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June 2011 Center for Clinical and Translational Science e-Newsletter Center News Awards & Honors New Rockefeller Early Phase Physician-Scientists Michel C. Nussenzweig, MD, PhD was (REPPS) Program Initiated elected to the National Academy of Sciences. By Neil Renwick Agata Smogorzewska, MD, PhD received a Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Scientist Development Award. http://www.ddcf.org/Medical-Research/ Program-Strategies/Clinical-Research/ Clinical-Scientist-Development-Award/ Announcements Chief Clinical Scholar Announcement Dr. Iddo Ben-Dov will be the Chief Clinical Scholar for the academic year 2011 - 2012. Dr. Ben-Dov is a member of the Tuschl Lab and his research focuses on micro, RNA binding proteins and post-transcriptional regulation in kidney disease. Drs. Michelle Lowes, Neil Renwick, Teresa Evering, Sandy Vasan, Marina Caskey, Manish Ponda and Edgar Charles Administrative Supplement Awards The RU Center for Clinical and Translational challenge, given the striking and poorly The Rockefeller CTSA was awarded two Science is firmly committed to educating understood low rate of R01 attainment for Administrative Supplements. The first the next generation of physician- new investigators at the national level. supplement, led by Dr. Agata Smogorzewska scientists. In recent years, a number of the To provide maximal support at this critical and Mr. Ed Barbour, will bring advanced RU Clinical Scholars Program graduates bioinformatics tools to maximize the have successfully obtained highly career juncture, the RU CCTS has initiated the Rockefeller Early Phase Physician- information scientists can obtain by carefully competitive, peer-reviewed NIH K08 studying patients with the rare disease, or K23 Mentored Career Development Scientists (REPPS) program, through which participants will obtain encouragement, Fanconi anemia. The Bioinformatics team Awards to transition to academic and developed a sophisticated electronic version scientific independence. Despite the resources, and institutional commitment required to achieve scientific autonomy. of the International Fanconi Anemia Registry significance of these achievements, these (IFAR) and created an ontology to describe junior physician-scientists face a daunting continued on Page 3 the relationships between the signs and symptoms of the disease and the laboratory The Rockefeller University Receives AAHRPP Accreditation and genetic findings in the patients. Data on By Rhonda G. Kost more than 1,700 patients have been entered into the system. To enhance the value of the On March 16th, 2011, the Association for system, Shamin Mollah has led the creation of the Accreditation of Human Research a prototype program to automatically extract Protection Programs (AAHRPP) announced terms from the ontology and map them to the accreditation of The Rockefeller concepts in a standardized vocabulary. This University human research protection will allow investigators the ability to new gain program (HRPP). In accordance with the the Clinical Research Support Office, the insights into the disease and more broadly into AAHRPP model, The Rockefeller program investigators, and others concerned with diseases that predispose patients to cancer. integrates three components, each human research protections report. Dr. The second supplement, led by Drs. Rhonda playing a role to integrate leadership and Michael Young is the University official Kost, Jonathan Tobin and Alexander Tomasz practice for the protection of the rights and ultimately responsible for human research in the category of Community Engagement, safety of research participants. The three protections at Rockefeller University. will focus on building a community health levels are the University, the Institutional center-based system for the surveillance Review Board, and investigators Research on human subjects has been and treatment of community-acquired themselves. The Rockefeller HRPP is led ongoing at the university since 1910, when Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas by Dr. Thomas Sakmar, to whom the IRB, the Rockefeller Hospital was established. (CA-MRSA). The project is outlined in greater continued on Page 3 detail in Dr. Tobin’s article on page 4. 1 3rd Annual Yale-Rockefeller Research Collaboration Day Highlights Genetic Research, By Michelle Romanick Mentoring, and Academic Drug Development On March 17, 2011, 17 members of the Rockefeller Center for Clinical and Translational Science and 23 members of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation and Investigation (YCCI) Medicine Program attended the Third Annual Rockefeller University and Yale University Research Collaboration Day. The event was hosted by Yale and held on the West Campus of the university, which is situated on the former site of Bayer Laboratory. The CTSA programs at Rockefeller The Rockefeller Center for Clinical and Translational Science participants University and Yale University have partnered to provide a mechanism for Clinical Scholars, faculty, and staff from both institutions to meet and share scientific ideas and identify opportunities for collaborations. The agenda for common mission that includes innovation described the ways in which these findings the day reflected well the goals for in translational research. Dr. Coller also offer insights into molecular mechanisms networking and research alliances. noted that the event was taking place on underlying autism. Simultaneously his what was formerly the Bayer Laboratory, data challenged the current diagnostic Dr. Robert Sherwin, Director of YCCI and which reflects the major changes nosology in psychiatry. Both talks were Dr. Barry Coller, Director of CCTS warmly occurring in the pharmaceutical industry extremely well-received by the audience welcomed the attendees. Dr. Sherwin and the increasing role of academic and generated much discussion. indicated that in order for the CTSA investigators in drug development. programs “to take maximal advantage of The afternoon was dedicated to panel the explosion of knowledge in the basic Dr. Jean-Laurent Casanova, Senior discussions with representatives from biomedical sciences, we need to attract Attending Physician at The Rockefeller each CTSA site. The topics were Mentor- the best and brightest students and University and head of the St. Giles Mentee Relationships; Developing Bench- young physicians to careers in clinical Laboratory of Human Genetics of to-Bedside Collaborative Relationship; and translational research, give them Infectious Diseases and Dr. Matthew and Drug Development in Academia. the training and mentoring required State, Donald J. Cohen Associate Professor Each of the panels’ topics invoked a to master a daunting array of research in the Child Study Center and Associate lively and stimulating discussion with approaches and technologies, and the Professor of Genetics at Yale University the panel members and the audience. skills to work effectively within complex led off the day with exciting scientific Lunch provided another opportunity interdisciplinary teams, often beyond presentations. Dr. Casanova’s talk, for members from each university to the walls of their own institutions. The “Life-threatening Infectious Disease of network, discuss their research and annual CTSA scholar retreat between Childhood: Single-gene Inborn Errors of inquire about their colleague’s work. Yale and Rockefeller University was Immunity?” highlighted his laboratory’s created to support this goal. We’re research, which focuses on trying to Drs. Coller and Sherwin closed the event asking our young trainees to look at understand why some children develop with acknowledgements of everyone’s problems in a new, more collaborative a severe clinical illness during the course participation in creating a successful way and therefore I believe it’s important of an infection while others exposed to collaborative event. Rockefeller will host for them to make connections with the same microbe do not. Dr. State’s the next Research Collaboration Day in colleagues doing the same. The informal presentation on “Recent Advances in the 2012. and formal relationships established by Genetics of Autism Spectrum Disorders,” such an approach provides our Scholars addressed the fundamental properties with an inside look at an institution of genetic variation, described the with a different, yet closely aligned logic underlying the common variant- culture and serves to make the Scholar common disease and the rare variant- program at each institution better.” common disease hypotheses, discussed the importance of structural as well as Dr. Coller reflected on the rich scientific sequence variation, highlighted recent heritage between Rockefeller University results in the genetics of autism, and and Yale University; the institutions share a 2 Rockefeller University Hospital Achieves Full Accreditation from The Joint Commission By Cynthia Seidman plant and all of the equipment in the hos- On Feb. 26 2011, The Joint Commission but unlike past surveys that lasted 2 – 2 pital building. Based on the extensive re- (TJC) arrived at the Rockefeller Univer- ½ days, this inspection lasted 3 full days. view, Rockefeller University Hospital was sity Hospital for an unannounced three Two inspectors were assigned to conduct awarded accreditation for another three day survey. TJC is a nonprofit organiza- the accreditation evaluation; a nurse, who years. This successful outcome is due to tion that inspects hospitals every three meticulously examined medical records, the superb efforts of