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Houston Methodist Academic Institute
NEWSLETTER
October 2022
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Houston Methodist signs up to join The Ion
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Houston Methodist is building the first healthcare-centered innovation hub to advance medical technology within the Ion, a technology park and innovation district in Midtown. The tech hub, expected to open later this year, will be modeled after Houston Methodist’s Center for Innovation Technology Hub, which opened in early 2020 to provide a laboratory environment for the latest innovations in health care technology, such as remote monitoring and virtual reality. The space at the Ion will be a smaller version of the original space. The purpose of the expanding into the Ion is to collaborate with other tenants and entrepreneurs from various industries, such as aerospace, energy, and oil and gas companies already embedded in the innovation hub, said Michelle Stansbury, vice president of Innovation and IT Applications at Houston Methodist. The Ion, a renovated former Sears building in Midtown, debuted last year, providing space for tenants ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft and Chevron. Houston Methodist and the Ion were in talks about a collaboration before the building opened, Stansbury said. Read more at the Houston Chronicle.
Digital Methodology
The NanoLymph: Implantable. Adaptable. Anti-Cancer.
Led by Alessandro Grattoni, PhD, Professor of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist researchers developed an implantable cancer vaccine device called NanoLymph that can recruit and activate antitumor immune cells locally to elicit a systemic antitumor immune response. Unlike other cancer vaccine approaches, NanoLymph is designed to be a long-term platform that can be refilled with minimal invasiveness to provide continuous immune therapy that can be tailored based on a patient’s ongoing response to the therapy. Read more in digital Methodology.
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Announcements
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Supplemental Methods Newsletter
Our online magazine, Methodology, now has a quarterly newsletter – Supplemental Methods – scheduled for launch this month. Each edition will showcase Houston Methodist Academic Institute’s educational and research achievements in each of our academic pillars. Supplemental Methods will also feature videos, infographics, award announcements and much more. Stay tuned!
Houston Methodist wins six Vizient Awards
Six Houston Methodist hospitals have been recognized as top performers in the Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership annual rankings from Vizient. Our hospitals are recognized in different categories for demonstrating excellence in delivering high-quality care. The measures include safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency, patient centeredness and equity. Vizient’s Quality and Accountability study has played an important role in our overall improvement over the years, as it provides a valuable tool to help gauge where we are and where we need to be. Click here to learn more about these awards.
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Presidential Seminar Series debuts
Stuart Weinstein, MD, was the first speaker at the newly launched Presidential Series Seminar. Weinstein presented lessons learned form a career focused on the management of congenital pediatric orthopedic pathologies of the hip, from mild dysplasia to congenital hip dislocation. The event was hosted by Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.
2022 PCORI Annual Meeting Registration Now Open Registration for the 2022 PCORI Annual Meeting is now open. The annual meeting will be held virtually Oct. 26-27 and will report on PCORI’s progress in funding initiatives to determine which care approaches work best, for whom and under what conditions.  As part of this year’s event, attendees will hear from expert researchers, healthcare and industry leaders, committed community partners and patients with lived experience who have been part of the research PCORI funds. There will be keynote speakers, more than 50 breakout sessions and plenary and poster sessions including presentations focused on such topics as:  
  • Applying for PCORI funding
  • COVID-19
  • Health equity and disparities
  • Health-care innovation
  • Intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • Maternal health
  • Telehealth
George and Angelina Kostas Research Center for Cardiovascular Nanomedicine “The New Frontier of RNA Nanotherapeutics” meeting, presented by the George and Angelina Kostas Research Center for Cardiovascular Nanomedicine, will feature a discussion on the events that led to the RNA vaccine breakthrough and preview emerging RNA nanotherapeutics. Advances in the design of RNA constructs to improve stability and translational efficiency will be presented along with the leading-edge developments in nanomedicine to improve delivery and tissue specificity. The hybrid conference will be Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Click here to register.
Walk to End Alzheimer’s The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is on Saturday, Nov. 5. The Walk will be held at Lynn Eusan Park, 4800 Calhoun Road, at the University of Houston. Registration starts at 8 a.m., and the walk starts at 9:30 am. Houston Methodist is a sponsor. For details, click here.
Praying for each other
Every week, the Prayer Connect Team at Houston Methodist Hospital sends an email with prayer requests. About 160 Methodist employees have committed to pray for requests from our colleagues and community. We believe that staying connected is vital to our well-being, so please consider joining the chaplains in this initiative. If you would like to join us in praying for the requests of our employees and community, please reply to this email or contact Michela deTranaltes, Project Specialist for Grace Ministries, so we can add you to our confidential online community. If you would like to submit a prayer, either text PRAYER to 45991 or email HMHPrayerRequest@houstonmethodist.org.
Hang Ten: Employee Support Group
Hang Ten provides a safe and confidential environment for mutual support. A chaplain will facilitate the group and introduce life tools such as mindfulness, intentionality and reframing. Each session will stand alone, so feel free to log on any week for as long as your time permits. The group meets every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. Click here to join the recurring meeting.
Accolades
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Kyuson Yun, PhD, recently received an R01 to validate the clinical accuracy of E-slices for predicting triple negative breast cancer patient response to standard of care, which now includes immunotherapy.
NIH News
The NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Program (LRP) application cycle opened on September 1 and will close on November 17 this year. Now is the ideal time to inform your colleagues about the many benefits of the NIH LRPs. Approximately 1,500 researchers across the nation benefit from the more than $90 million the NIH invests in its Extramural LRP each year. Participants in the NIH LRPs can receive up to $100,000 of qualified educational debt repayment with a two-year award. Each organization’s Institutional Business Official will be asked to certify that the LRP applicant:
  • is employed by a domestic, non-profit organization and is not a federal or for-profit employee;
  • is employed to conduct research for an average of at least 20 hours a week per quarter;
  • will not receive any salary or research funding support from a for-profit source during their LRP period, if awarded;
  • has protected research time for the length of the LRP award;
  • is doing research that is not prohibited by Federal Law; and
  • is a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident.
Have questions? Call or e-mail the LRP Information Center at 866-849-4047 or lrp@nih.gov, Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. Thank you for your continued support of the NIH LRP!
Watch
Videos on Watch
7th Annual Houston Heart Failure Summit 4th Annual Houston Methodist Critical Care Symposium First Annual Colorectal Cancer Updates for Primary Care Treating and Preventing Chronic Metabolic Disease 11th Annual Nantz National Alzheimer Center Symposium
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In the Media
John P. Cooke, MD, PhD, was interviewed several times by ReachMD, a learning platform for physicians and other health care professionals, offering peer-to-peer medical education to an audience of over 4.6 million. Below follows three of the episodes that recently went live and will be available online to both medical professionals and the public for the next six months. ReachMD’s content and podcasts can be heard via their website, iHeartRadio, TuneIn and iTunes. Cooke also was quoted in a story on the race by pharmaceutical companies to develop an mRNA flu vaccine. The article appeared in Chemical & Engineering News, as well as in a Houston Chronicle article on how the side effects of the new bivalent boosters for omicron compare to the original Covid-19 vaccinations. The article can be seen here with a subscription.
Polly Niravath, MD, was quoted in the Huffington Post on how diet can affect your breast cancer risk. A healthy diet, exercising and limiting alcohol consumption have been shown to lower the odds of developing breast cancer.
Wesley Long, MD, PhD, was interviewed about the December flu season. Houston Methodist and Texas already are seeing uncharacteristically high peak numbers. Below are some highlights: Houston Matters Becker’s Hospital Review KUHF radio 6 p.m. newscast KUHF radio 4 p.m. newscast
Julia Jones, MD, was quoted extensively in an article on migraines versus headaches in Lifehacker.com, which has nearly 5 million unique visitors each month.
Linda Le, MD, is featured in the Houston Chronicle on her role as co-host of the Sisterhood in Surgery series.
Ken Podell, PhD, is part of a national team working to help Ukrainian doctors assess and treat traumatic brain injuries. He and Baylor colleague, Mary Newsome, PhD, were featured in a front-page story in the Houston Chronicle. Read the online version here.
Rodney Folz, MD, PhD, recently provided expert comments for an article on lung capacity. The resulting HealthCentral article is online.
Cesar Arias, MD, PhD participated in a congressional briefing in Washington, DC, on the monkeypox outbreak in the U.S. CNN covered the briefing, and the story was picked up by several dozen media outlets, including KTVZ (Oregon), KESQ (California), Head Topics, and the French Post.
DEI Spotlight
Fashion from Around the Globe Showcase Dates Set
Celebrations recognizing our different ethnicities, cultures, heritages and experiences as part of October’s designation as Global Diversity Awareness Month are taking place across Houston Methodist, including the Fashion from Around the Globe Showcase (Oct. 24-Nov. 4). Each hospital campus is hosting its own showcase of global fashions along with cultural information, music, photos and food. Here is the schedule of showcases: •HMWB: Oct. 24 (Noon) •HMCL: Oct. 26 (2 p.m.) •HMH: Oct. 28 (12:30 p.m.) •HMW/HMCCH: Oct. 28 (11: a.m.)  •HMTW: Nov. 2 (2 p.m.) •HMB: Nov. 4 (Time: TBA) Click here if you interested in modeling fashions that represent your own background. For more information, email Theofficeofdei@houstonmethodist.org.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Ceremony
In recognition of October’s designation as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Houston Methodist’s MOMs of Methodist employee resource group (ERG) hosts a virtual remembrance ceremony on October 26 from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Brian Gowan, who serves as the Houston Methodist Women’s Health and Infant Services chaplain, will begin the ceremony with a prayer. Participants will have the opportunity to leave virtual messages in memory of the babies we have lost. A recording of the ceremony will be available for those unable to participate. A link to a virtual message board will be accessible via the MOMs Teams channel as well. Please contact MomsOfMethodist@houstonmethodist.org for more information.
Speaker Series Videos Available in DEI Toolkit
Visit the DEI Toolkit to view videos of 2022 Spiritual Diversity Series presentations. Videos include:
  • “Exploring the High Holidays of the Jewish Faith”
  • “Lunar New Year Through the Spiritual Lens”
  • “Holi: The Festival of Colors”
  • “Exploring Ramadan: A Blessed Month”
  • “Raksha Bandhan & Krishna Janmashtami”
Happy Diwali
Also known as the “Festival of Lights,” Diwali (Oct. 24) is a joyous Hindu holiday that celebrates the triumph of good over evil and the blessings of freedom and enlightenment. Many people observe the holiday by enjoying special foods and lighting candles and placing them throughout their home.
Job Postings
We have several job openings in the Academic Institute. Click here to find one that interests you, or if you know of someone who might be interested.
New Employees
We welcome these new employees who joined the Academic Institute in December 2021.
  • Kathrina Castillo, RNA Therapeutics – Kiss, Research Associate I
  • Frederick Clague, Cancer - Andrew Hu, Research Technician I
  • Maria Del Pino Castillo, HCR Clinical Admin, Manager Clinical Trials
  • Jeffrey Geisler, Cyclotron, Sr cGMP Specialist
  • Marissa Guerrero, HRPO – IRB, Project Specialist
  • Shaheerah Khan, RNA Therapeutics – Kiss, Postdoctoral Fellow 0
  • Milos Kojic, Nanomedicine – Kojic, RI Scientist
  • Charlotte Johnson, Education – HMEI, RI Trainee Affairs Coord
  • Asa McCoy, PET Imaging Core, Nuclear/CT Technologist
  • Tenisha Madkins, HCR Clinical Admin, Mgr Research Operations
  • Mayinuer Maitituoheti, Transplant - Xian Li, RI Scientist
  • Nishanth Makthal, Infect Disease – Kumaraswami, Postdoctoral Fellow 0
  • Jasmine Massey, TAMU HSC Partnership, RI Trainee Affairs Coord
  • Denise Medina, Education – HMEI, RI Trainee Affairs Coord
  • Yajing Meng, Cancer - Cancer - Andrew Hu, Postdoctoral Fellow 0
  • Ricardo Noriega-Rivera, RNA Therapeutics – Brannan, Postdoctoral Fellow 0
  • Oluwatoyin Olaniregun-Adenekan, TP&Q - HMDDP Core, cGMP Specialist
  • Zoltan Palmai, Research Technology Operations, Systems Architect
  • Taya Prince, Neurosurg – Vahidy, Data Specialist
  • Chtira Ramamoorthy, Finance Administration, Accountant
  • Zinah Rasheed, Medicine - Underwood Center, Research Coordinator II
  • Sabeen Raza, RSRCH & ED Technology Ops, Sr Applications Analyst
  • Michaiah Reid, Comparative Med General, ACM Animal Care Technician I
  • Kate Staley, Comparative Med General, Veterinary Technician
  • Grace Walker, HRPO – IRB, RI Human Rsch Protection Coord
  • Liting Wang, Cancer - Yong Lu, Postdoctoral Fellow 0
  • Jiannan Wang, Transplant - Xian Li, Postdoctoral Fellow 0
  • Xiaoxuan Wang, Cancer - Yong Lu, Postdoctoral Fellow 0
  • Jihad Yahya, RNA Therapeutics, Financial Analyst
Policy Reminders
BP in Practice is an educational reminder designed to raise awareness regarding Business Practices hot topics, relevant laws and policies & procedures. Find archives of BP in Practice here. If you have questions, contact the BP EthicsLine at 800.500.0333 or visit tmhs.myethicsline.com.
Publications
Stereotaxic Atlas of the Human Lumbar-Sacral Spinal Cord
Grossman, R. G., Tang, X., & Horner, P. J. (2022). World neurosurgery, 166, e460-e468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2022.07.017
The Prognostic Value of CAC Zero Among Individuals Presenting With Chest Pain: A Meta-Analysis
Agha, A. M., Pacor, J., Grandhi, G. R., Mszar, R., Khan, S. U., Parikh, R., Agrawal, T., Burt, J., Blankstein, R., Blaha, M. J., Shaw, L. J., Al-Mallah, M. H., Brackett, A., Cainzos-Achirica, M., Miller, E. J., & Nasir, K. (2022). JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, 15(10), 1745-1757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmg.2022.03.031
Extra-coronary Calcification and Cardiovascular Events: What Do We Know and Where Are We Heading?
Anugula, D., Cardoso, R., Grandhi, G. R., Blankstein, R., Nasir, K., Al-Mallah, M., Shah, D. J., & Cainzos-Achirica, M. (2022). Current Atherosclerosis Reports, 24(10), 755-766. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-022-01051-5
Imaging aortic intramural hematoma with blood pools using time-resolved, dynamic computed tomography angiography
Berczeli, M., Chang, S. M., Lumsden, A. B., & Chinnadurai, P. (2022). Journal of Vascular Surgery, 76(4), 1087-1088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2022.01.077
Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor in the mediastinum: Metastasis or multiple primaries?
Kinskey, J. C., Schwartz, M. R., Guo, C. C., & Ro, J. Y. (2022). Human Pathology Reports, 29, [300658]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpr.2022.300658
If you have a featured publication, for example on a journal cover, please let us know so we can include it in our next issue.
Funding Opportunities
Houston Methodist Academic Institute President’s Awards Request for Nominations
Key Dates
Nominations Due:
Oct. 26 at noon
Awards Announced:
Nov. 17 Town Hall
Eligible nominees include Houston Methodist-employed faculty with a primary HMAI academic appointment by the time of publication or grant award. Nominees must be in good professional standing with the institution to be nominated. Houston Methodist Department Chairs, Center of Excellence Directors, or Vice-Chairs of Research can nominate any eligible nominee in their department (see attached template). The nominator must be senior to the nominee. No self- nominations are accepted. Additional eligibility requirements, specific to the award, are provided within the award description below, if applicable. Please note: All Awards are chosen by the HMAI Executive Committee; not all categories are awarded at every Town Hall meeting. Nominations that are not selected cannot be resubmitted. Applications and details for all award opportunities must be submitted via the Houston Methodist Intramural Awards portal by Oct. 26 at noon. For support with using the portal, Academic Affairs has created a webinar, which can be viewed on Watch HM. Please see the direct link for this funding opportunity.
NINDS Diversity Supplement Program Provides “Bridge Funds”
Key Dates
Applications Due Date
Funding Decision
Nov. 16 to Feb. 15
March
Feb. 16 to May 15
June
Aug 1 to Nov. 15
December
This is an email to bring to your attention an opportunity to apply for additional funding to support a diverse trainee. NINDS uses the Diversity Supplement program to provide “bridge funds” while the supplementee gains the research experience, preliminary data, and other requirements to develop an application for more traditional NIH funding such as a National Research Service Award (NRSA) or Career Development Award. Specific NINDS procedures and supplementary information can be found here. Enhancing diversity in the neuroscience workforce is a critical goal for NINDS . If you have any questions about our diversity programs, please feel free to contact us at NINDSDiversityTraining@mail.nih.gov.
Houston Methodist Academic Institute Clinical Scholar Awards (Clinician Scientist Award, Clinician Trialist Award, and Clinician Education Award) Request for Applications
Key Dates
Applications Due:
Nov 30 at noon
Applications Reviewed:
December 2022 - January 2023
Limited Submission Selection:
February 2023
Houston Methodist recognizes the distinctive and critical role that clinician scientists, clinician trialists, and clinician educators play in advancing the academic mission of the system. These faculty advance our mission by: 1) Performing clinical and translational research to advance medicine and health; 2) Driving innovation and translation by conducting clinical trials; and 3) Educating the next generation of innovators and health-care providers. The goal of this funding mechanism is to recruit or retain and develop clinical faculty possessing a rare blend of talent, ambition, and devotion to doing research, conducting clinical trials, and/or to educating trainees. Houston Methodist department and Centers of Excellence chairs may nominate candidates with outstanding records of accomplishments and commitment to pursuing careers in alignment with at least one of the academic pillars of the Houston Methodist Vision for the Second Century (Clinical Research, Innovative Education, Restorative Medicine, Outcomes Research and Precision Medicine).
Applications must be submitted via the Houston Methodist Intramural Awards portal by Nov. 30 at noon. Please see the provided Applicant Guide document for additional details. For questions related to this RFA, please contact Academic Affairs at academicaffairs@houstonmethodist.org. Find details here.