DF/HCC: Latest News

Seminars in Oncology: "Developing Better Treatments for Pancreatic Cancer"

Claudia_Steele@dfci.harvard.edu — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:09:02 -0400

KRAKOFF FAMILY LECTURE Guest Speaker: David Tuveson, MD, PhD Professor & Deputy Director of Cancer Center Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor, NYTuesday, June 25, 201, 4PM Jimmy Fund Auditorium - 35 Binney Street (Boston) Hosted by: Ramesh Shivdasani, MD, PhD

Pilot Project Developmental Funds to Support Interprogrammatic Research: "New Nodal Award"

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:12:00 -0400

Request for Applications
DANA-FARBER/HARVARD CANCER CENTER (DF/HCC)
Nodal Award Program 2013

_____________________________________________________________________________________ Award Amount: $75,000 per year for up to two years (direct costs). These are federal funds awarded to DFCI as part of the Development budget of the DF/HCC Cancer Center Support Grant (5P30CA006516-48), so indirect costs of 75% of modified total direct costs (MTDC) will be awarded. Deadline for submission: August 5, 2013 by 9:00AM EST Funding decisions will be made after peer review during September 2013 Anticipated award date: October 1, 2013 _____________________________________________________________________________________ OVERVIEW AND GOALS OF THE NODAL AWARD PROGRAM A key goal of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) is to encourage and support the development of scientific collaborations among Center members that promote new translational cancer research as well as research that addresses issues relevant to the unequal burden of cancer and cancer outcomes in diverse populations. To advance this goal, the DF/HCC annually solicits proposals for pilot projects that are designed to enhance or create new �nodal point� interactions between members in clinical-based and discipline-based DF/HCC Research Programs. These interactions provide an opportunity to link research efforts across Programs, with a focus on projects that have the potential of significant human application. Such inter-programmatic research efforts are the �nodal points� that are targeted for support by this award program. The Cancer Center has a particular interest in proposals that focus on eliminating cancer disparities. This year one nodal award will be made in collaboration with the Lung Cancer Disparities Center (LCDC) at Harvard School of Public Health. The aim of the LCDC is to identify how social, clinical, biological and environmental conditions�related to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES)�shape population patterns of risk and produce social disparities in lung cancer outcomes by influencing multiple pathways leading to poor health. This nodal award will be for an innovative proposal that advances the understanding of the joint influence of race and socioeconomic status on cancer disparities (with preference offered to proposals focused on lung cancer). AWARD INFORMATION Two pilot projects will be awarded. Each award is for $75,000 (direct costs) per year for up to two years, plus 75% indirect costs (based on MTDC). The anticipated award date is October 1, 2013. Projects must be ready to commence immediately after receipt of award.

One of the awards will be made in collaboration with the Lung Cancer Disparities Center (LCDC) at Harvard School of Public Health. This award will be for an innovative proposal that advances the understanding of the joint influence of race and socioeconomic status on cancer disparities (with preference offered to proposals focused on lung cancer).

ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must be DF/HCC members. Projects must be submitted as collaboration between two or more DF/HCC members who are members in good standing in interacting programs.

Proposals must involve the creation of new inter-programmatic �nodal point� interactions or the enhancement of pre-existing interactions between discipline- and clinical-based Programs within the Center. Please visit the DF/HCC website to learn more about the Programs and research members. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION Required items (4):

New Nodal Award Coversheet: (included in this RFA or from deborah_goff@dfci.harvard.edu). Please list the title of proposal, the inter-programmatic nodal collaboration proposed, the Principal Investigator, and the name and DF/HCC programmatic affiliation of each collaborator. Also indicate if the proposal is a lung cancer disparities-focused project or relates to the LCDC theme of examining the joint influence of race and socioeconomic status on cancer disparities.
Research Proposal: The proposal should describe the research to which this award would be applied, if funded, and should include 1) background, 2) specific aims and 3) research plan. The proposal should be a maximum of 5 pages of text, including figures. References and budget pages are not included in this page limit. Appendix material will not be accepted.
Biosketches and Other Support: Current NIH Biosketch for the PI and collaborator(s), including all funding sources.
Budget Request: Budget estimates should be submitted as NIH 398 form with major divisions of funds (personnel, equipment, supplies, other, with adequate rationale). PIs should include a level of effort and salary support commensurate with their efforts on the nodal project. Support and effort may be split between the PI and collaborator(s), with minimum 2.5 % effort per PI.
NIH Checklist

DEADLINE: August 5, 2013 by 9:00AM EST Submission requirements: An electronic (PDF) copy of application

Submit to: Deborah Goff; On behalf of Peter Howley, MD

Contact regarding questions: Mabel Duyao
Tel. (617) 432-1145
Email: mabel_duyao@hms.harvard.edu

Deborah Goff
Tel. (617) 632-4044
Email: deborah_goff@dfci.harvard.edu

REVIEW CRITERIA Applications will be peer- reviewed by designated members of DF/HCC and, for the disparities award, the LCDC Steering Committee. The DF/HCC Executive Committee will provide final approval for funding. Grants will be awarded on the basis of the following review criteria:

Scientific excellence and merit. Proposals should address important problems or critical barriers to progress in the field. For the disparities award, proposals should address the key components of the LCDC�s theme of jointly examining SES and racial/ethnic inequalities in cancer (preference for a focus on lung cancer). The aims should advance scientific knowledge, technical capability and/or clinical practice. Proposals need not have extensive preliminary data.
Innovation. Applications should challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by using novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation or interventions. Disparities proposals should contribute to new understandings of contribution of SES and race/ethnicity to lung cancer disparities.
Translation. Projects that have the opportunity to stimulate direct application to cancer treatment or prevention are encouraged.
Strength of inter-programmatic nodal collaboration. Projects should foster trans-disciplinary research and collaboration across clinical- and discipline based research programs. New collaborations are favored.
Inter-institutional links. Proposals that stimulate inter-institutional research will be favored in decisions between equally ranked applications.
Potential to gain independent funding. Projects should have the potential to lead to future independent external funding from the NCI or other cancer research foundations.

PROGRESS REPORTS A progress report is required after the first year of funding. Funding for the second year is contingent upon first-year progress. Grantees may be required to present their project and relevant finding at DF/HCC or LCDC meetings. A final report, including a summary of expenditures, is due at the end of the two-year project period. Should the PI leave the seven institutions of the DF/HCC, the remainder of the award will be forfeited (i.e., funds may not be transferred to a non-DF/HCC institution).

Announcement of new DF/HCC Phase I Review Initiative (PRI)

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:07:00 -0400

To: DF/HCC clinical and translational investigators

From: George Demetri and Dave Ryan, Associate Directors for Clinical Sciences, DF/HCC

Designing and implementing the most innovative clinical research to test hypotheses is a key component of our Cancer Center, and we know that speed and quality are both key components to this process for all clinical research trials. We are making a commitment to DF/HCC investigators to revise our processes so that we support both components in the best possible ways.

As a first step, we are pleased to announce the immediate implementation of a new process for the review of our phase I clinical studies.
This Phase I Review Initiative (PRI), which has been designed in association with Jeff Clark, Michele Russell-Einhorn, Amanda Hammond and other colleagues at the Office for Human Research Studies, compresses protocol review timelines with the goal of achieving IRB approval within 60 days of protocol submission.

All phase I trial applications will be assigned to PRI upon submission, and the investigators will be assigned target dates both for review and for study team responses. It is important that for PRI-designated protocols, investigators and study sponsors (most importantly, external industrial collaborators) must commit to provide very rapid response to any biostatistical and other departmental review comments prior to the SRC meeting, as well as to timely resolution of any issues raised during SRC and IRB reviews. OHRS will track compliance with these timelines and remove protocols from PRI that do not meet the requirements for timely investigator/study team responses.

We are enthusiastic that this new review initiative will be the first step to improving our DF/HCC process for protocol review, approval and activation of all clinical research studies, starting with this subset of Phase I trials. We look forward to hearing your thoughts as well as tracking your experiences with this new process.

Best regards.

George and Dave

____________________________________________
George Demetri MD and David Ryan MD

Co-Associate Directors for Clinical Sciences
Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center

gdemetri@partners.org <mailto:gdemetri@partners.org>
dpryan@partners.org <mailto:dpryan@partners.org>

Request for Applications: Funds Available for Investigator-initiated, Early Phase Trials

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:31:00 -0400

Protocol Specific Research Support (PSRS) funds provide support for important unfunded or under-funded, investigator-initiated, early phase trials, with a focus on facilitating the translation of new treatment or biomarker concepts from laboratory to clinic. The award amount varies and applications may be submitted year round. Applications are reviewed by the DF/HCC Scientific Resource and Prioritization Committee. For more information, please contact Dr. Jeffrey Clark at (617) 643-3415.

How to apply for PSRS funds? Investigators indicate their interest in receiving PSRS funds in the New Project Application � Clinical Trials available from the OHRS website. Check the PSRS Funds box in Part B, Question 4 (g) to indicate your interest in applying for PSRS funds and OHRS will forward the application and protocol to the DF/HCC Scientific Resource and Prioritization Committee for review. For questions, please contact:

Office for Human Research Studies
20 Overland Street
2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02115
Phone: 617-632-3029
Pager: 4-2299

Seminars in Oncology: "Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Subtypes, Molecular Targets, and Therapeutic Approaches"

Claudia_Steele@dfci.harvard.edu — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:22:21 -0400

JEAN AND JEROME PEARLSTEIN LECTURE Guest Speaker: Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD Professor of Biochemistry Director, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Nashville, TN Tuesday, June 18, 2013 4PM Jimmy Fund Auditorium Hosted by: Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD

Seminars in Oncology: "Structural Variation in Cancer Genomes"

Claudia_Steele@dfci.harvard.edu — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:02:36 -0400

Guest Speaker: Peter Park, PhD Associate Professor of Pediatrics Boston Children's Hospital Boston, MA Tuesday, June 11, 2013 4PM Jimmy Fund Auditorium (35 Binney Street) Hosted by: Ramesh Shivdasani, MD, PhD

New Resources for Researchers: Study retention, lab websites, recruiting with social media

catherine_coleman@dfci.harvard.edu — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:46:33 -0400

New resources have recently been added to the DF/HCC Health Communication Core website: Retention of study participants: How can researchers address the challenges of retaining longitudinal-study participants as they grow up? Customized lab websites: HCC has developed a streamlined, cost-effective web design process to meet the needs of research labs and cores. Social media: Tweets and �Likes� may offer low-cost ways to recruit the participants your study needs. The Health Communication Core provides a full range of professional creative services and DF/HCC member rates. Working on a grant application? Launching a new study? Looking for the best way to get your message across? Schedule a free consultation by contacting health_communication@dfci.harvard.edu or call Catherine Coleman, HCC assistant director, at (617) 632-5078. The Health Communication Core serves the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, National Cancer Institute, and other medical and research institutions in the US and internationally. To learn more, visit www.healthcommcore.org.

Mass General Center for Cancer Research 25th Anniversary Research Symposium

richard_power@dfci.harvard.edu — Fri, 31 May 2013 08:32:37 -0400

Mass General Center for Cancer Research 25th Anniversary Research Symposium All are welcome to MGH's Cancer Research Symposium, which takes place June 6, from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. It will be held in the MGH Starr Center, Simches Building at 185 Cambridge St., Boston. The Keynote speaker is James Allison, PhD, Professor and Chair of Immunology at MD Anderson. Other speakers will include: Jeffrey Engleman, MD, PhD Shymala Maheswaran, PhD Raul Mostoslavsky, MD, PhD Shobha Vasudevan, PhD Johnathan Whetstine, PhD Contact Ivona Olszak for more information.

May 2013 Cancer Control PLANET e-newsletter

Thu, 30 May 2013 15:43:00 -0400

May 2013

Inside this Issue


>		COLLABORATION

		Research to Reality Cyber-Seminar: June 18, 2013, 2:00-3:00pm ET LGBT Health Disparities

>		PROGRAMS

		Web-based Physical Activity Intervention for College-aged Women

>		RESEARCH SYNTHESIS

		Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and the Community Guide

>		CANCER CONTROL P.L.A.N.E.T. LISTSERV FEEDBACK

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COLLABORATION:

A number of exciting features and vibrant discussions are well-underway on Research to Reality!

Join in a discussion with our new RTIPS Featured Partner Dr. Lynne Ornes whose program �Web-based Physical Activity Intervention for College-aged Women� was recently selected for inclusion on RTIPs. View our discussion with Dr. Ornes and join the dialogue with her and other researchers and practitioners who are adapting, implementing, and evaluating cancer control programs in their communities.

Coalition Corner is an ongoing feature on R2R. This month, Karin Holman and Leslie Given are soliciting ideas for future topics. What would you like to see discussed on Coalition Corner? What would help you move your coalition forward in the next few months? What are the opportunities and challenges you want to discuss with experts and your colleagues? Join the discussion today.

Last month, Dr. Russ Glasgow started a discussion with Dr. Kurt Stange to share their thoughts on stakeholder engagement. A number of researchers and community partners have already weighed in. What are your thoughts?

Research to Reality Cyber-Seminar: June 18, 2013, 2:00-3:00pm ET LGBT Health Disparities

Join us as we explore health disparities across the cancer continuum among the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgender (LGBT) population. This session will highlight recent research, programs, and resources designed to understand and address these disparities. More Information and Registration.

PROGRAMS:

Web-based Physical Activity Intervention for College-aged Women

The program is designed to promote physical activity among college-aged women. The intervention includes the following: 1) Modules 1-9; 2) Goal Statement form; 3) Recording Sheet; 4) Directions for Wearing Pedometer; and 5) Participant form. A research study was conducted to test the efficacy of the intervention and at posttest, the intervention group increased their physical activity significantly higher than the control group.

RESEARCH SYNTHESIS:

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and the Community Guide

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) now includes an announcement of Community Preventive Services Task Force findings each time a summary of the finding is posted on The Community Guide website.

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Research to Reality Cyber Seminar: Cultural Competency and LGBT Health Disparities: Identifying Barriers and Tailoring Strategies

Thu, 30 May 2013 15:40:00 -0400

Cultural Competency and LGBT Health Disparities: Identifying Barriers and Tailoring Strategies

Tuesday, June 18th, 2013, 2:00 p.m. � 3:00 p.m. ET

Understanding and improving the health, safety, and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals is a growing public health concern and is a goal for Healthy People 2020. The June National Cancer Institute (NCI) Research to Reality cyber-seminar will explore several health disparities this population faces across the cancer continuum. Join us as we feature research, programs, and resources designed to assess and address cancer health disparities facing sexual minorities.

Dr. Jose Bauermeister from the University of Michigan will share an overview of the issue and highlight outcomes from the Michigan Smoking and Sexuality study. This cross-sectional, observational study examined the psychosocial correlates associated with female youth's smoking behaviors in Michigan. The findings are informing the development of a tailored smoking cessation program for this population.

Liz Margolies, Founder and Executive Director of the National LGBT Cancer Network will focus on the LGBT population�s access to patient-centered care. The session will also highlight a new cultural competency booklet, �LGBT Patient-Centered Outcomes: Cancer Survivors Teach Us How To Improve Care For All." Ms. Margolies" will discuss how cultural competency is a key tool for closing the disparities gap in health care and her experiences implementing this training curriculum.

The final part of the webinar will be dedicated to Q&A and discussion and will offer an opportunity to engage with the presenters, and also to share your own experiences and thoughts.

Speakers:

Jose Bauermeister, PhD, MPH Assistant Professor, University of Michigan School of Public Health; Director of the Center for Sexuality & Health Disparities	Liz Margolies, LCSW Founder and Executive Director, National LGBT Cancer Network

Register Now!
Please click on the following link for more information and to register for this event: https://researchtoreality.cancer.gov/cyber-seminars.

Following registration, you will receive a confirmation email with the toll free number, web URL, and participant passcode. This cyber-seminar will be archived on the Research to Reality (R2R) web site at http://researchtoreality.cancer.gov approximately one week following the presentation.

Cyber-Seminar Archive
IIf you have missed any of the previous cyber-seminars, you can view them all on the R2R Archive. Watch the presentations, and join in the discussions.

For more information on the cyber-seminar series please email ResearchtoReality@mail.nih.gov