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Houston Methodist Academic Institute
NEWSLETTER
January 2022
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Legacy Community Health Receives $50 Million Donation from Houston Methodist to Expand Health Care in Pasadena and North Houston
Legacy Community Health recently announced that its long-standing relationship with Houston Methodist will grow even further with a $50 million donation to expand Legacy Community Health’s presence in the Greater Houston area. This commitment from Houston Methodist will support two new capital projects and provide operating funds for Legacy Community Health centers in North Houston and Pasadena. As part of its Community Health Program Investment, Houston Methodist has earmarked $100 million for future community health projects to support underrepresented communities in the Houston area. The first $50 million investment is designated for Legacy Community Health capital projects. Houston Methodist will also purchase the land for Legacy’s two new clinic sites. As the largest gift Legacy has received in its 40-year history, the donation will fill a significant gap in some of the most underserved areas of the state, now offering residents in North Houston and Pasadena area communities access to adult and pediatric primary care, comprehensive HIV care, specialty care such as endocrinology, and support services. These centers will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology designed to offer a welcoming atmosphere to those in need of health and wellness services, without judgment and regardless of their ability to pay. You can read more about this donation here.
Digital Methodology
Q & A session with Dr. Carly Filgueira Carly Filgueira, PhD, assistant professor in the Departments of Nanomedicine and Cardiovascular Surgery at Houston Methodist, answered a few questions about her work and her two Department of Defense grants. Read more in digital Methodology.
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Announcements
Translational Quality Seminar Series: Documentation
The Translational Quality seminar series will cover quality systems and regulations that govern the production of clinical grade products for research. Quality experts from the cGMP Core within the Office of Translational Production & Quality will provide definitions, explanations and real-life illustrations for each topic, with a focus on practical solutions to common quality challenges faced by researchers. Monthly Topics Jan. 13 at 12:00 p.m. Quality Management and the Pharmaceutical Quality System Click here to join the meeting.
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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Ahmed Soliman, MD, recently was named Houston Methodist’s Physician of the Year. This award is bestowed upon someone who exemplifies ICARE values, demonstrates altruism in patient care and has made a positive contribution in the medical center and/or the community. This physician is recognized as a leader in his or her field, and embodies the true essence of leading medicine.
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Comron Saifi, MD, recently recieved an award for his clinical research at the Cervical Spine Research Society at the annual conference in Atlanta.
Faisal Masud, MD, FCCM, FCCP, recently received the Physician of the Year Award from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner at the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America’s STC Gala.
NIH News
Did You Know We Have an NIH Grants YouTube Channel? Can’t get enough of NIH grants content? On our YouTube channel we have bingeable playlists all about grants! Whether you’re looking for an introduction to NIH fundamentals, insight into the peer review process, information on NIH policy and compliance or applying for grant funding, an orientation to special funding programs, eRA systems or any of the grants administrative topics covered by our seminars and webinars, you can find it here. NIH Natural Disaster Policy Reminder If your institution closes due to severe weather or other natural disasters, NIH has policies in place to help your research to continue. Ensuring Smooth Submission of Inclusion Data NIH requires participant-level data in progress reports for all clinical research that come in on applications for due dates January 25, 2019, or later (see our Inclusion Across the Lifespan policy). Grantees use the Inclusion Enrollment report template provided through NIH’s Human Subjects System (HSS) to provide the required data. To successfully submit the report, obtain the template by selecting the Download Participant Level Data Template button on the Inclusion Enrollment Report screen.
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
In the Media
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Marc Boom, MD, spoke with Houston Public Media regarding the Omicron variant.
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Wesley Long, MD, PhD, recently spoke with “Good Morning America” on findings of an analysis of COVID-19 samples collected. His team found that Omicron made up 82% of new symptomatic COVID patients tested in the Houston Methodist hospital system. Long also spoke with the Washington Post. The Houston Chronicle featured both Boom and Long in a front-page article.
James Musser, MD, PhD, was interviewed in a Washington Post article, which HealthDay repurposed.
Julia Jones, MD, recently offered “Tools & Tips” on migraine triggers in HealthCentral, a consumer-oriented, medically vetted website geared toward readers with chronic conditions. Her comments on migraine triggers were included in a special consumer guide on chronic migraine.
Randall Wright, MD, was interviewed for an article on binge watching TV and how the practice – when done with thoughtfulness – may have some benefits. The Mashable article is available here.
David Baskin, MD, and his team at the Peak Center recently were featured in the Houston Chronicle Renew section for their pioneering work in oncomagnetics – the first non-invasive treatment for deadly glioblastoma. The treatment uses oscillating magnets to shrink tumors and has been used to reduce the size of brain tumors by more than a third in patients approved for compassionate use care. Read about this work and the first patient to receive the innovative therapy here.
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
    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.
    • Kristopher Brannan, Scientist, RNA Therapeutics
    • Louise (Luanne) Jorewicz, Senior Editor, Academic Affairs
    • Vandana Suresh, Copywriter, Communications & External Relations
    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
    Prediction of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery in term gestations: a calculator without race and ethnicity
    William A. Grobman MD, MBA, Grecio Sandoval MA, Madeline Murguia Rice PhD, Jennifer L. Bailit MD, MPH, Suneet P. Chauhan MD, Maged M. Costantine MD, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman MD, MSc, Torri D. Metz MD, MS, Samuel Parry MD, Dwight J. Rouse MD, George R. Saade MD, Hyagriv N. Simhan MD, John M. Thorp MD, Alan T.N. Tita MD, PhD, Monica Longo MD and Mark B. Landon MD 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.05.021
    Providers and Families Weigh in on Delays to Pediatric Kidney Transplant Wait-List Activation
    Cristina M. Farkas-Skiles, Ashley Feinsinger, Rachyl Pines, Amy D. Waterman https://doi.org/10.1177/15269248211064875
    High Variability of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Obtained via Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate Compared With Traditional Bone Marrow Aspiration Technique
    Ava Brozovich, Brent J. Sinicrope, Guillermo Bauza, Federica Banche Niclot, David Lintner, Francesca Taraballi, Patrick C. McCulloch https://doi.org/10.1177/23259671211058459
    Development and validation of a polysocial risk score for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
    Zulqarnain Javed, Javier Valero-Elizondo, Ramzi Dudum, Safi U. Khan, Prachi Dubey, Adnan A. Hyder, Jiaqiong Xu, Usama Bilal, Bita A. Kash, Miguel Cainzos-Achirica, Khurram Nasir https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2021.100251
    Emerging strategies for beta cell transplantation to treat diabetes
    Jesus Paez-Mayorga, Izeia Lukin, Dwaine Emerich, Paul de Vos, Gorka Orive, Alessandro Grattoni 10.1016/j.tips.2021.11.007
    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 (DDCF) Clinical Scientist Development Award 2022 Request for Applications
    Key Dates
    Invitation to submit a full proposal
    January 14, 2022
    Full proposal deadline
    March 11, 2022, 2 p.m. ET
    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.