does not have the same level of responsibility as employees (duties will be reviewed by Volunteer Services), and
  • is not being paid by OHSU or any outside organization.

Registration with Research & Academic Volunteer Services will ensure the student’s eligibility for Workers’ Compensation benefits in the event of a work related injury. For more information about Research & Academic Volunteers, please visit the Research & Academic Volunteer Services website.

• The hosting department must register students who do not meet the above requirements according to the Visiting Scientists Policy (as “Unescorted Visitors”). For more information on duties and registration of these individuals please consult with your HR Business Partner.
• The hosting department must register students who are employed by OHSU as employees through Human Resources. If the student is being paid, they are in the OHSU system and are automatically covered by Workers’ Compensation.

Protecting your interns and volunteers:

• For all minor students (under the age of 18), the hosting department must complete of a Parental Consent form. The hosting department keeps the completed forms on file for five years. (Note – students at OHSU in conjunction with Saturday Academy’s ASE program do not need to fill out OHSU’s Parental Concent form. Saturday Academy consent forms provide all necessary information and coverage.)
• If your student is under the age of 18, you must also read the Guidelines for Hosting Minors in Labs at OHSU and keep a signed copy on file for five years.

Join the party for volunteers!

The Office of Science Education Opportunities is hosting a Summer Welcome pizza party for high school and undergraduate students and teachers on campus this summer, to meet peers and learn about campus programs and resources. An invitation to this optional event will be sent to all OHSU mentored and visiting summer students. Please make a note of these dates and times:

• West Campus – Tuesday, June 26, 12 – 1:30 p.m., ONPRC, Malinow Lunch Room
• Marquam Hill Campus – Thursday, June 28, 12 – 1:30 p.m., BICC Gallery

Questions related to students on campus should be directed to Susan Shugerman.

Thanks to everyone who participated in and attended OHSU’s inaugural Research Week, making it a huge success! Please take a moment of your time to give us feedback on the event so that we can improve the event in the future.

Take the survey.

View a recap of the event or a list of award winners on the School of Medicine Research Voice.

The Center for Diversity & Inclusion is excited to host Monica Parker, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology from the Emory School of Medicine on Friday, June 1, 2012 at 2 p.m. in room B60 on the eighth floor of the University Hospital. Dr. Parker’s talk, “Meaningful Engagement: Increasing Minority Participation in Research in an Academic Health Center,” will address recruitment strategies to increase minority participation in neurologic research.

For more information contact the Center for Diversity & Inclusion at 503 494-5657.

About Dr. Parker

Dr. Parker graduated from the University of Nebraska School of Medicine and completed her residency in Family Medicine from the University of Mississippi at Jackson. She is a board certified Family Physician and is a member of the Georgia Academy of Family Practice, the Gerontologic Society of America, and the Geriatrics Society of Georgia. She will also be giving the keynote presentation at the 3rd Aging & Memory in the African American Community Conference in Portland on Saturday, June 2, 2012.

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) will soon be launching its first signature initiative, Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules, which will give researchers access and funding to study compounds from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly that hit a roadblock after initial safety testing in humans. According to the NIH Extramural News: “Much like azidothymidine (AZT), which proved unsuccessful as a cancer drug but revolutionized HIV treatment, we hope that these molecules will be put to new therapeutic uses.”

NCATS has budgeted $20 million for this initiative and expects to fund 8-10 cooperative agreements. For more information on the application process (a pre-application will be required), refer to the NIH notice of intent to publish a request for applications.

Other resources

• Read the NIH Extramural News article
• Reply to the program’s Request for Information by June 1, 2012
• See what ScienceInsider has to say about the new program

The Department of Behavioral Neuroscience continues its Joseph D. Matarazzo Lecture Series this spring with visiting scientist Michael S. Fanselow, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychology, UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences UCLA Integrative Center for Learning & Memory. Dr. Fanselow will be discussing, “Neural Circuits that put Fear into Context,” which will explore the nature and function of fear, in particular, how fear is learned and how memories of that fear are stored in the brain.

Dr. Fanselow will be presenting Monday, May 21, 2012 in the Joseph Vey Conference Center of the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital from 2-3 p.m. to be followed by a reception with drinks and hor d’oeuvres. RSVP is encouraged and appreciated. To RSVP or for more information: contact Nicole Ernst at 503 494-9708.

About Dr. Fanselow

Michael S. Fanselow has held academic appointments at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute and Dartmouth College before coming to UCLA in 1987. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and received the Edwin B Newman Award for Excellence in Research for his dissertation work there. He has also received the Early Career Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, the D. O. Hebb Award from the American Psychological Association, the Troland Award from the National Academy of Science, and is a member of the honorary Society of Experimental Psychologists. He was elected President of the American Psychological Association’s Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology and President of the Pavlovian Society.

The American Heart Association has announced its summer deadlines for a wide range of funding opportunities relating to cardiovascular disease and stroke. All proposals and applications will be due either July 17th or 18th, 2012. Don’t forget that earlier this year, the Association enacted new policies regarding membership and application fees. Find the full program descriptions below.

Read more…

Your child brushes, flosses, and rinses with fluoride—but is it enough to prevent all cavities? According to new research at OHSU’s School of Dentistry, multiple strains of the cavity-causing bacteria may remain in the mouths of children even after undergoing six months of full-mouth caries restorative therapy.

For the study, plaque from seven children, ages 3 to 12, who visited the dentist with severe early childhood caries, was collected at three appointments: prior to oral care, at the two- to four-week post-treatment visit, and at the six-month recall visit. Prior to treatment, between 3 to 7 strains of mutans streptococci were isolated from each of the 7 patients. Six months later, this number diminished to 1 to 2 dominant strains, some with high-acid producing potential.

“The implication of this study are that well-accepted practices for sever childhood dental caries therapy should be more closely examined for efficacy,” says Curt Machinda, Ph.D., principal investigator and OHSU professor of integrative bio-sciences and pediatric dentistry.

Read the full article, or view the study online.

The study was published in the March-April 2012 issue of Pediatric Dentistry.