CLIC News Roundup – September 2021
CLIC Updates Twitter Highlight CLIC Education CTSA News Coordinating Center News
News from around the CTSA Program Consortium |
How CTSA Program Hubs Across The U.S. Are Vaccinating Their Communities Against COVID-19
The FDA approved the first COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020, yet as of August 16, 2021, only half of the United States is fully vaccinated. Children under 12 and others who are not eligible to receive the vaccine account for part of this gap, but vaccine access and hesitancy also play a major role. Hesitancy, access to vaccines, and access to credible information about the vaccine especially affect medically underserved and vulnerable populations in the United States.
The Clinical and Translational Awards (CTSA) Program is vaccinating underserved and vulnerable communities across the United States and addressing vaccine hesitancy so that hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 decrease.
Existing Drugs Kill SARS-CoV-2 in Cells
Could the next therapy for COVID-19 already be at your local pharmacy?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, researchers worldwide have been looking for ways to treat COVID-19. And while the COVID-19 vaccines represent the best measure to prevent the disease, therapies for those who do get infected remain in short supply.
A new groundbreaking study from the University of Michigan’s Center for Drug Repurposing (CDR) reveals several drug contenders already in use for other purposes—including one dietary supplement—that have been shown to block or reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells.
CTSA program support enables the creation of a rare disease patient registry
When Miss America 2020, Camille Schrier, walked into the Norris Lab on the campus of the Medical University of South Carolina, she was among peers. Not other contestants but other people who love science and are affected by an uncommon connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or EDS.
Schrier is perhaps not a typical Miss America. Her winning talent was a chemistry experiment, and she’s pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Low Vitamin D Levels May Boost COVID-19 Risk in Black People
In a recent study in JAMA Network Open, CTSA Program researchers at the University of Chicago assessed whether a person’s risk of testing positive for COVID-19 was associated with their levels of vitamin D within the year prior to the test. The scientists also examined vitamin D levels and COVID-19 risk separately among white people and among Black people.
Updates from the CLIC |
CLIC is accepting applications from CTSA Program hubs interested in hosting an in-person or virtual Un-Meeting on a topic of their choice. Applications are due September 27, 2021, by 5:00 PM ET. Read the RFA
CLIC Education |
Coming Soon: CLIC Cohorts for Change Workshop Series Kickoff & Webpage Launch
The CLIC Cohorts for Change Anti-Racism Workshop Series is kicking off in October! This pilot series is limited to nominated participants, but CLIC is creating a webpage for the translational science community to follow along with the series over the next six months.
Stay tuned for the launch and make sure to check out this article about our first workshop facilitator, Tiffany Danielle Pineda!
ICYMI: News from the Science & Research World |
Biden Opens New Federal Office for Climate Change, Health and Equity
Amid deadly heat waves and new evidence showing that wildfire smoke may contribute to premature births, the Biden administration is creating a new federal office to address the health consequences of climate change and their disproportionate effects on poor communities.
The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, which the administration announced on Monday, will be the first federal program aimed specifically at understanding how planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels also affect human health. It will fall under the Department of Health and Human Services.
CTSA Program Coordinating Centers’ News |
Recruitment Innovation Center Study Website Toolkit
This study website toolkit is designed to help researchers/study teams learn about some of the benefits of having a study website and will provide a basic overview of what to consider before and during the process of designing and developing a website. Some information contained in this toolkit has been informed by patient and community stakeholder feedback obtained during Community Engagement Studios with representatives across the country and with a variety of disease conditions. This is not a comprehensive guide for building, maintaining, and promoting a study website.
CD2H Informatics Maturity & Best Practices Core
Join Informatics Maturity Core Community meetings led by Adam Wilcox on the third Thursday of the month at 10 am PT/1 pm ET. Direct message ezampino@uw.edu for the invite.
Next meeting: September 16, 1 pm ET