The CCTST Center for Improvement Science (CIS) is pleased to announce new leadership.

Jennifer Molano, MD, has been an active member of the CIS core, serving as Team Science faculty since 2018 and joining the CIS as associate director under Dr. Jack Kues’ leadership in 2021. Upon Dr. Kues’ recent retirement, Dr. Molano was named co-director of the CIS and director of Collaboration & Team Science.

Dr. Molano is an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, where she has been on faculty since 2010. After obtaining her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Latin at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, she completed both medical school and neurology residency training in her home state at West Virginia University. She further received training in behavioral neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and in sleep medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Her career has also been enriched by numerous activities within the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), currently serving as the Vice-Chair of the Member Engagement Committee. She also serves on the editorial boards for the New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch Neurology and the Brain and Life magazine. Her interests within neurology include the interface between sleep and cognition. She also has a great interest in promoting clinician and health care worker wellness, having participated in multiple wellness initiatives within the AAN and the Ohio State Medical Association Wellness Committee. Locally, Dr. Molano chairs the UC College of Medicine Faculty Wellness Advisory Council and the UC Medical Center Graduate Medical Education Resident Wellness and Wellbeing Committee. She is also the UC Health physician lead for their involvement with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Joy in Work Learning Network. She continues to work on perfecting the art of juggling scarves, is always on a quest to find joy, and is looking forward to supporting collaboration and team science initiatives within the CCTST.

The CCTST welcomes Brittany Rosen, PhD, MEd, who has been named co-director of CIS and director of evaluation, overseeing evaluation initiatives for all CCTST cores. Dr. Rosen is a research associate professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent and Transition Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Her research program focuses on developing and assessing evidence-based implementation strategies to increase the uptake of biomedical technologies (e.g., vaccines) in adolescent patients through the healthcare setting.

She has experience and training in survey development, advanced quantitative statistical analyses, behavior change theory application in public health, adult education, and intervention development and evaluation. She has also received extensive training in implementation science by completing the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer (TIDIRC) Facilitated Course and the Certificate in Implementation Science from the University of California San Francisco. She has experience conducting evaluations of smartphone apps, virtual reality, and game-based interventions.

Please join us in congratulating Drs. Molano and Rosen on their new positions!

The Community Engagement Core Speaker Series took place on December 8, 2022, via Zoom, with a focus on community-based approaches to mental and behavioral health among at-risk youth. In addition to the keynote address, Engagement and Data to Improve Behavioral Health and Well-being Among Youth, the event recognized the 2022 CCTST Community Awardees:

• Practice-Based Research Awardee:

• Post COVID-19 Clinic Team at The Christ Hospital

• Academic-Community Research Partnership Awardees:

• EMPOWER: Empowering Mothers and Providers and Other Stakeholders to Weigh in as Experts in Research in partnership with Dr. Nichole Nidey (Assistant Professor, Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology; CCHMC)

• Caracole in partnership with Dr. Daniel Arendt (Assistant Professor, UC College of Pharmacy)

• Academic-Community Partnership Student Awardee:

• Cathrin Green, PhD (Psychology Resident, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology) in partnership with the First Ladies for Health Initiative

• Integrating Special Populations Awardees:

• Dr. Meron Hirpa, Cincinnati Health Department

• Dr. Melanie Myers, Dr. Michelle McGowan, Kristin Childers-Buschle: The Engaging Adolescents Research Study at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Division of Human Genetics

• Dr. Anita L. Brentley Community Health Advocate Awardee:

• Mona Jenkins, Co-Founder & Executive Officer of Queen Mother’s Market

Congratulations to all awardees!

In an effort to expand D&I Science capabilities within UC and CCHMC and to establish a D&I Science research community across these institutions, the CCTST is sponsoring two meet and greet sessions on Tuesday, March 14th to bring together researchers with interest and expertise in the field.

A virtual session is planned from 10:00AM-12:00PM and a face-to-face session from 2:00PM-4:00PM. All are welcome to attend either one, and no prior knowledge or experience in D&I Science is needed.

Registration for both virtual and in-person sessions can be found here. Each session will be capped at 25 attendees, so please register early. Refreshments will be provided at the in-person session.

For questions, please contact Rohit Ramaswamy, PhD.

CCTST Integration Committee Offering Sessions for Research Faculty from UC and CCHMC

Each Integration Committee meeting features an invited researcher who briefly presents their work and challenge(s) they’re experiencing. This committee is a CCTST activity, and as such, one goal is to see if CCTST resources can be utilized to address the challenge at hand. The committee can also help brainstorm:

• How to overcome environmental challenges strategies to accelerate the research leadership experience

• Career opportunities

• Collaborations

The committee meets virtually on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month from 3:00-4:00pm.

For more information, please contact Sandy Geideman or visit the Integration Committee website.

The CCTST KL2 Research Scholars Program is pleased to announce its new Associate Director, Moises Huaman, MD, MSc.

Dr. Huaman is a clinical and translational investigator trained in infectious diseases, immunology, and clinical epidemiology. He is associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Cincinnati.

Dr. Huaman’s research focuses on the interplay between infection, inflammation, and cardio-metabolic diseases, with a particular focus on the role of tuberculosis in atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. He has experience conducting clinical and translational studies nationally and internationally, including observational and interventional trials to prevent and treat infections of global public health relevance such as tuberculosis, HIV, and COVID-19. Dr. Huaman is a former CCTST KL2 Scholar and currently serves as co-PI for the UC Infectious Diseases Research Unit. 

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Huaman and welcoming him to the team! 

On Friday, February 3, 2023 the CCTST is hosting Dr. Carolette Norwood, PhD, MA for a Grand Rounds entitled, “Black Doctors and the Jim Crow Health Infrastructure of Cincinnati”.

Dr. Norwood’s talk will chronicle the history of Black physicians in Cincinnati; the racism they encounter in the profession and the advocacy they undertook in the community.

Dr. Norwood is professor and department head of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University. Dr. Norwood is a Black feminist sociologist whose research explores the implications of violence (structural, spatial, and interpersonal) at the intersections of race, gender, class, sexuality, and space on reproductive and sexual health injustice for Black women. Dr. Norwood’s research on Black women’s economic mobility and reproductive (in)justice in Cincinnati collectively informs her first book project tentatively entitled, Jim Crow Geographies: Mapping the Intersections of Poverty, Gender, Race, and Sexuality in Urbane Space, under contract with Columbia University Press.

This off-cycle Grand Rounds event is co-sponsored by UC’s Office of Clinical Research Education Committee for Clinical Research Professionals and will be offering continuing education units. To register for Dr. Norwood’s presentation, please click here.

CCTST Grand Rounds is a monthly virtual seminar series showcasing best practices in clinical and translational science. Recordings from past Grand Rounds presentations can be found on CTRonline.

We would like to honor our good friend and colleague Jack Kues, PhD, who officially retired from his role as the Director of the Center for Improvement Science (CIS) in December 2022.

Dr. Kues has been a remarkable leader within the CCTST and the broader academic health center. He has dedicated his career to the improvement of health programs and the advancement of science, frequently through incubating interprofessional collaboration and being able to address inscrutable problems through thoughtful and meticulous evaluation efforts. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Kues has been a mentor and a collaborative force, bringing together teams of scientists and healthcare professionals to work toward common goals. His efforts have touched every CCTST core, and his legacy will continue to inspire future generations of researchers and clinicians.

Those within the CCTST and the CIS know that Dr. Kues has been a champion of team science, recognizing that the most effective solutions come from working together across disciplines. He has been a strong advocate for the importance of team science in driving health improvements, and his dedication to this mission has been a guiding principle for the CCTST. His passion for interprofessional collaboration has been evident in the many interdisciplinary teams he has led and nurtured over the years. Dr. Kues has been an integral part of the CCTST since its inception, working closely with the late Jim Heubi, MD, to establish the CIS. His contributions to the CCTST are immeasurable, and his collaborative spirit will always be remembered and respected by those he has touched and inspired.

Dr. Arun Jose (photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati College of Medicine)

K Scholar, Arun Jose, MD, MS, assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati, recently published an article in Heart Failure Clinics titled, “Struggling between liver transplantation and portopulmonary hypertension”. To view the full article, please click here. 

Portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) is a progressive, ultimately fatal cardiopulmonary disease that occurs exclusively in patients with underlying portal hypertensive liver disease. Although the mainstay of treatment in PoPH is targeted pulmonary vascular therapy, liver transplantation (LT) can be highly beneficial in select patients. This article, part of a featured issue on the challenges in pulmonary hypertension, reviews the rationale for medical therapy versus LT in PoPH, highlighting important clinical considerations and offering guidance to providers struggling to determine the optimal treatment approach for their PoPH patients.

Collaboration and Team Science provides an overview of the Science of Team Science (SciTS) for investigators who are (or will be) working in transdisciplinary teams. In addition to examining the theoretical and research literature on the dynamics of teams, the course will include:

• An examination of the construction and maintenance of high functioning teams.

• Hands-on exercises for assessing and improving team skills.

• Discussions about institutional barriers to working in teams and strategies for overcoming these and other challenges faced by translational researchers navigating in a team-based environment.

To view the spring semester syllabus and additional course information, please visit the CCTST Team Science page.

COURSE INSTRUCTOR:
Jack Kues, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Department of Community and Family Medicine
CCTST Center for Improvement Science

TIME & LOCATION:
Thursdays, Spring Semester (January 12 – April 20, 2023)
Online, 9:00am – 10:50am

REGISTRATION:
BE-7040, 46941, 2 credits
Register at catalyst.uc.edu
Regular UC tuition rates apply

FOR REGISTRATION QUESTIONS, CONTACT:
Beth Niehaus
virantem@ucmail.uc.edu

The CCTST has enhanced the “CCTST Consultation Services” option in our services portal, Research Central, to include learning health systems and dissemination & implementation science!

Now, you can request any of the following services via a CCTST consultation request in Research Central:

• Learning Health Systems (LHS): Designing and implementing an LHS, including 1) shared purpose, goals, and theory of change; 2) data collection, infrastructure, and analytics; 3) stakeholder engagement and coproduction with patients and families; 4) integration of clinical care, research, and improvement activities; and 5) leadership, governance, and ethics.

• Dissemination & Implementation (D&I) Science: New and experienced researchers who want to explore ideas on how to build dissemination and implementation science into research projects.

Sign-up here to schedule a consultation.

SAVE THE DATE:
CCTST Workshop: Basics of Implementation Science
November 8, 2022, 9AM-4PM, 140 Kowalewski Hall
Primary Instructor: Rohit Ramaswamy, PhD, MPH, Grad. Dipl. (Bios)
Click here for more information.

The CCTST Ethics, Regulatory Knowledge, & Support Core is hosting a panel discussion titled, “Artificial Intelligence - Perils & Promises”, on Monday, October 31st from 11:30AM-12:30PM via Zoom.

The transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on our society will have far-reaching implications in all aspects of our lives, be it in medicine or education. As with the promises of AI, we should be aware of its perils too. The panel will broadly discuss the ever-increasing role of AI in society. The main focus of the panel will be on how AI reinforces structural bias and the numerous ways in which it impacts everyday people. Attendees do not need a background in AI, but rather an interest in the topic.

Zoom registration can be found here.

CCTST Co-Director, Dr. Jareen Meinzen-Derr, will facilitate the panel. Event panelists include:

Annu Prabhakar, PhD, MS is a Professor in the School of Information Technology in CECH. Her primary research areas are Human-Computer Interaction, Health Informatics, and Science & Technology Studies. Her research focuses on designing interactive technologies for wellness and education. In addition, she investigates the effects of technology on society. She is the founding faculty adviser of the Women in Technology organization at UC. She is a strong advocate for Equity and Inclusion, and currently, she co-chairs Faculty Senate ad-hoc committee on Race and Equity. She is a recipient of UC's George Barbour Award for Excellence in Student-Faculty Relations. Dr. Prabhakar received her PhD in Informatics from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.

Josette Riep, MS is the Executive Director of Software Development in Digital Technology Solutions. She holds a master’s degree in information technology and is currently pursuing a PhD in IT. Josette has worked in the field of Software Development for over 20 years and her current responsibilities include: leadership over custom development initiatives spanning education, research, patient care and administration as well as Equity and Inclusion sponsorship activities with an emphasis on increasing STEM representation for African Americans and other underrepresented groups. Through participation in UC’s Diversity initiatives, Josette continues to pursue opportunities and technologies that ensure UC creates an environment that does not tolerate but embraces our differences, and thus empowers individuals and organizations to excel.

Maelesha joined the Research Participant Advisory Council (RPAC) and the West End Community Research Advisory Board (WE C-RAB) in August of 2021. While she was initially recruited to participate in the WE C-RAB as a lifelong resident of the West End, she also quickly joined the RPAC due to her and her son’s participation in the longitudinal Imprint Study at Children’s which is following newborns through age 4 to predict how they go through life with illnesses.

She’s the proud mom of 2 boys, Kamryn (2 years old) and Kaiden (8 years old) and loves to dance in her spare time. She’s also an RN at University Hospital in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and has participated in many studies since she was a child. 

Q. What motivated you to participate in research?

Coming from my background of science as a registered nurse and being on that side of policy change, changes in dosage of medication etc., we tend to always talk about evidence based practice. I found it very interesting to get a glimpse of the other side of medicine. It’s a very engaging process, to see it from the very beginning – how things start off as a question and then to see how it expands into a study, which eventually leads to changes in policies, changes in dosage etc.

Q.What has been your favorite aspect of the RPAC and/or research project/study to come to the RPAC?

It is just so fascinating to see it in full cycle. Being a part of RPAC has given me an opportunity to see the full circle of research and how it leads to changes in the healthcare system as a whole.

Q.What would you tell your peers about research who are hesitant to participate?

Being a member of RPAC/WE CRAB has shed light on things that were not visible to me at first. I am beginning to understand how important it is to participate in research. I realize now that there are not many people who look like me or come from the same background as me participating in research. They will never have the answers to solve our problems without our participation. I am doing this to help make a better environment for my future grandchildren. It is very important for the future of our world.

Q.How did you hear about any research in which you participated in? How were you approached or introduced to the studies?

With the Imprint study I was approached at West Chester Hospital where I was having my prenatal appointments. This was the hospital where I wanted to deliver Kamryn. I was 30 weeks pregnant. Initially I had jumped into the study thinking it was going to be about the flu but – as this was around the end of 2019/early 2020 – ended up being about COVID as well. Because of this, I ended up having to consent twice. They were drawing blood as part of my routine checkup appointments and would just ask if they could piggy back on those samples. They then gave me the rundown of what I should expect to happen once Kamryn was born. They explained to me how they would take samples of saliva, stool and blood from Kamryn. In the beginning they were taking nasal Swabs weekly and stool samples monthly, along with the blood draws. Now it is not as intense as before. We just send in monthly samples of stool and weekly nasal swabs.”

Q. Overall has participating in research studies been a positive experience for you?

It has been a positive experience overall. It has been very impactful when it comes to learning new things about myself. It has made me curious and willing to ask questions. It has piqued my interest and has always been a positive situation. I have not only participated in research on the medical level, I have also participated in marketing research for companies like P&G.  I once participated in a study on tampons. I had to store them in the freezer and they would come and pick them up after I used them. I would also have to journal about them. It was fun because I got to express how I felt, I had an opinion to give. It paid too. As a younger person, there was no better feeling than having that cold hard cash in an envelope! I remember making one hundred bucks to do that tampon study for a week. 

Q.What would you say to researchers about RPAC/ WE CRAB about why they should come to the RPAC?

Expand your reach. We can be helpful, if you come to a wall and have no idea what direction you should go we could be helpful with direction. We can help spark new ideas that you probably have never thought about. We could also be that connection to help you get the word out to the community. You could bounce ideas off of us and ask questions you might not be as comfortable asking with other groups of people. I love the conversations that happen between the researchers and us.

About the RPAC and WE C-RAB. The RPAC and WE C-RAB are resources available to anyone at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital interested in learning the research participant or community perspective and improving how research is conducted at the hospital or out in the community. If you are interested in seeking feedback from one of these groups at one of our meetings, or through electronic survey, contact Julie Wijesooriya, julie.wijesooriya@cchmc.org.

The CCTST Center for Improvement Science will host three (virtual) workshops this fall, each building on the other to empower teams to communicate effectively. Individuals can sign up for any and all of the workshops - each can be taken as a stand-alone training, but content will be related and participants will benefit from attending all three.

Workshop Series: Communication - A Strategic Tool for Teams

Communication Styles & Team Dynamics | October 6, 2022 (2:00-3:30PM)
Personal styles of communication and how they impact working relationships and team functioning.

Courageous Conversations | October 13, 2022 (8:30-10:30AM)
Understand the effects of stressful communication and explore strategies for navigating difficult conversations.

Team Charters: It's a Journey, Not a Destination | October 26, 2022 (1:00-3:00PM)
How to build an optimal team environment by creating and using a team charter.

Click here to register for the workshop series.

Questions? Please contact Laura Hildreth.

On Friday, September 16th, the CCTST is hosting Dr. Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson, PhD, MPH for a Grand Rounds entitled, “Toward our Shared Liberation: Reproductive Justice Epidemiology for Action”.

Dr. Sealy-Jefferson’s talk will cover theories and frameworks that ground scholarship on reproductive justice epidemiology as well as empirical examples of scholarship on macrosocial determinants of preterm birth in Black women.

Dr. Sealy-Jefferson is a social epidemiologist whose primary research seeks action to combat manifestations of structural racism that limit the human rights of Black families and communities. She is the Founder, Director, and Principal Investigator of the Social Epidemiology to Eliminate Disparities (SEED) Lab. The mission of the SEED Lab is to conduct high quality epidemiologic research to find solutions to the disproportionate burden of infant mortality among Black women. Specifically, Dr. Sealy-Jefferson’s scholar-activism draws from the Reproductive Justice Framework and seeks to: (1) empirically document associations between systems of oppression and preterm birth (which is the leading cause of infant death), (2) explicate the intervening biologic, social, and psychosocial mechanisms, as well as (3) identify effect modifiers of these associations among Black women. The goal of her scholarship is to inform future intervention studies, policy change, and social activism.

To register for Dr. Sealy-Jefferson’s presentation, please click here.

CCTST Grand Rounds is a monthly virtual seminar series showcasing best practices in clinical and translational science. Recordings from past Grand Rounds presentations can be found on CTRonline.

The CCTST will offer two free workshops this fall introducing the basics of Learning Health Systems (LHS) and Implementation Science. Instructional material and activities will be geared towards researchers interested in or already working in these areas. Each workshop is stand-alone but the topics and content are connected, so participants will benefit from signing up for both.  

Workshops will be held from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break on October 10 (LHS) and November 8 (Implementation Science), both in 140 Kowalewski Hall on the Academic Health Center campus. Go here to register for both workshops.

More Information: 

CCTST Workshop: Basics of Learning Health Systems
October 10, 2022, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., 140 Kowalewski Hall 
Primary Instructor: Michael Seid, PhD

This course provides an overview of the science and practice of Learning Health Systems (LHSs). In a LHS, science, informatics, incentives, and culture are aligned for continuous improvement and innovation, with best practices seamlessly embedded in the care process, patients and families active participants in all elements, and new knowledge captured as an integral by-product of the care experience (IOM 2013). This one-day workshop will expose students to the key competencies required for LHS researchers and practitioners, including the organization and methods required to design, develop, and implement LHSs and collaborate with stakeholders to produce novel insights and evidence that can be rapidly implemented to improve the outcomes of individuals and populations and health system performance (Forrest et al. 2018). Upon completion of this course, students will have a basic understanding of LHS science and methods across the four domains of the IOM LHS model – culture, informatics, science, and value. No prior knowledge of Learning Health Systems is necessary, but experience with clinical or systems improvement and research methods is expected. Participants can sign up for optional one-on-one consulting time the day after the course.

CCTST Workshop: Basics of Implementation Science
November 8, 2022, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., 140 Kowalewski Hall
Primary Instructor: Rohit Ramaswamy, PhD, MPH, Grad. Dipl. (Bios)

Implementation science is the systematic study of methods to bring evidence based healthcare and public health interventions to routine and sustained use. Implementation research focuses on the third stage of the translational research pipeline where interventions that have been shown to be efficacious and effective need to be widely disseminated and adopted for outcomes to be realized at scale. This one-day workshop is intended be an introduction to the principles and language of implementation science, focused primarily on researchers interested in learning more about how they can incorporate implementation questions into their work. No prior knowledge of implementation science is required, but experience with research design terminology and research methods is expected. The workshop will distinguish implementation research from other types of translational and health services research, introduce participants to the terminology in the field and provide examples of common implementation research questions and the designs used to answer them. Participants can sign up for optional one-on-one consulting time the day after the course.

In collaboration with Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library and the Cincinnati Ethics Center, the CCTST will be co-hosting The Ethics of Genetics Expert Panel on September 13, 2022 at 7PM at the Deer Park Branch Library. 

In anticipation of author Walter Isaacson's visit as the Mary S. Stern Lecturer, a panel of experts on Genetics will be discussing the ethics behind gene editing, a topic that will be brought to life during Mr. Isaacson's lecture as he goes into detail on his latest book 'The Code Breaker', which discusses Jennifer Doudna's work launching CRISPR.

This panel discussion will be moderated by Andy Cullison, Executive Director of the newly founded Cincinnati Ethics Center housed at UC. The experts include, Dr. Anil Manon (Director of UC's Biomedical Sciences Program), Dr. Daniel Gurnon (Rare Genomics Expert & Professor of Biochemistry - DePauw), Dr. Michelle McGowan (Research Professor, Ethics Center - Cincinnati Children's). More information can be found here.

The Collaboration Network (TCN) will feature a virtual presentation by Kristin Burgoyne, MSSW, executive director of RefugeeConnect on September 15, 2022 from 9-10AM.

In July, RefugeeConnect received a 3-year grant from bi3 to support launching and expanding its Refugee Health Navigator program. The Health Navigator program is a three-pronged approach designed to increase refugees’ understanding of US healthcare systems increase health literacy, ensure equitable pathways to services through training and consultation with healthcare providers, and ensure that families can access and navigate the healthcare system. Health Navigators are cultural leaders with native language skills, which not only center community voices but also ensures equitable practices and culturally relevant services are offered to the refugee community. 

Request the Zoom link for this meeting by contacting Laura Hildreth.

The 2022 Appalachian Translational Research Network (ATRN) Health Summit is now accepting abstracts for oral, poster, and symposium presentations. The University of Kentucky will host the 12th annual summit in-person on November 14-15, 2022 at the Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky campus. Click here for more summit information.

ABSTRACT CONTENT
This year's summit theme is Community-Academic Engagement: Building Resilience Together. Abstracts may be submitted that report on health-related research or programs focused on priority health issues that impact Appalachian communities. Abstracts may report on basic laboratory research, clinical research, community-based research, epidemiological and/or populations studies, outcomes research, health services research, evidence-based programs, program evaluations, or best practices in community organizations or clinical settings, and may describe work that has been or will be submitted at other meetings.

WHO SHOULD SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT?
Individuals with experience or interest in improving health in communities across the Appalachian Region. This may include: faculty, research personnel, extension educators, trainees/scholars, students, administrators, community members and organizations, government agencies, or private foundations.

DEADLINE & ABSTRACT SUBMISSION INFO
Abstracts must be submitted by Friday, September 9th, 2022.
To view the call for abstracts and submission details, please click here.

The CCTST Ethics, Regulatory Knowledge, & Support core, along with the University of Cincinnati Human Research Protection Program, are hosting a panel discussion on the diverse perspectives in community-engaged research. The virtual event is on Wednesday, August 31st from 11:30am-1pm. Zoom link can be found here.

The panel will discuss community-engaged research strategies and experiences toward a deeper understanding of common challenges and tips for achieving successful partnerships and research outcomes.

Panelists include:

Dr. Rebecca C. Lee is an Associate Professor of Nursing in the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing and is a skilled qualitative, mixed methods, and quality improvement researcher who conducts research informed by community-engagement. She holds advanced certification in Community/Public Health Nursing as well as Advanced Transcultural Nursing. She was inducted as a Transcultural Scholar by the Transcultural Nursing Society. She is also a member of the Center for Improvement Science (CIS), the UC IRB as well as the Ethics Center Steering Committee.

Kareemah Mills is the Associate Director of the Human Research Protection Program at the University of Cincinnati. She specializes in the regulatory requirements for initiating and maintaining reliance agreements on multisite studies utilizing a single IRB. She assisted with the formation of the National Institutes of Health StrokeNet Central IRB. Kareemah has also led in establishing the University of Cincinnati IRB as the single IRB of record for many other federally funded clinical trials and collaborative research studies through training and partnerships with research teams and organizations to reduce administrative burden and enhance quality oversight.

Michelle Merrett is a community advocate and prisoner representative on the University of Cincinnati IRB. She serves as chair of a nonprofit organization that operates a community garden helping low-income residents grow their own food and practice healthier eating habits. She holds degrees in Criminal Justice and Human Resources and has over 30 years of state and federal service in the criminal justice system including her role as a U.S. federal probation officer. Michelle has created community partnerships with children’s programs and community resource agencies.

Stephanie Schuckman is a Program Manager and Team Science Faculty at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Center for Clinical & Translational Science & Training (CCTST). She divides her effort between the Center for Improvement Science (CIS) and Translational Workforce Development (TWD) cores, facilitating Team Science workshops, DEI educational seminars and career pathways in clinical research. Stephanie began her career as a financial broker and adjunct professor at Fidelity Investments and Xavier University. She earned her MA in Educational Studies, concentrating in Community-Engaged Research in 2019 and most recently certified in Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) assessment and as a Life Coach (CLC).

Story released by the University of Cincinnati Dean’s List Weekly Newsletter. Story features CCTST K Scholar graduate, Silvi Shah, MD.

Dr. Silvi Shah (photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati College of Medicine)

K Scholar Program graduate, Silvi Shah, MD, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, was invited to be a speaker by the Women In Nephrology – India conference on August 13, 2022. Shah’s presentation was titled, “Donor-derived cfDNA: Can it Improve Monitoring of Graft Kidney?”

An offshoot of the International Society of Nephrology, Women In Nephrology was founded in 1983 and has successfully helped women to nurture their careers in this field. This conference encompasses a pre-congress workshop, panel discussions, debate and a large platform for research work share.

Shah is a physician-scientist whose research focuses on women’s health, including pregnancy, sex disparities in kidney disease, and kidney health in cardiovascular disease. She is supported by the K23 career development award from the National Institutes of Health to study sex differences in cardiovascular disease in patients on dialysis. Shah serves as a co-editor of American Society of Transplantation e-news and leads the American Society of Nephrology’s “Women’s Health and Research in Nephrology” community.