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Houston Methodist Academic Institute
NEWSLETTER
February 2022
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The Ann Kimball & John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics
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In 2019, Ann Kimball and John W. Johnson made a transformational gift to support the building and equipping of a 5,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art cellular therapeutics laboratory and fabrication facility. With this gift, Houston Methodist entered a new era of cellular therapeutics that expanded our growing portfolio of immunotherapeutics and RNA therapeutics. Their cornerstone commitment is helping build a research program and production facility at Houston Methodist that will allow us to design new therapies rapidly and produce experimental therapeutics on-site. The Ann Kimball & John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics recently had a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the facility, which also includes 1,710 square feet of cleanroom space, a dedicated quality-control laboratory, support spaces, and material, equipment and cryogenic storage required for cGMP operations. Six independent production rooms, furnished with cutting-edge equipment, will allow investigators, with support from expert personnel, to translate laboratory discoveries into innovative cellular therapies for patient care. Combined with a fully equipped, in-house quality-control laboratory for comprehensive testing and release of products, the Johnson Center offers Houston Methodist the ability to deliver new cellular therapies to our patients in the safest, most cost-efficient and rapid manner. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is available to watch here.
Digital Methodology
Heather Lander, PhD at Houston Methodist Academic Institute, recently interviewed Wesley Long, MD, PhD, to discuss topics around the Omicron variant and COVID-19. You can watch the interview here.
A Conversation with Wesley Long, MD, PhD on Omicron
Announcements
World TB Day
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Each year, World TB Day is recognized on March 24 with a variety of activities leading up to the official day. This annual event commemorates the date Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of the bacillus that causes tuberculosis (TB). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that commemorating World TB Day in 2022 will be unique, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities, public health departments and health-care facilities across the United States. Nominations for the CDC U.S. TB Elimination Champions are now open. The CDC is seeking nominations that reflect the important contributions that individuals, TB survivors, agencies, organizations and partners have made to eliminate TB and address health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. TB Elimination Champions will have their stories featured on the CDC’s website and Twitter and Facebook accounts. Visit the CDC website to learn more about the nomination process and past Champions. Nominations are due via email to tbinfo@cdc.gov or by using the hashtag #TBEliminationChampion on social media by February 18, 2022. CDC’s World TB Day digital toolkit has graphics and videos to help spread the message to think, test and treat TB. The CDC will continue to update the toolkit with additional materials and resources. If you are planning an event for World TB Day 2022, the CDC would like to add it to its World TB Day Events timeline. To add your event, follow the instructions on the World TB Day event form. If you have questions, please contact tbinfo@cdc.gov.
Praying for each other
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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.
Early Voting at Texas Medical Center
In-person early voting available in the TMC JP McGovern Commons (6550 Bertner Ave., 1st Floor). To learn more and view all voting locations, visit HARRISVOTES.com 2022 PRIMARY ELECTION VOTING HOURS EARLY VOTING February 14 – 19: from 7am – 7pm February 20: from 12pm – 7pm February 22 – 23: from 7am – 7pm February 24: from 7am – 10pm February 25: from 7am – 7pm ELECTION DAY Tuesday, March 1: from 7am – 7pm Remember to bring an approved form of identification. Please wear a mask or face covering.
Accolades
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David S. Baskin, MD, received the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation Award for his team’s abstract on oncomagnetics as an innovative method to treat glioblastoma.
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Congratulations to all the winners of the Humanitas Award. More than 4,000 Houston Methodist employees were recognized by the Jerold B. Katz Foundation for their works of human kindness during the pandemic.
Houston Methodist recently announced that it has awarded more than $7 million in community grants to 28 local nonprofit organizations through the Community Benefits Grant Program. In 2022, the agencies receiving grant support are poised to assist more than 92,000 people in the greater Houston area. The Houston Methodist Community Benefits Grant Program supports health-care access for indigent populations in alignment with the system’s four community health priorities designed to reduce barriers to accessing primary care, specialty care and mental health care while also promoting healthy living behaviors. The funding provides direct financial support and in-kind lab and radiology services to free clinics, federally qualified health centers and nonprofit agencies located in medically underserved areas. Since its launch in 1993, the Community Benefits Grant Program has awarded $161 million to more than 80 unique local charities. Two types of grants are available under the program to support the financially indigent, including the Community Benefits Grant, which focuses on direct access to health-care services, and the Mental Health Innovation Grant, which supports initiatives aimed at reducing the barriers to accessing mental health-care services. In addition to the Community Benefits Grant Program, Houston Methodist provides grant support through its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Grant Program, which focuses on addressing social determinants of health within minority groups in the Houston area. You can read more about the grant recipients here.
NIH News
Notice of Special Interest: Administrative supplement for research and capacity building efforts related to bioethical issues
The NIH Office of Science Policy within the Office of the Director recently announced the availability of administrative supplements to support 1) research on bioethical issues to develop or support the development of an evidence base that may inform future policy directions, and/or 2) certain efforts to develop or augment bioethics research capacity. Applicants may propose to supplement parent awards focused on bioethics or to address a component related to bioethics in a biomedical research study. Note that applications must be within the general scope of the parent award. For further details, please click here.
Virtual Workshop: Learn How to Report Your NIH-funded Publications Using My Bibliography
Congratulations on your successful NIH grant proposal! As part of the post-award process, you will now have to create and send annual and final reports on your progress. Tune in to the Learn How to Report Your NIH-funded Publications Using My Bibliography workshop hosted by NIH’s National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) on February 24, 2022, for tips and tricks on using NCBI account tools for NIH post-award reporting. This session is for NIH-funded researchers, their delegates and institutional grants officers with specific task-based, hands-on activities. In this workshop you will learn:
  • What is needed for NIH Public Access compliance
  • How to submit your recently accepted publication through the NIH Manuscript Submission System
  • How to track your submitted manuscript through the process in My Bibliography
  • How to create an Award Compliance Report PDF using My Bibliography
  • How to solve common reporting issues and errors
A Q&A period will be held at the end of this workshop to discuss questions and issues of interest regarding the NCBI account tools with the participants. Due to curricular and technical limits, we’ve capped the number of spots to provide the best workshop experience. If you register to apply, you will be notified of your application status 2 weeks before the scheduled event. Please see the FAQ page for more information and, if you still have questions about the NCBI Outreach Events program or this specific workshop, email workshops@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Gearing Up for 2023: Implementing the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy Dr. Lyric Jorgenson provides an update on what NIH is doing to make our data management and sharing efforts a success on the one-year mark prior to the Data Management and Sharing Policy’s effective date. Inequalities in the Distribution of NIH Research Project Grant Funding A paper published in the journal eLife on inequalities in the support of scientists designated as Principal Investigators (PIs) of NIH Research Project Grant awards found that funding inequality among PIs has increased over the past 25 years, but may have decreased modestly in more recent years. Greater levels of inequality across organizations also were found. Revised NIH Grants Policy Statement for FY 2022 The revised NIH Grants Policy Statement has been published, replacing the previous version as standard terms and conditions of award. This revision applies to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements with budget periods beginning on or after October 1, 2021.
Watch
Videos on Watch
Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Education Series The Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center is proud to introduce its leading educational event of the year. This program is designed to provide an innovative view on strategies for the widespread issues of organ failure management. Renowned national and international speakers will share their state-of-the-art techniques and advanced research to educate attendees on the advancements of organ failure management. International Symposium: The Worldwide Impact of Organ Failure George P. Noon Conference: Lung Transplantation: Charting the way forward in the COVID-19 Era Wadi N. Suki Symposium: Update in Glomerular Diseases and Controversies in Live Kidney Donation Carol & Burt Keenan Liver Symposium: Changing the Landscape of Transplantation George P. Noon Conference: Durable Mechanical Support: The Future of Cardiac Replacement George P. Noon Conference: Regulatory Aspects of Transplantation George P. Noon Conference: Research & Transplantation
COVID-19 Resources
Houston Methodist provides a variety of tools to facilitate collaborative research projects related to coronavirus. The following resources are available at https://www.tmc.edu/coronavirus-updates:
  • Elsevier Coronavirus Research Hub
  • Curated COVID-19 Funding Opportunities
  • National Institutes of Health Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources
  • PURE Coronavirus Portal for Research Collaboration
  • Read about our COVID-19 research on the Methodology COVID-19 News page.
  • Read our seven-step process as told to the Harvard Business Review that can help employers decide about employee-mandated COVID-19 vaccinations
    In the Media
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    Cesar Arias, MD, PhD, was interviewed in Becker’s Hospital Review about Omicron symptoms, recovery and the benefits of being vaccinated. You can read the story here.
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    Houston Methodist’s virus genome sequencing efforts received attention from several media outlets. The interviews were in response to a new study that came out in medRxiv recently on the Omicron sequencing. Some of the highlights included a New York Times article by Gina Kolata with James Musser, MD, PhD, a KHOU-TV story from Stephanie Whitfield with Wesley Long, MD, PhD, and a Houston Chronicle piece by Nora Mishanec, who interviewed Randall Olsen, MD, PhD, and Long. Long was also interviewed by Melissa Wilson from Fox26 News on how and why Houston Methodist sequences the virus’ genomes to break down COVID-19’s variants.
    John Cooke, MD, PhD, was recently interviewed about using the mRNA vaccine technology beyond COVID-19. The first article appeared on the Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society’s IEEE Pulse publication and makes a case for why mRNA vaccines should not be feared. You can read it at this link. The Scientist interviewed Cooke for an article about how recent advances in mRNA vaccine technology could also help spur the development of mRNA vaccines for cancer and about his work and how the development of mRNA vaccines for cancer compares to those for COVID-19. The story can be viewed here. Cooke also appeared in a program on the German media outlet 3sat, airing in three German-speaking countries and jointly operated by public broadcasters from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He was interviewed for their daily science TV show "NANO" in response to his review on “The Limitless Future of RNA Therapeutics.” The story is a report about the potential and already established applications of mRNA in therapeutics and vaccination and the current scientific issues in this field. The story can be viewed here. The Wall Street Journal also interviewed Cooke in response to the buzz generated by his Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology review article for a comprehensive piece on the future of mRNA.
    The New York Times recently interviewed Gavin Britz, MD, about Bob Saget’s death.
    Faisal Masud, MD, was interviewed by Cory McGinnis with KUHF radio on the rising number of COVID patients and Houston Methodist staff also testing positive for the virus, commenting on how Houston Methodist is responding to being in such “unprecedented territory.” Masud also weighed in on the latest CDC isolation guidelines for health-care workers. You can listen to him address the rising numbers of COVID-positive patients and staff during the 4 p.m. Dec. 30 newscast and about the CDC isolation guidelines during the 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Jan. 3 newscasts at this link.
    Roberta Schwartz was interviewed by KHOU-TV’s Stephanie Whitfield about the once-again rising COVID-19 hospitalizations, now with the Omicron surge. She addressed the challenges associated with high numbers of Houston Methodist staff testing positive for COVID-19, as positivity rates across the TMC are now twice as high as during the peak of the Delta surge. You can see the story here at this link.
    Alysia Robichau, MD, recently was featured in a New York Times article describing the health and fitness benefits of incorporating a jump rope into a workout routine. A national NBC crew spent some time with our virtual ICU team. They highlighted how vICU was launched and how beneficial it’s been during the pandemic. Correspondent Ellison Barber did live shots from our vICU operations center, and these aired throughout the day on NBC News Now (digital streaming network), NBC News Now 1pm hour and MSNBC (9am hour, 10am hour).
    DEI Spotlight
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    Year of the Tiger: Lunar New Year at Houston Methodist The Houston Methodist Asian Heritage Group sponsored the festivities and kicked off the Year of the Tiger with a 7-foot-tall, 22-foot-long balloon dragon in Crain Garden.
    CPAM celebrates Black History Month Jolie Rocke, DMA, soprano, accompanied by Chelsea de Souza on piano, recently performed in Crain Garden in honor of Black History Month. Rocke celebrated the music of the African American Soul with a journey through more than 200 years of spirituals, classical art songs, musical theater, jazz, and gospel in an afternoon recital. Rocke also shared information about the African American composers whose works she performed. You can watch the recorded livestream here.
    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.
    • Raquel Bunge, Mgr Nursing, AOCT Ops - Quality Assurance
    • Han Nhat Tran, Research Assistant I, Neurology 
    • Jordan Pachuca, Research Assistant I, Infectious Disease 
    • Phillip Stewart, Director GME, Education
    • Haiwei Ni, Postdoctoral Fellow 0, Cancer
    • Karen Jacques-Palaz, Research Asst III, Infectious Disease
    • Hannah Pham, Financial Analyst, Infectious Disease
    • Kavindra Singh, Research Scientist, Infectious Disease
    • Devon Rodriguez, Research Assistant I, Nanomedicine
    • Sabrena Martinez-O'Connor, Research Coordinator II, Urology
    • Kevin Gu, Research Coordinator I, Oral & Maxillofacial Research 
    • Elsa Ruiz, Clinical Research Spclst, Neurology
    • Briana Stephen, Clinical Research Spclst, Cancer Clinical Trials
    • Carlyn Robinson, Clinical Research Spclst, Cancer Clinical Trials
    • Khelse De Prado, Project Specialist, MITIE Administration
    • Claire Koenig, Faculty Affairs Specialist, Office of Governance
    • Rabia Hashmani, Research Coordinator I, Cancer Clinical Trials
    • Raghav Shroff, Research Scientist. Infectious Disease
    • Gabriela Juarez, Care Coordinator, Cancer Outreach & Engagement
    • Omar Elsayed, Postdoctoral Fellow 1, Center for Health & Nature 
    • Nicole Kanellopoulos, Research Assistant I, Infectious Disease
    • Nilsa Nunez, Clinical Research Nurse, Medicine - Lung Center
    • Arijita Subuddhi, Postdoctoral Fellow 0, Transplant
    • Shannon Murphy, Research Assistant I, Biorepository Core
    • Kamilla Guinn, Curriculum Developer, Office of Academic Development
    • Péter Osztrogonácz, Postdoctoral Fellow 0, Nephrology
    • Vicente Zuno, RI Sr Research/Scientific Mgr, Laboratory Operations
    • Nino Kvirkvelia, Research Assistant I, Neurosurgery
    • Mary Brugger, RI Research Protection Anlyst, HRPO - IRB
    • Marissa Schettino Intriago, Research Coordinator I, Infectious Disease
    • Christine Ford, Curriculum Developer, Office of Academic Development
    • Mohammad Saklayen, Dir Research IT, RSRCH & ED App Development
    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
    Retinal non-perfusion in diabetic retinopathy
    Charles C. Wykoff, Hannah J. Yu, Robert L. Avery, Justis P. Ehlers, Ramin Tadayoni, SriniVas R. Sadda, Eye, January 2022, DOI, 10.1038/s41433-021-01649-0
    PIONEER-Panc: a platform trial for phase II randomized investigations of new and emerging therapies for localized pancreatic cancer
    Julia E. Douglas, Suyu Liu, Junsheng Ma, Robert A. Wolff, Shubham Pant, Anirban Maitra, Eric P. Tamm, Priya Bhosale, Matthew H. G. Katz, Gauri R. Varadhachary, Eugene J. Koay. BMC Cancer, January 2022, DOI, 10.1186/s12885-021-09095-7
    Rationale and pathways forward in the implementation of coronary artery calcium-based enrichment of randomized trials
    Miguel Cainzos-Achirica, Dixitha Anugula, Reed Mszar, Gowtham Grandhi, Kershaw V. Patel, Marcio S. Bittencourt, Ron Blankstein, Michael J. Blaha, Roger S. Blumenthal, Kausik K. Ray, Deepak L. Bhatt, Khurram Nasir, DOI, 10.1016/j.ahj.2021.09.006
    A multi-institutional retrospective analysis on impact of RV acute mechanical support timing after LVAD implantation on 1-year mortality and predictors of RV acute mechanical support weaning
    Kumar, S., Derbala, M. H., Nguyen, D. T., Ferrall, J., Cefalu, M., Rivas-Lasarte, M., Rashid, S. M. I., Joseph, D. T., Graviss, E. A., Goldstein, D., Jorde, U. P., Bhimaraj, A., Suarez, E. E., Smith, S. A., Sims, D. B. & Guha, A., Feb 2022, In: Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 41, 2, p. 244-254 11 p. DOI, 10.1038/s41433-021-01649-0.
    Alterations in brain synaptic proteins and mRNAs in mood disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of postmortem brain studies
    Leung, E., Lau, E. W., Liang, A., de Dios, C., Suchting, R., Östlundh, L., Masdeu, J. C., Fujita, M., Sanches, M., Soares, J. C. & Selvaraj, S., 2022, (Accepted/In press) In: Molecular Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01410-9
    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
    Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Scientist Development Award 2022 Request for Applications
    Key Dates
    Full proposal deadline
    March 11, 2022, 2 p.m.
    Notice of Award
    End of May 2022
    Award Start Date
    July 1, 2022
    Please find additional details regarding this opportunity at the following link: https://www.ddcf.org/funding-areas/medical-research/clinical-scientist-development-award/ For assistance with the online application, please contact Catherine S. Del Paggio at csdelpaggio@houstonmethodist.org.
    Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutics Request for Proposals
    Key Dates
    Submission Deadline:
    May 6, 2022, noon*
    Committee Review:
    June 2022
    Award Announcement:
    July 2022
    Estimated Funding Start Date:
    August 2022
    The Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutics Clinical Research Unit is expanding its support of early phase translational clinical trials.  This funding program aims to support innovation in biomedical research to advance improvements in patient care and to assist faculty in development of their inventions. Applications for the Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutics must be submitted through the Houston Methodist Intramural portal. More details are provided in the Submission Guidelines section of this RFP. As a resource, Academic Affairs has created a webinar for using the portal, which can be viewed at Watch HM.
    Houston Methodist Academic Institute President’s Awards Request For Nominations
    The Houston Methodist Academic Institute announces the following six award opportunities.
    Key Dates
    Nominations Due:
    March 24, 2022 at noon*
    Awards Announced:
    April 21, 2022 Town Hall
    Applications for the President’s Award must be submitted through the Houston Methodist Intramural Portal. More details are provided in the Submission Guidelines section of this RFA. As a resource, Academic Affairs has created a webinar for using the portal, which can be viewed at Watch HM.
    Pew Charitable Trusts 2023 Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Request for Pre-Applications
    Key Dates
    Pre-Application Submission Deadline:
    April 8, 2022 at noon*
    Institutional Review:
    April 2022
    Decision Notification:
    April/May 2022
    Institutional Nomination Due to Pew:
    May 18, 2022
    The Pew Charitable Trusts has invited Houston Methodist Research Institute to submit one application to its Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. This program supports assistant professors within their first 4 years of their appointment that show outstanding promise in science to advance human health. Strong proposals should incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches to basic, translational, and applied biomedical research. This program does not fund clinical trials research. For full eligibility criteria, please refer to the program website: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-biomedical-scholars/program-details. Academic Affairs is requesting pre-applications to be submitted by 12:00 PM CDT on April 8, 2022 via in the Houston Methodist Intramural Portal. As a resource, Academic Affairs has created a webinar for using the portal. *All times CST