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Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to advise of several additional appointment updates in the Education portfolio:

Centre for Health Education Scholarship
Dr. Ian Scott has been appointed Director, Centre for Health Education Scholarship effective September 1, 2015. Dr. Scott brings tremendous experience and success in leadership as a scholar at CHES, and Associate Professor and Undergraduate Director of Family Practice Programs in the Department of Family Practice.

His appointment follows the leadership of Dr. Joanna Bates who finishes her term on June 30, 2015. I would like to again thank Dr. Bates for her contributions to the Faculty and wish her all the best.  Dr. Kevin Eva Associate Director, CHES and Professor, Department of Medicine has been appointed Acting Director effective July 1, 2015 until Dr. Scott begins his appointment.

Education Program & Services
Jennifer Golinski has been appointed Senior Director, Education Program & Services, effective September 1, 2015.  Many of you will know Jennifer from her current role as Administrative Director in the Southern Medical Program.  In her new appointment, she will provide the critical support and guidance in the administrative aspects of all educational programs offered within the Faculty.  Jennifer will be based out of the Diamond Health Care Centre.  This appointment follows the Executive Director, Education and Strategic Projects position held by Jane Eibner before her retirement earlier this year.

Faculty Development
Kiran Veerapen has been appointed Assistant Dean, Faculty Development effective July 15, 2015 to June 30, 2018. Katherine Wisener, Program Manager in the Faculty Development Office was appointed Interim Director during this search process.
Dr. Veerapen was previously Regional Faculty Development Director, Island Medical Program where she promoted a culture of teaching and learning amongst the undergraduate and postgraduate teaching faculty on the Vancouver Island region.  In her new role, she will provide leadership to a team of faculty and staff within the Office of Faculty Development and the Faculty Development Network.  She will also ensure the accreditation standards are met for teaching skills for basic scientists, residents, clinical faculty and fellows.

MD Undergraduate Program – NMP
As previously announced, Dr. Geoffrey Payne was reappointed Assistant Dean, Northern Medical Program, effective July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018. Dr. Payne will continue to provide specific operational leadership for MD Undergraduate Education in the NMP and will be responsible for ensuring a cohesive, efficient, integrated and sustainable distributed curriculum.

Sincerely,

David Snadden
Executive Associate Dean, Education | Faculty of Medicine
The University of British Columbia

In this week’s issue:

Announcements:

• CIHR – Change to Application Limits for Project Scheme
• Please see attached PDF file from the Office of the Vice-President Research & International regarding the Official Call for Nominations for UBC Faculty Research Awards
• Please see below from the Office of the Vice-President Research & International regarding Award Updates for the Summer.

Funding Opportunities:

• UBC Faculty of Medicine – Spring Start Up Funds (final reminder)
• American Association of Kidney Patients – Patient Safety Award Lecture
• American Academy of Dermatology – SkinCare for Developing Countries Grants
• American Association for Cancer Research – NextGen Grants for Transformative Cancer Research
• CIHR – Team Grant: Clinician-Investigator Teams in Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Transplant Research Foundation of BC – Venture Grant
• CIHR – Operating Grant: Canadian DOHaD Cohort Registry
• Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health – Group Therapy Research Projects

Events:

• UBC Centre for Blood Research Seminar Series – Caesar de la Fuente-Nunez & Antoine Dufour
• UBC Faculty of Medicine Continuing Professional Development – IUD Insertion Workshop (final reminder)
• 13th Annual Canadian Blood Services International Symposium – Blood Borne Pathogens: Defend, Detect, and Destroy

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

AWARD UPDATES FOR THE SUMMER:

MAJOR EXTERNAL AWARDS & DEADLINES:  Please visit this page to view a full list of available awards with open calls.  https://research.ubc.ca/support-resources/awards-applications-nominations/external-awards-deadlines

UBC’S INTERNAL AWARDS:  The call is open:  https://research.ubc.ca/support-resources/awards-applications-nominations/internal-faculty-awards-deadlines

FAQs: https://research.ubc.ca/faculty-research-awards-faqs

AWARD-WINNING MODEL DOCUMENTS: model docs and research plans are available in the VPRIO Document Library. CWL and access via a campus network or VPN is required: https://vpri.share.ubc.ca/Awards

Note:  A listing of past recipients of the internal awards is also available for download from the VPRIO Document Library:

CIHR – Change to Application Limits for Project Scheme

CIHR has heard concerns from many in the research community regarding the restriction that allows individuals to submit only one application to the Project Scheme per calendar year as a Nominated Principal Applicant/Principal Applicant. After having considered the feedback received, and weighing the risks and benefits of making any changes, CIHR has made the decision to remove all application limits in the Project Scheme.

There is now no limit to the number of applications an individual can submit to the Project Scheme per competition and/or per calendar year.

CIHR will monitor this as part of the pilots and will make any necessary adjustments, if required.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact CIHR at Roadmap-Plan.Strategique@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:

UBC Faculty of Medicine – Spring Start Up Funds

Deadline: June 30, 2015

The Faculty of Medicine has funds available for up to $5000 in start up funding. Applicants must be in the first two years of a full-time faculty appointment as Assistant Professor and higher, or a Clinical faculty appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor and higher in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.  Previous awardees of UBC Faculty of Medicine Spring Start Up Funds, and applicants who have received $200,000 or more in Start Up Funds are ineligible.

The funds can be used for the following: Research equipment, research supplies and/or research services (e.g. cost recovery payments to core equipment) and research support salaries (e.g. technical personnel).

For further information, please visit our website at https://mednet.med.ubc.ca/Research/DeadlinesAndFunding/FundingOpportunities/Pages/Spring-Start-Up-Funds.aspx.

American Association of Kidney Patients – Patient Safety Award Lecture

Deadline: July 31, 2015

The American Association of Kidney Patients is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations for the Jenny Kitsen Patient Safety Award. The award program, which launched this year, will fund an annual lecture that advances patient safety through the exploration of innovation in health systems management. A single grant of up to $5,000 will be awarded to fund speaker travel and accommodation expenses as well as honorarium costs.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, visit the AAKP website.

American Academy of Dermatology – SkinCare for Developing Countries Grants

Deadline: August 1, 2015

Founded in 1938, the American Academy of Dermatology is the largest, most influential, and most representative dermatology group in the United States. With a membership of more than 17,000, it represents virtually all practicing dermatologists in the United States, as well as a growing number of international dermatologists.

AAD offers grants to individuals and organizations to fund international volunteer and humanitarian projects through its SkinCare for Developing Countries program. Through the program, grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded in support of projects related to dermatology and/global health care that help individuals in underserved regions of the world. Projects must be sustainable, community-based, and rely on additional sources of funding.

Academy members and non-members are eligible to apply.

For complete program guidelines, please visit the AAD website.

American Association for Cancer Research – NextGen Grants for Transformative Cancer Research

LOI Deadline: August 10, 2015; 12pm EST

Application Deadline: November 23, 2015; 12pm EST

​The AACR NextGen Grants for Transformative Cancer Research represent a new AACR funding initiative to stimulate highly innovative research from young investigators. This grant mechanism is intended to promote and support creative, paradigm-shifting cancer research that, because of its very nature, may not otherwise be funded through existing channels. It is anticipated that the projects funded through this mechanism will have the potential to lead to major breakthroughs in the field. Eligibility is limited to junior faculty who, at the start of the grant term, have held a full-time, tenure-track appointment as an assistant professor for no more than three years. It is expected that these grants will catalyze significant scientific discoveries and help talented young investigators gain scientific independence.

The grants provide $450,000 over three years ($150,000 per year) for expenses related to the research project, which may include salary and benefits of the grant recipient, postdoctoral or clinical research fellows, graduate students and/or research assistants, research/laboratory supplies, equipment, travel applicable to the research project, publication charges for manuscripts that pertain directly to the funded project, and other research expenses. It is anticipated that at least three grants will be funded.

Applicants must have a doctoral degree (including PhD, MD, DO, DC, ND, DDS, DVM, ScD, DNS, PharmD, or equivalent doctoral degree) in a related field and not currently be a candidate for a further doctoral or professional degree.

At the start of the grant term on July 1, 2016, applicants must hold a full-time, tenure-track  appointment at the rank of assistant professor (appointments such as research assistant professor, adjunct assistant professor, assistant professor research track, visiting professor, or instructor are not eligible); have held a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor appointment for no more than three years (i.e., cannot have held a full-time, tenure-track appointment as an assistant professor prior to July 1, 2013); and work at an academic, medical, or research institution anywhere in the world.

For further details, please visit the AACR website.

CIHR – Team Grant: Clinician-Investigator Teams in Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Registration Deadline: August 31, 2015

Application Deadline: December 1, 2015

CIHR has recently launched its Team Grant: Clinician-Investigator Teams in Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine funding opportunity.

The specific objectives of this funding opportunity are to:

• Support a new generation of clinicians in obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine to conduct research using a team-based and collaborative model;
• Create a research environment for clinicians in obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine that supports collaboration and partnership among clinicians, researchers, and support staff with complementary expertise;
• Stimulate innovative ways to support practicing clinicians in obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine to undertake research through local and national collaborations with other teams and their partners;
• Establish a strong mentorship model that will support the development of the current and future generations of researchers in obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine;
• Advance research and knowledge in obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine; and
• Enable clinicians in obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine to access the support and develop the track record that will allow them to leverage additional funds from other sources.

Funds Available

• The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $3,750,000, enough to fund five (5) grants. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. The maximum amount per grant is $150,000 per year for 5 years.
• Each team must secure 1:1 matching funds in cash. Matching funds must be new money and cannot include funds that are reallocated from an existing program(s).

Please visit the CIHR website for further information regarding this funding opportunity.

Transplant Research Foundation of BC – Venture Grant

Registration Deadline: September 8, 2015

Application Deadline: October 30, 2015

Through the Venture Grants program, the Transplant Research Foundation of BC supports innovative projects across British Columbia that have the potential to significantly impact organ transplantation. The intent of the Venture Grants competition is to fund new areas of research (e.g., new hypotheses, techniques, or ideas) that are in a pilot/feasibility stage, and which will lead to external peer reviewed funding to support the next stages of research.

Two Venture Grants on general transplantation issues will be awarded to qualified projects. In addition, this year funds from the Addison Pediatric Transplant Research Project will also be available to support one Venture Grant focused specifically on pediatric organ transplantation. We strongly encourage applicants to submit proposals related to pediatric transplantation research.

Initial registration forms to be submitted on or before September 8, 2015. Only selected applicants will be invited to submit a full Venture Grant application. Full applications must be submitted by October 30, 2015. Funding decisions will be made on or before November 23, 2015. Successful applicants will be notified by email.

Proposals will be considered for a maximum grant from the TRF of $25,000, renewable on application for extension for up to a total of two years. The TRF will consider proposals for up to $50,000, when the amount of funds required in excess of $25,000 are provided by another funding agency and secured by the Applicant prior to the distribution of the TRF grant.

For more information and eligibility, please visit http://www.trfbc.org/research-in-action/trf-venture-grants/apply/ or email Jay Fiddler, fiddlerjay@gmail.com.

CIHR – Operating Grant: Canadian DOHaD Cohort Registry

Deadline: October 1, 2015

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to create a Registry of DOHaD cohort studies that will provide a database of metadata and definition of variables from all relevant Canadian cohorts, thereby linking them in a way that facilitates larger and better powered studies.

The specific objectives of the registry are to:

• Create a user-friendly, effective platform to support data interoperability and improve harmonization practices;
• Accelerate research and reduce cost by leveraging collaborative and/or cross-disciplinary research among Canadian researchers and their international collaborators;
• Broaden research perspectives by enabling national and international large-scale collaborative analyses.

Funds Available

• The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $1,300,000 over 5 years or a maximum of $260,000 per annum – enough to fund one grant. This amount may increase if additional funding partners confirm their participation in this initiative.

Please visit the CIHR website for further information regarding this funding opportunity.

Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health – Group Therapy Research Projects

Deadline: November 1, 2015

The Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health is dedicated to changing lives through therapeutic group work by advancing the most effective and innovative approaches to group therapy education, training, research, and community outreach. To that end, the foundation is seeking research-focused applications for group psychotherapy research  focused on one of five clinical populations: children, the elderly, the chronic mentally ill, substance abusers, and/or significantly ill patients with marked functional impairment.

Grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded based on the importance of the research to the field, the seniority of the investigators, and the number of research applications received.

Funding can be used to support the basic costs of research (e.g., supplies, equipment, photocopying, postage, computer services, statistical consultation, and/or research assistant salaries); investigator salaries and travel expenses will not be  funded. Equipment purchased for use with a research project is to be donated to an institution at the completion of the project.

Please visit the Group Foundation website for application instructions.

EVENTS:

UBC Centre for Blood Research Seminar Series – Caesar de la Fuente-Nunez & Antoine Dufour

Date & Time: June 29, 2015; 12-1pm

Location: LSC 3, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver

Please note that there will be two speakers at our upcoming seminar on Monday, June 29:

A Peptide-based Approach to Combat Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria

Seminar by

César de la Fuente-Núñez

Postdoctoral fellow in Hancock Lab,

Department of Microbiology and Immunology,

Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research

Moonlighting MMP12 decreases breast cancer cell prognosis by cleavage of intracellular Syk

Seminar by

Antoine Dufour

Postdoctoral Fellow in Overall Lab,

Centre for Blood Research

Department of Oral Biological & Medical Sciences

UBC Faculty of Medicine Continuing Professional Development – IUD Insertion Workshop

Date & Time: August 15, 2015; 10am-12pm

Location: UBC Robson Square, Vancouver

Target audience: Family Medicine, Gynecologists, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Residents & Medical Students

Up to 2.0 Mainpro-C credits

Overview

We are currently checking how many are interested until the end of June. We will go ahead with the course if we have 12 or more registered (max 24). If not, the course will be cancelled.

Now that copper and levonorgestrel IUDs are recommended for a much wider variety of women – for teens, for emergency contraception and for treating dysfunctional uterine bleeding in the peri-menopause – we can expect more challenges in inserting IUDs, especially into tight nulliparous uteri. There are a number of new IUDs with which you may not be familiar.

Agenda

This hands-on workshop will take advantage of plastic models, slides and discussion and is most suitable for clinicians who have already been inserting IUDs. Participants are encouraged to bring clinical scenarios that have been challenging. The facilitators are family doctors who run IUD clinics and will share their experience with a range of clinical equipment and techniques to simplify the challenging IUD insertion. All 13 IUDs currently available in Canada will be at the workshop.

Please contact UBC CPD at cpd.info@ubc.ca if you have any further questions or would like to register. You may also register online.

Register here: https://events.ubccpd.ca/website/index/110443

13th Annual Canadian Blood Services International Symposium – Blood Borne Pathogens: Defend, Detect, and Destroy

Date: September 26, 2015

Location: Colony Ballroom, Chestnut Conference Centre, 89 Chestnut Street, Toronto, ON

This one day symposium will review the challenges blood-borne pathogens present to the field of transfusion medicine. Physicians, technologists, nurses, and researchers involved in transfusion medicine will enhance their knowledge of blood-borne pathogens and gain an understanding of the approaches used to ensure the safety of the blood supply.

Confirmed international and Canadian speakers:

Ms. Nancy Angus, Canadian Blood Services, Toronto, ON

Dr. Charles Chiu, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Dr. Brian Custer, Blood Systems Research Institute & University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Dr. Roger Dodd, formerly of the American Red Cross, Washington, DC

Dr. Margaret Fearon, Canadian Blood Services, Toronto, ON

Dr. Niels Lion, Transfusion Interrégionale CRS, Lausanne, Switzerland

Dr. Allison McGeer, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON

Dr. Peter Schubert, Canadian Blood Services, Vancouver BC

Dr. Marc Turner, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, Edinburgh, Scotland

Registration:

Online registration is now available at www.transfusionmedicine.ca

Registration includes a light continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks. (If you have specific dietary restrictions, other than vegetarian, please contact centreforinnovation@blood.ca before September 4^th). Registration excludes the cost of parking.

Early Registration (Before Sept. 5):

Non-Industry (e.g., government, hospital, academia, Canadian Blood Services employees): $100

Industry (e.g., pharmaceutical company): $125

Late Registration (Sept. 5 – Sept. 26):

Non-Industry (e.g., government, hospital, academia, Canadian Blood Services employees): $125

Industry (e.g., pharmaceutical company): $150

$60 cancellation fee applies if canceled before Sept. 5. No refunds provided for registration made on Sept. 5 or after.

Planning Committee:

Dr. William Sheffield, Dr. Kathryn Webert, Dr. Ed Pryzdial, Dr. Sophie Chargé, Dr. Margaret Fearon, Dr. Robert Skeate, Mr. Ahmed Coovadia, Dr. Mia Golder, Dr. Geraldine Walsh, Ms. Sue Gregoire.

A report of the 12^th Annual Canadian Blood Services International Symposiums is published in Transfusion Medicine Reviews.

In this week’s issue:

Announcements:

• Office of the VP Research & International – Research Project Information Form updated
• UBC SPARC Office – 2015 NSERC RTI Pre-Selection Application Instructions available

Funding Opportunities:

• MITACS – Globalink Research Internships Program (final reminder)
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – Proposals for Innovative Research
• Glaucoma Research Foundation – 2015 Research Projects
• Migraine Research Foundation – 2015 Research Projects
• Vasculitis Foundation – Proposals for Research Projects
• UBC Faculty of Medicine – Discussion Groups
• World Federation of Hemophilia – LOIs for Clinical Research Grants
• Weston Brain Institute – Early Phase Clinical Trials 2015
• Progeria Research Foundation – Innovator Awards, Established Investigator Awards, and Specialty Awards
• AUR Research and Education Foundation – Ethics and Professionalism Grants for Radiologists

Awards and Honours:

• 2016 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award

Events:

• UBC Biomedical Research Centre Seminar Series – Dr. Jonathan Bibliowicz
• UBC Centre for Blood Research Seminar Series – Targeting biotherapeutics to vascular endothelium
• UBC SPARC Office – NSERC Discovery Grants Information Session (reminder)
• UBC Faculty of Medicine Continuing Professional Development – IUD Insertion Workshop

Other:

• Call for Proposals – FLEX Activities

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Office of the VP Research & International – Research Project Information Form updated

The Research Project Information Form (RPIF) has recently been updated, with changes to the budget section around indirect costs. Accurate completion of this section will help with the allocation of indirect costs to the various units across the university. Please ensure that you are using the latest version of the RPIF by going to the RPIF website instead of saving one to your computer.

UBC SPARC Office – 2015 NSERC RTI Pre-Selection Application Instructions available

The application instructions for the UBC pre-selection process for 2015 NSERC RTI applications are now available (please see 2015_NSERC_RTI_PreSelection_Application_Instructions_v2). Please disseminate this message as widely as possible to any UBC researchers who are considering applying for NSERC RTI funding.

As was done last year, all researchers considering applying for NSERC RTI funding in the 2015 competition must first submit an application package to the UBC peer review committee for this pre-selection process. Note that UBC is required by NSERC to pre-select a quota of 46 applications which are then allowed to be submitted to the national NSERC RTI competition.

Please Note: An important change to both the RTI pre-selection and final submission process is that the Canadian Common CV is now required as part of the application package (see attached file for details).

All RTI pre-selection application packages are to be forwarded to David Woods in the SPARC Office by the following deadline:

Tuesday, September 15th, 2015. (by 5pm)

Ranking of all potential UBC RTI applications will be completed by the peer review committee and results will be made available to applicants by October 2, 2015.

The attached requirements and instructions document, for the NSERC RTI application pre-selection process, is also available via the following SPARC webpage:

http://www.sparc.ubc.ca/programs/nserc-rti-pre-selection-process

Please forward any questions or concerns regarding this RTI pre-selection process to: David Woods (david.woods@ubc.ca).

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:

MITACS – Globalink Research Internships Program

Deadline: June 18, 2015

The Mitacs Globalink Research Internships program is now in its seventh year and accepting applications for summer 2016. The submission deadline for faculty projects is June 18, 2015.

Mitacs Globalink Research Internships invite undergraduate students from around the world to experience Canada as a leading destination for research & innovation. This competitive initiative pairs top-ranked students and faculty at Canadian universities for a 12-week research project of mutual interest in the period of May to September. Faculty members benefit from students’ international perspectives and experience, and can evaluate potential graduate students while demonstrating the breadth of Canadian research opportunities.

• 12-week research internship in summer 2016
• Open to professors in all disciplines
• Open to interns from Brazil, China, France, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Vietnam
• Mitacs oversees matching and travel logistics and provides student funding
• Competitive process for interns

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – Proposals for Innovative Research

Deadline: July 30, 2015

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s goal is to progressively reduce the impact of type 1 diabetes on people’s lives. To that end, JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, policy influence, and a working plan to develop better treatments for, prevent, and eventually cure T1D.

Through JDRF’s Innovative Grant Program, grants of up to $10,000 over twelve months will be awarded for research that addresses key outstanding questions and has the potential to lead to a change in the current paradigm or conventional wisdom and/or lead to a groundbreaking discovery in the treatment, prevention, or cure of T1D. The program does not support proposals aimed at incrementally advancing existing hypotheses, ongoing areas of research, or proposals with the sole goal of generating novel reagents or resources.

Proposals may be submitted by domestic and foreign nonprofit organizations; public and private universities, colleges, hospitals, or laboratories; units of state or local governments; and eligible agencies of the federal government. Innovative (but not pilot or research tool) proposals from for-profit organizations also will  be considered.

Applicants must hold an M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., Ph.D., or equivalent and have a faculty position or equivalent at a college, university, medical school, or other research facility. There are no citizenship requirements for this program.

For complete program guidelines and proposal submission procedures, visit the JDRF website.

Glaucoma Research Foundation – 2015 Research Projects

Deadline: July 31, 2015

Founded in 1978, the San Francisco-based Glaucoma Research Foundation was created to encourage innovative research aimed at finding better ways to care for people with glaucoma,  the leading cause of preventable blindness.

Through its Shaffer Grants program, the foundation will award one-year grants of $40,000 in support of high-impact clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory research projects aimed at finding better ways to care for people with glaucoma. The grants do not support equipment exceeding $12,000, salaries for principal investigators and co-investigators, projects with overt commercial applications, lab supplies, or indirect costs.

Preliminary proposals must be received no later than July 31, 2015. Upon review, selected applicants will receive an email with instructions for completing and submitting a full online grant application, which will be due September 30, 2015.

To be eligible, applicants must have a graduate degree. Interdisciplinary teams and collaborations that may lead to new glaucoma treatments are encouraged.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, please visit the Glaucoma Research Foundation website.

Migraine Research Foundation – 2015 Research Projects

Deadline: July 31, 2015

The Migraine Research Foundation is committed to furthering the understanding of the causes and mechanisms of migraine, helping to develop improvements in treatment, and finding a cure.

MRF provides one-year seed grants of up to $50,000 in support of important, achievable, and innovative research projects that ultimately lead to better treatment and quality of life for migraine sufferers. While the foundation welcomes all proposals relevant to basic or clinical migraine research, priority will be given to translational projects and those related to migraine variants, childhood migraine, and chronic migraine.  All grants must be used exclusively for research and research equipment (not capital expenditures, administrative costs, publication costs, or travel costs).

See the MRF website for further details.

Vasculitis Foundation – Proposals for Research Projects

Deadline: August 3, 2015

The Vasculitis Foundation is the international organization for patients with vasculitis and their family members and friends. VF empowers patients through disease education, raises awareness of vasculitis in the general public and medical community, and funds research to determine the cause, develop more effective treatments, and discover the cure for all types of vasculitis.

To that end, the foundation is inviting proposals for grants to support pilot studies related to treatment and/or finding a cure for vasculitis. The foundation hopes that the results of the research will lead to, and provide the basis for, much larger multiyear studies that would be funded by larger agencies such as the National Institutes of Health.

Grants of up to $100,000 for up to two years will be awarded for research related to etiology/pathogenesis (could include a broad range of studies of immunity, inflammation, or vascular biology); epidemiology, including genetics; diagnosis, including identification of disease subtypes; and treatment/management, including therapeutics to treat vasculitis or prevent complications, biomarkers, and psychosocial outcomes.

Preference will be given to applications with total budgets of $50,000 or less to ensure that the foundation can support as many investigators and as many approaches to research in vasculitis as possible.

For complete program guidelines, information about past grant recipients, and application instructions, please visit the Vasculitis Foundation website.

UBC Faculty of Medicine – Discussion Groups

Deadline: August 14, 2015, 4pm

In recognition of the need to establish an effective bridge between students and the wide knowledge base of medical research professionals and faculty both within UBC and abroad, the Faculty of Medicine has limited funds available for the support of Point Grey discussion groups and seminar series.

Only one application per UBC Faculty of Medicine department/centre will be accepted. Up to $1500 per group will be awarded.

Please visit the Discussion Groups website for more details.

World Federation of Hemophilia – LOIs for Clinical Research Grants

LOI Deadline: August 31, 2015

Full Deadline: December 1, 2015

The World Federation of Hemophilia is accepting Letters of Intent for international clinical research projects that address inherited bleeding disorders.

Through its Clinical Research Grant Program, WFH will award grants of up to $50,000 to support investigations designed to create better evidence for the clinical management of hemophilia A and B, von Willebrand disease, rare factor deficiencies, and inherited platelet disorders.

The program is open to applicants from all countries who are affiliated with a recognized medical, scientific, or academic institution; hemophilia or inherited bleeding disorder treatment center; or organizations with WFH member status. Ph.D. students are not eligible to apply, and the principal investigator must hold a faculty position at a recognized medical, scientific, or academic institution.

There is a two-step application process. LOIs must be received by August 31, 2015. Selected applicants will be notified and invited to submit a full proposal by December 1, 2015.

Please visit the WFH website for complete program guidelines and LOI submission instructions.

Weston Brain Institute – Early Phase Clinical Trials 2015

LOI Deadline: September 1, 2015, 2pm EDT

The Weston Brain Institute is launching the Early Phase Clinical Trials 2015 program to help outstanding Canadian researchers accelerate the development of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases of aging.

Goal: To provide funding for Phase I and II clinical trials to accelerate the development of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases of aging

Funding: Up to $1,500,000 for up to 4 years

Eligibility: The Principal applicant must be a researcher(s) with a full-time staff or faculty appointment (at or above the level of Assistant Professor or equivalent) at institutions that are registered CRA qualified donees in Canada. Projects must focus on the development of therapeutics for the symptomatic relief, disease modification, or prevention of neurodegenerative diseases of aging as we define them (AD, PD, ALS, DLB, FTD, PSP, MSA, and MCI as prodromal to one of these diseases).

All approaches below qualify for this funding opportunity:

• Pharmacological approaches (small molecules, biologics, cell therapies, vaccines, including drug repositioning and repurposing)
• Medical Devices
• Surgical Interventions
• Magnetic or electrical brain stimulation

** Complementary approaches (e.g. exercise, acupuncture, foods, or dietary or nutritional supplements) do not qualify. 

Important Dates:

• Program Information Session: Wednesday, July 8th, 2015, 2:00 p.m. EDT
• Letter of Intent Deadline: Tuesday, September 1st, 2015, 2:00 p.m. EDT

To apply, submit a Letter of Intent through the Institute’s online grant management system at https://weston.smartsimple.ca/welcome/neuroscience.

The online program information session is intended to provide you with comprehensive information on the application process and an opportunity to ask any questions.

To sign-up for the information session and submit any questions in advance of the session, please register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4294627913800318210

The Institute welcomes inquiries about our funding programs at neuro@weston.ca or 416-935-4056.

Progeria Research Foundation – Innovator Awards, Established Investigator Awards, and Specialty Awards

Deadline: September 25, 2015

The Progeria Research Foundation has brought progeria to the forefront of research efforts, engaging large, reputable institutions such as the National Institutes of Health and Children’s Hospital Boston to invest their resources in Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome.

The foundation currently is accepting applications for awards in three categories: Innovator Awards, Established Investigator Awards, and Specialty Awards.

Innovator Awards: Two-year grants of up to $150,000 will be awarded to an investigator to embark on new lines of investigation and produce enough preliminary data to be competitive for longer-term funding from NIH and/or other agencies.

Established Investigator Awards: Grants of up to $300,000 over three years will be awarded to senior investigators established either in the field of progeria or a field that can be directly applied to progeria.

Specialty Awards: Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded to support smaller, more technology-driven projects, including sequencing, screening potential drugs, obtaining cell lines (including IPSCs,) and preparation of antibodies. Funding amounts and lengths are flexible.

To be eligible, principal investigators must hold postdoctoral positions or beyond. In addition, grants will be awarded only to applicants affiliated with institutions with 501(c)(3) status, or the equivalent for foreign institutions.

Please visit the Progeria Research Foundation website for complete program guidelines, information about previous grant recipients, and application instructions.

AUR Research and Education Foundation – Ethics and Professionalism Grants for Radiologists

Deadline: January 10, 2016

The goals of the AUR Research and Education Foundation, the charitable arm of the Associaton of University Radiologists are to encourage excellence in radiological laboratory and clinical investigation, teaching and clinical practice; to stimulate an interest in academic radiology as a medical career; to advance radiology as a medical science; and to represent academic radiology at a national level.

The foundation is currently accepting applications its Ethics and Professionalism in Radiology Project Grants, which are designed to improve patient care and safety, and to promote social responsibility in medical care and practice by providing funding opportunities for the study and teaching of ethics and professionalism in radiology.

Projects that address any aspect of ethics and professionalism in radiology will be considered. Examples of types of projects include, but are not limited to, research of ethical dilemmas faced by academic radiologists or radiology physicians-in-training and the methods by which the dilemmas are addressed and educational programs to teach ethics and professionalism to practicing radiologists, to radiology physicians-in-training, or to allied members of the academic radiology community.

Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded in a single year. The awards may be used for salary support and/or other project costs. Through this grant program, the AUR Research & Education Foundation does not pay institutional indirect costs or overhead costs, or tuition.

Any member of AUR is eligible to apply as principal investigator. However, it is not necessary for all members of the research or development team to be AUR members.  Eligibility of the principal investigator must be maintained throughout the grant period.

See the AUR website for complete program guidelines and application instructions.

AWARDS AND HONOURS:

2016 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award

Nomination Deadline: October 1, 2015

We invite nominations for the 2016 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award (deadline October 1, 2015), am annual award of $100,000 CDN given to an established scientist who has demonstrated outstanding national leadership in medicine and medical science in Canada. Normally, the scientist should have a high level sustained research career in a biomedical discipline. The award is given for:

• accomplishment and leadership in a specific field of biomedical sciences (basic, clinical, population health) in Canada and/or original and sustained contributions to that field at an internationally recognized level.
• institutional academic and scientific leadership in Canada leading to the establishment and development of biomedical research in Canada and internationally.

The evaluation of the contributions of the Nominee(s) depends heavily on the quality of information supplied. Therefore, nominations should be accurate, detailed, current, complete, and with independent supporting letters from several institutions reflecting the Nominee’s accomplishments.

The recipient will be formally announced on March 23, 2016 and presented at the awards dinner on October 27, 2016 in Toronto.

Please visit the Gairnder website for further details about the nomination process.

EVENTS:

UBC Biomedical Research Centre Seminar Series – Dr. Jonathan Bibliowicz

Date & Time: June 16, 2015; 3-4pm

Location: Biomedical Research Centre, 2222 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver

Fluidigm Single Cell Science: Latest Developments and Technology Update

Seminar by:

Dr. Jonathan Bibliowicz, PhD

Field Applications Scientist

We will provide an update on the recent additions to Fluidigm’s single cell portfolio including Polaris™ -­‐ a single cell selection and environmental control system and Callisto™ – an automated combinatorial cell culture system.

Hosted by Dr. Kelly McNagny Kelly@brc.ubc.ca

UBC Centre for Blood Research Seminar Series – Targeting biotherapeutics to vascular endothelium

Date & Time: June 17, 2015; 12-1pm

Location: LSC 3, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver

Seminar by:

Dr. Vladimir Muzykantov

Professor of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Endothelium, a thin monolayer of highly specialized “epithelium‐like” cells lining lumen of blood vessels is the key regulatory interface between blood and tissues. Endothelial cells control vital functions and their abnormalities are implicated in many disease conditions. Biotherapeutics replenishing endothelial protective functions may improve management of these conditions, and targeting to molecules expressed on the endothelial luminal surface optimizes delivery and effects of drugs. Endothelial anchoring epitopes must be accessible to carriers, targeting must be safe and provide desirable addressing of drugs. Endowing drugs with an affinity to specific endothelial epitopes enables an unprecedented level of precision of control of drug

delivery: binding to selected endothelial cell phenotypes, cellular addressing and duration of activity, providing effects unattainable by non‐targeted counterparts. Factors of local microenvironment operating at cellular, sub‐cellular and sub‐molecular scales modulate endothelial targeting and effects of the biotherapeutics, often in unpredictable and sometimes fortuitously beneficial fashion. Understanding of these factors guides reiterative molecular engineering of targeted therapeutics, honing their utility as investigational tools and boosting their chances for translational success and medical use.

Please contact Dr. Ed Conway (ed.conway@ubc.ca) to network with the guest speaker.

UBC SPARC Office – NSERC Discovery Grants Information Session

Date & Time: June 29, 2015; 1-3pm

Location: Room 102, Michael Smith Laboratories, 2185 East Mall, Vancouver

SPARC is hosting an information session for UBC researchers who are interested in applying to the NSERC Discovery Grants (DG) Program. Join us as we review the Notification of Intent, create an NSERC Canadian Common CV, and discuss the Review Criteria and Evaluation Groups for the program. Information about SPARC’s DG support and services will also be presented.

The information session is scheduled for Monday, June 29, 2015, from 1:00-3:00pm

Registration for this workshop is required. Please visit the SPARC announcement webpage to register.

Please note that the Notification of Intent (NOI) for the DG competition is mandatory. NSERC’s NOI deadline is Monday, August 3. The full DG application is November 1st.

If you have any questions about this workshop or the 2015 Discovery Grant competition, please contact Alexander Unterberger at alexander.unterberger@ubc.ca.

UBC Faculty of Medicine Continuing Professional Development – IUD Insertion Workshop

Date & Time: August 15, 2015; 10am-12pm

Location: UBC Robson Square, Vancouver

Target audience: Family Medicine, Gynecologists, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Residents & Medical Students

Up to 2.0 Mainpro-C credits

Overview

We are currently checking how many are interested until the end of June. We will go ahead with the course if we have 12 or more registered (max 24). If not, the course will be cancelled.

Now that copper and levonorgestrel IUDs are recommended for a much wider variety of women – for teens, for emergency contraception and for treating dysfunctional uterine bleeding in the peri-menopause – we can expect more challenges in inserting IUDs, especially into tight nulliparous uteri. There are a number of new IUDs with which you may not be familiar.

Agenda

This hands-on workshop will take advantage of plastic models, slides and discussion and is most suitable for clinicians who have already been inserting IUDs. Participants are encouraged to bring clinical scenarios that have been challenging. The facilitators are family doctors who run IUD clinics and will share their experience with a range of clinical equipment and techniques to simplify the challenging IUD insertion. All 13 IUDs currently available in Canada will be at the workshop.

Please contact UBC CPD at cpd.info@ubc.ca if you have any further questions or would like to register. You may also register online.

Register here: https://events.ubccpd.ca/website/index/110443

OTHER:

Call for Proposals – FLEX Activities

Deadline: July 30, 2015

The following message is from Drs. Dawn Cooper and Richard Lazenby, FLEX co-directors:

I wanted to bring to your attention a new course that will be offered next year as part of the renewed MD Undergraduate curriculum that will offer a number of new teaching and mentoring opportunities for the faculty in your Department.  In the Fall of 2015, we will be launching a course called FLEX; FLEXible and Enhanced Learning. FLEX is an innovative new course that provides both time and space for medical students to participate in a variety of different learning activities, including research projects. The course will promote scholarly inquiry by introducing students to the basics of research and scholarship, and then provide them with time and support to pursue, design and participate in projects in their area of interest.

FLEX will span the first three years of the MD Undergraduate curriculum and will make use of one afternoon per week and dedicated blocks of time which are devoted solely to FLEX activity. As such, the framework for the course will support student engagement in larger, longitudinal projects, including research projects that may span more than one year.

We are currently collecting the names of faculty who are interested in working with a medical student. The package below contains a pdf that provides background information about the course (goals of the course, information about course scheduling and how to get involved) and instructions for filling in the FLEX proposal form. The remaining two word files are the proposal forms themselves (.docx and .doc versions).

FLEX Call For Proposals 2015

FLEXproposalForm (.docx)

FLEXproposalForm (.doc)

FLEX will serve to connect students with specific projects, and connect students with potential supervisors. If you have faculty within your Department that would like to work with a medical student but do not have not have a specific project in mind, we invite them to submit a proposal form that simply outlines their area of interest and/or a few potential ideas.  We will begin populating the FLEX database in August 2015. If you would like to work with a student in the upcoming academic year (2015/2016) and you would like have your activity posted to the database ford students to review this fall, please submit your proposal forms by July 30.

Please feel free to distribute this package to the faculty in your Department or to other individuals you feel would be interested. If you have any questions, do let me know. I am happy to meet with you personally, present to your group and/or meet with any individuals who are interested in getting involved. I should also note that faculty will receive evaluations and letters for their teaching dossiers and the assessment requirements of the faculty are both streamlined and minimal.

For more information please contact the course co-directors; Dr(s). Dawn Cooper (d.cooper@ubc.ca) and Richard Lazenby (Richard.lazenby@unbc.ca).

Please refer to the instructions below from the Office of the Provost regarding the TLEF application procedure for projects >$50K (this information is also on the TLEF website: http://tlef.ubc.ca/medicine/).

For TLEF proposals that impact the MD Undergraduate Program:

• complete the TLEF Proposal Form for the MDUP Curriculum Committee and submit it to the MD Undergraduate Program Curriculum Committee c/o read@ubc.ca for review. Submissions must be received by Monday July 6^th.

2016 Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund: Large TLEF Projects Call for Letters of Intent

The following message is sent, on behalf of Dr. Angela Redish, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Enrolment and Academic Facilities, to the attention of all UBC Vancouver campus Associate Deans, and VP Students.

Please add in any internal Faculty-specific communications relating to Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF) applications before the University deadline and distribute this message to all faculty and staff who may be interested.

2015/16 Large TLEF Call for Letters of Intent

Since 1991, the TLEF has supported individuals and teams on the UBC Vancouver campus who propose innovative projects that aim to enhance student learning.

As was the case with last year’s TLEF round, this year, applicants will be asked to submit proposals for either Large or Small TLEF projects.  For Large TLEF projects, applicants are asked to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) by 3 PM, Tuesday, July 13, 2015.  The Small TLEF Call for Proposals will open in September. Letters of Intent and proposals will be submitted through the TLEF online application system.

Large TLEF Projects: Two-stage application process

Applicants requesting $50k or more in total are required to submit a LOI – essentially a two-page description of the goals and parties involved – via the TLEF online application system.

These LOIs will be prioritized by the Faculty Deans (or Vice-President Students) and a subset of the TLEF Adjudication Committee. Based on these rankings, the Provost will invite applications for funding which will be reviewed by the Faculty TLEF committees and the TLEF committee in the fall. Our goal is to ensure that larger projects contribute to the strategic goals of a Faculty (or Vice-President Students) and that there is an opportunity for co-ordination across proponents where useful. Proponents of Large TLEF project grants are encouraged to check in with the appropriate Associate Dean prior to completing the LOI to see how their grant best aligns with Faculty priorities.

Applications that support Flexible Learning (FL) priorities including, for example, enhanced experiential learning opportunities, measurement of student learning and effectiveness, curriculum/program scale transformations, blended courses or enhanced interaction, and communication opportunities that support teaching and learning, are specifically encouraged, but this is not required.

The attached document summarizes the submission requirements for Large and Small TLEF grants.

Small TLEF Call for Proposals

The application process for Small TLEF projects (<$50k) will open in September 2015, and information on the Call for Proposals will be posted on the TLEF website at that time.

TLEF Website

Further details of the TLEF criteria and the application process are available at http://tlef.ubc.ca/.

Eric Eich, Vice-Provost, Academic as of July 1, 2015, will take over as Chair of the TLEF Adjudication Committee. Questions concerning the 2015/16 competition should be addressed to him or to Jeff Miller (tlef.infor@ubc.ca).

In this week’s issue:

Funding Opportunities:

• Weston Brain Institute – Rapid Response 2015 (final reminder)
• Vasculitis Foundation – Research Grants Program

Awards and Honours:

• UBC College of Health Disciplines – 2015 Awards Competition (deadline extended, final reminder)
• Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine – Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science (reminder)

Events:

• Biomedical Research Centre Seminar Series – Dr. Pam Ohashi
• Centre for Blood Research Seminar Series – Von Willebrand factor in health and disease: an unfolding story
• UBC Faculty of Medicine Continuing Professional Development –Routine HIV Testing in Family Practice Workshop (final reminder)
• UBC Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy – Visiting Scholar Presentation with Dr. Atiya Mahmood
• UBC SPARC Office – NSERC Discovery Grants Information Session