July 2019 Vol. 7 Num. 1

N e w s l e t t e r Puerto Rico Clinical and Translational Research Consortium

July 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

PAGES 1 -6 CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH WEEK IN PUERTO RICO

PAGES 7-13 TITLE V COOPERATIVE PROJECT

UPR-MSC & UCC PAGE 7 RE-INAUGURATION UPR-MSC

ROOMS 318-319 PAGE 8 RETO-MOTOR TRAINING PAGE 9 CTMT DEVELOPMENT PAGE 11 CRESCO-UCC’S INAUGURATION PAGE 12 FACULTY RESOURCES NETWORK AT

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PAGE 13 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SUMMER

SEMINAR PAGE 14 UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

The organization and celebration of this main activity, for the development of clinical and translational research in our island from different perspectives, was a joint, collaborative and united effort of a variety of projects/initiatives and institutions that included: FDI Clinical Research; Hispanic in Research Capabilities Endowment (HiREC); Postdoctoral Master in Clinical and Translational Research (PMCTR); Puerto Rico Clinical and Translational Research Consortium (PRCTRC); Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation (PRCCI); Ponce Research Institute ; and the Title V Cooperative Project UPR-MSC & UCC. This island-wide event, as planned by directors, principal investigators and leaders of the above-mentioned groups, under the leadership of Dr. Rubén García García, as General Coordinator, consisted of three main activities: 1) Opening Session of the CTRWPR, 2) 8th Annual Title V Symposium/8th PRCTRC-Scientific Day and 3) 2nd Clinical Research Summit PRCCI.

Clinical and Translational Research Week in Puerto Rico: Connecting Knowledge Paths- May 6-10, 2019

Dr. Fernando Cabanillas Invited Speaker to the PRCTRC Scientific Day

In a historic and innovative event, Puerto Rico celebrated its “Clinical and Translational Research Week in Puerto Rico“(CTRWPR) on May 6-10, 2019.

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Opening Session of the CTRWPR - May 6, 2019 The Opening Session of the CTRWPR took place on May 6, 2019 in the Don Jaime Benítez Rexach Amphitheater at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus (UPR-MSC). During this official ceremony, Marianne Cortina Aldelol, Esq., Assistant Secretary, State Department of Puerto Rico read the Governor’s Proclamation, which was received by Dr. Jorge Haddock Acevedo, President of the UPR and Dr. Segundo Rodríguez Quillinchini, Chancellor of the UPR-MSC. Also present were Dr. Amarilys Silva-Boschetti, Executive Director, PRCCI; Dr. Lourdes E. Soto de Laurido, Principal Investigator and Director, HiREC; Dr. Margarita Irizarry Ramírez, Leader, PRCTRC; and Dr. Rubén García García, General Coordinator and

Director, Title V Cooperative UPR-MSC & UCC. As part of this session and with the sponsorship of HiREC through it’s Visiting Scientist Professorship Program, Ms. Sharon Terry, President and CEO of Genetic Alliance, offered a Plenary Lecture titled: “Engaging and Empowering Non-Scientists: Interaction with Clinical and Translational Researchers”. Sharing her personal experience with the rare disease of her children (pseudoxanthoma elasticum), Ms. Terry approached the engagement of science and scientists

as a layperson and at the same time compelled scientists to reach out to the

laypersons. This exemplified the gist of the CTRWPR and its main objective: to promote the preparation of clinical and translational researchers in Puerto Rico to contribute to better health for our citizens and communities. Approximately 70 attendees, which included students, faculty and general public, participated in this emotional opening session.

8th Title V Annual Symposium and 8th PRCTRC-Scientific Day: "Promoviendo la

Formación de Investigadores Clínicos y Traslacionales en Puerto Rico" (Promoting the Development of Clinical and Translational Researchers in

Puerto Rico) - May 7-8, 2019 During the last two years, the Title V Annual Symposium and the PRCTRC-Scientific Day have taken place as collaborative and coordinated activities. The main venue for this year’s 8th Scientific Day and 8th Symposium was the Don Jaime Benítez Rexach Amphitheater at the UPR-MSC. The main theme for this year was: "Promoviendo la Formación de Investigadores Clínicos y Traslacionales en Puerto Rico" (Promoting the Development of Clinical and Translational Researchers in Puerto Rico). This was the first year that these events were included as part of the main activities of the CTRWPR .

Mrs. Sharon Terry, President and CEO of Genetic Alliance; Dr. Rubén García García, General

Coordinator and Director, Title V Cooperative UPR-MSC & UCC; Dr. Segundo Rodríguez

Quillinchini, Chancellor of the UPR-MSC; Dr. Jorge Haddock Acevedo, President of the UPR; Esq. Marianne Cortina Aldelol, Assistant Secretary,

State Department of Puerto Rico; Dr. Margarita Irizarry Ramírez, Leader, PRCTRC; Dr. Lourdes E.

Soto de Laurido, Prinipal Investigator and Director, HiREC; and Dr. Amarilys Silva-Boschetti,

Executive Director, PRCCI, with the Governor’s Proclamation.

Governor’s Proclamation.

Mrs. Sharron Terry offering the Plenary Lecture.

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8th Title V Annual Symposium

This 8th Symposium, as one of the four main activities of the CTRWPR, took place on May 7th with the central theme: “Promoting the Development of Clinical and Translational Researchers in Puerto Rico”. This Symposium consisted of a variety of sessions in CTR: a plenary session, a panel of reactors, presentation of the experiences of the Project’s participants, and workshops. During the opening session, Dr. Gregory J. Quirk , Professor, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine (SoM) UPR-MSC, presented a lecture entitled: “Training the next generation of translational researchers in Puerto Rico: What works here?" After

this interesting lecture, the members of a panel composed by leaders of the initiatives, projects and institutions above-mentioned, provided their reactions and perspectives to the keynote lecture, as well as interacted actively with doctor Quirk and the audience. The members of the panel were Dr. Jose F. Rodríguez Orengo, (FDI), Dr. Lourdes E. Soto de Laurido ( HiREC), Dr. Karen G. Martínez González PMCTR and Dr. Amariyls Silva-Boschetti (PRCCI). Based on the goals and objectives of the Title V Cooperative Project UPR-MSC & UCC – the development and offering of new opportunities in CTR to students and faculty – the program

included an afternoon session entitled: RETO-MOTOR-CTMT-IDEARIO: “Experiencias de Adiestramiento y Formación de Equipos de Investigación Clínica y Traslacional…” Prof. Fransuás M. Torres Pabón, Prof. Maribelis Rivera Fuentes and Prof. Moraima Sosa Porrata (faculty members) and Jonathan Torres Pabón and Moraima Pagán Sosa (students), certified participants of the training cycles RETO-MOTOR, shared their learning experiences during the training sessions. Meanwhile, Jairelisse Morales Morales, José Reyes González and Pamela Miró Vázquez, students and members of CTMTs, shared their experiences with their respective CTMTs regarding team work and development of their particular projects. At the end of the session, four faculty members – Dr. Bárbara L. Riestra

Candelaria, Dr. Ivelisse Rivera Rodríguez, Dr. José L. Torres Cruz and Prof. Juan Perez Ocasio, representing their respective teams, presented their research project. Approximately 140 attendees –students, faculty and general public– participated actively during the morning and afternoon sessions of the Symposium.

Members of the CTMTs and Title V Cooperative UPR-MSC & UCC collaborators.

Dr. Gregory Quirk (center), panelists and Title V Cooperative UPR-MSC

& UCC collaborators.

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8th PRCTRC Scientific Day

The 8th PRCTRC Scientific Day was celebrated on May 8 as one of the main activities of the CTRWPR. The Scientific Day’s focus and motto, concomitant with the Title V Symposium, was “Promoting the Development of Clinical and Translational Researchers in Puerto Rico”. The activity had four main components: the recognition of the progress and achievements of PRCTRC investigators, the presentation of posters by investigators, a plenary session, and workshops. For the first time, the poster session was held out of any campus and as part of the 2nd Clinical Research Summitt organized by the PRCCI. This provided the presenters a

broader platform of exposure since the attendees to the PRCCI activity were very diverse, including academic institutions, private research laboratories, representatives from pharmaceutical companies and scientists from Puerto Rico and abroad. After a thorough evaluation by peer researchers, 59 abstracts were accepted to be presented in poster format. These showcased the research activity across a wide spectrum of fields within the clinical and translational approach. The authors that obtained the best score presented orally in a 10 minute format. These were Dr. Filipa Godoy Vitorino and Dr. Nayra Rodríguez Soto.

The 8th Scientific Day plenary session’s discussion theme was: How to train clinical researchers to be good communicators. The invited speaker for this session was Dr. Fernando Cabanillas, Director of the Auxilio Mutuo Cancer Center, writer and scientist focused in scientific communication. As an oncologist, he framed his talk on the challenges to communicate with cancer patients. His presentation was followed by a three member panel composed by Dr. Margarita Irizarry Ramírez, PRCTRC leader of Professional Development, professor at the School of Health Professions at the Medical Sciences Campus (UPR MSC) and researcher; Ms. Mayra Montero, novelist, writer and herself a patient; and Dr. Noridza Rivera, Chair of the Hematology Oncology section of the Internal Medicine Department at UPRMSC. The focus was how to develop strategies within the curricula of future clinicians and researchers to effectively train them on how to communicate with society in general and with their research participants and/or patients. The communication and dissemination of advances in scientific knowledge is a vital and necessary research component. It represents a mechanism to help our national leaders to make targeted public policy and allocate resources and technology for the benefit of our people. It also represents educating professionals, students and the next generation of scientists and the community as well.

Attendees and PRCTC’s collaborators.

Dr. Fernando Cabanillas and the members of the panel: Dr. Noridza Rivera, ; Ms. Mayra Montero; and Dr. Margarita Irarry Ramírez

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The "PRCTRC Investigator Achievement Award" recognizes the excellence and scientific productivity of researchers supported through the resources and services of the Puerto Rico Clinical and Translational Research Consortium (PRCTRC). This year, two researchers affiliated to the PRCTRC were recognized with the purpose of continuing to promote clinical and translational research to reduce health disparities. The awards were given to: Dr. Ana Patricia Ortiz, PhD, Professor, University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics of the School of Public Health UPR-MSC and to Dr. Maribel Campos Rivera, MD, MSc, MBA, FAAP, Associate Professor, School of Dental Medicine UPR-MSC. At the end of the morning session of the 8th PRCTRC Scientific Day, HiReC Principal Investigators, Dr. Lourdes E. Soto de Laurido and

Dr. R. Walter Frontera Roura presented the HiREC Award of Excellence in Clinical and Translational Research. The first one was presented to Dr. Abel J. Baerga Ortiz, Department of Biochemistry, SoM, UPR-MSC and the second one to Dr. Loyda M. Meléndez Aponte, Departartment of Microbiology and Medical Zoology, SoM, UPR-MSC. Approximately 175 attendees–students, faculty and general public– participated during the Scientific Day.

Workshops For the first time, three interactive workshops were planned, organized and offered to provide the academic community the opportunity to learn how to develop in CTR, as well as to learn new software and techniques. In a very collaborative effort of other projects/initiatives and institutions above-mentioned, the following three concurrent workshops were offered to approximately 80 attendees:

Statistical Analysis with Intellectutus Statistics - by Dr. Julio E. Rodríguez Torres, Professor, and Mr. Frank J. Seguí González, Graduate Student, Faculty of Education, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. Collaborators: Title V Cooperative Project UPR-MSC & UCC and PRCTRC

From Mentee to Mentor: A Pathway to Follow - by Dr. Carmen J. Buxó Martínez, Assistant Professor and Mr. Javier A. Rodríguez Ramos, third year student, School of Dental Medicine, UPR-MSC. Collaborators: Title V Cooperative Project UPR-MSC & UCC and HiREC.

Critical Factors for a Succesful Career in Clinical and Translational Research by Dr. Carlos Báez Pagán, PRSTRT; Gregrio Cortés Maisonet, GCM Medical Group; Dr. Pedro Santiago Cardona, PHSU,;Dr. Laura Domenech, PHSU; Dr. Oscar Soto Raíces, Mindful Medical Research Center; Dr. Suranganie Dharmawardhane, MBQ Pharma Puerto Ric’ and Mrs. Jessica Echevarría Báez, PHSU.

Dr. Carmen J. Buxó Martínez offering one of the three worksops.

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2nd Clinical Research Summit PRCCI: Connecting the World - May 9-10, 2019 The 2nd Clinical Research Summit PRCCI took place on May 9-10 as one of the main activities of the CTRWPR. The main venue was the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel and Casino Convention Center, San Juan.

As part of the cross-collaboration between the projects/initiatives and institutions above-mentioned, distinguished and recognized professors/researchers of UPR-MSC, organized and participated in two panels in this summit. A panel entitled: “Historical Roots of Clinical Research in Puerto Rico”, composed by: Dr. Jose Rodriguez Orengo, Professor, SoM, UPR-MSC, and Senior Consultant PRSTRT; Dr. Ángel A. Román Franco, Professor of Pathology and Immunopathology, SoM, UPR-MSC, UPR Distinguished Professor; and Dr. Raúl Mayo Santana, Emeritus Professor, UPR; discussed the contributions of clinical research done in Puerto Rico to the world’s health.

Another panel entitled “Creating a Pipeline for Clinical and Translational Research in Puerto Rico”, discussed the need for new investigators and the current training initiatives being offered throughout Puerto Rico. Dr. Karen G. Martinez González, Associate Professor, Director, Center for the Study and Treatment of Fear and Anxiety, Department of Psychiatry, SoM, UPR-MSC and Principal Investigator, Hispanic Clinical and Translational Research Education and Career Development Program, UPR-MSC; Dr. Jose R. Moscoso Álvarez, Director, Medical Images Technology Program, UCC, and Co-Director, Title Cooperative Project UPR-MSC & UCC: Dr. Enid J. García Rivera, Director, Endowed Health Services Research Center, SoM. UPR-MSC; Dr. Carlos A. Luciano Román, Professor of Neurology, SoM, UPR-MSC, and Principal Investigator, PRCTRC; Dr. Amarilys Silva-Boschetti, Executive Director, PRCCI; and Dr. Walter R. Frontera Roura, Professor, SoM, UPR-MSC and Co-Principal Investigator, HiREC, UPR-MSC were the members of this panel.

More news on the PRCCI 2nd Clinical Research Summit may be found in their newsletter in http://www.prcci.org/news/

Closing remarks The celebration of the historic and innovative Clinical and Translational Research Week in Puerto Rico was very successful. It is a great example of the ability of a group of projects/initiatives and institutions island-wide to join and work together following a main goal: the development of clinical and translational research in Puerto Rico.

Members of the Organizing Committee - CTRWPR. Members of the CTMTs and the Director of Title V Cooperative UPR-MSC & UCC at

PRCCI’s poster session.

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The Title V Cooperative Project between the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR-MSC) and the Universidad Central del Caribe (UCC) is entering the last trimester of its third year –out of five– which started on October 1, 2018. During the past trimester the Project has developed more activities and obtained outstanding achievements in each of its main components: Research Education Towards Opportunities (RETO) and Mentorship Offering Training Opportunities for Research (MOTOR); Center for Research Education and Science Communication Opportunities (CRESCO); Intensive Development and Experiences in Advancement of Research and Increased Opportunities (IDEARIO) and the formation of additional Clinical and Translational and Mentoring Team (CTMT), as well as the development of the proposals of the CTMTs previously formed.

In this issue, we will be sharing the activities and achievements that occurred during the past trimester. These activities provided new opportunities in clinical and translational research to undergraduate and graduate students from the health professions and to their faculty at the UPR-MSC and UCC, and as recently approved, to students and faculty from other institutions island-wide. The focus of these activities is in translational research, which aspires to bring its relevant findings to impact on how to treat, diagnose and manage health conditions and takes into account the needs of communities affected by specific health problems. The main achievements, aligned with the goals and objectives of this innovative initiative that took place during the last trimester of the third year are presented below.

Re-inauguration of UPR-MSC Library Study Rooms 318-319 in collaboration with CRESCO, and Discussion Session with CTMT Principal Investigators - April 3, 2019

The Center for Research Education and Science Communication Opportunities (CRESCO) is a physical and virtual space located at the libraries of UPR-MSC and UCC. It supports the development of future clinical translational researchers by providing a variety of services and resources to the students and faculty members of the partner institutions who are interested in pursuing a career in Clinical and Translational Research. As part of the development of this innovative unit, the Study Rooms 318 y 319 at UPR-MSC Library were re-inaugurated on April 3rd, 2019. This completes the renovation process of the four study rooms

Supported by the US Department of Education: Title V Grant Award # P031S160068

Prof. Carmen M. Santos-Corrada, Libray Director; Dr. Rubén García García, Title V

Director; and Dr. Efraín Flores Rivera , CRESCO Co-coordinator, cut the ribbon during the re-inauguration ceremony of the renovated MSC

Library study- rooms 318 and 319.

located on the 3rd floor of the Library. Thanks to the collaboration of the Title V Project, each of these rooms will now have multi-use and flexible furniture, LCD screens, mobile whiteboards, and the wireless presentation system, wePresent.

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After the re-inauguration ceremony, the attendees received information about the facilities, services and tools provided by UPR-MSC’s CRESCO. This was followed by a very successful Discussion Session with a group of principal investigators of the Clinical and/or Translational Mentoring Teams (CTMT). In this session, the principal investigators shared the progress made so far by their respective research teams. They also provided valuable suggestions on how the CRESCO can better support clinical-translational research teams in areas such as: 1) technological tools to facilitate the communication among team members; 2) procedural aspects of the IRBs in UPR-MSC and UCC, including the effective use of their respective institutional e-platforms; 3) statistical analysis

for clinical-translational research; and 4) scientific writing and communication skills. The input provided by the CTMT principal investigators in this first discussion session has already been used by the Title V/CRESCO collaborators in the development of new services and tools to support research education and science communication. A second group discussion with the principal investigators of the CTMT wil be held in August.

As of December 2018, the Project had certified 96 participants in five RETO-MOTOR 1 training cycles and 34 participants in three RETO-MOTOR 2 training cycles. Focused on its goals and objectives, during these last six months, the Project developed, organized and offered more training cycles. On May 14, 2019, 23 participants were certified in the sixth cycle of RETO-MOTOR 1 and 9 participants completed the fourth cycle RETO-MOTOR 2. These trainings included undergraduate and graduate students, as well as

faculty members. This ongoing process provides participants with a variety of educational experiences in clinical and translational research. Participants are exposed to topics such as: definition of clinical and translational research; identification, interview and presentation of a clinical and translational investigator; development of a research question; analysis of

Prof. Lizbelle De Jesús Ojeda, Title V Online Developer, provides

information about the services and tools offered by the CRESCO.

CTMT principal investigators (mentors) and Title V leaders participate in a discussion

session.

Prof. Lizbelle de Jesús Ojeda and Dr. Rubén García García (center)

and participants of RETO-MOTOR 2.

Prof. Edgardo L. Rosado Santiago (left), Dra. Elsa M. Orellano Colón (center), Dr. Juan C. Soto Santiago

(right) participants of RETO-MOTOR 1.

Certified participants of RETO-MOTOR 1 & 2 and Title V Cooperative UPR-MSC & UCC collaborators.

research environments; responsible conduct in the investigation; development of a research project; and effective search of databases. This training concludes with the formation of a Clinical and Translational Mentoring Team

(CTMT). At the CTMT, a principal investigator advises the participants in the development of a research question.

More Training Cycles RETO-MOTOR 1 and 2 - March 14 to May 14, 2019

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Development of existing CTMTs and 3 additional CTMTs convened on May 2019

As mentioned in a previous section of this newsletter (“Clinical and Translational Research Week in Puerto Rico: Connecting Knowledge Paths - May 6-10, 2019”), members of the CTMTs took part in the 8th Annual Title V Symposium with their presentation entitled: RETO-MOTOR-CTMT-IDEARIO: “Experiencias de Adiestramiento y Formación de Equipos de Investigación Clínica y Traslacional…”. During the presentation, the members of the Glaucoma, Neuro and Cancer teams shared the formative experience of being part of the Title V trainings while the Cardio, Liver, Renal and Zika teams presented the work developed as a product of their trainings. In addtition, during the Poster Session of the 2nd Clinical Research Summit PRCCI that took place as part of the 8th PRCTRC Scientific Day and organized by PRCTRC, representatives of the Renal and Zika teams presented posters of their respective projects. Further progress has been achieved by the 10 CTMT teams that had been formed by March 2019, as summarized in the following table:

Team members, rol and institution Outcomes Topic Dr. Elsa M. Orellano Colón, Principal Investigator (Mentor), UPR-MSC Nelson J. Almodovar Arbelo, Luna S. Lugo Latorre, UPR-MSC, Dr. Ivelisse Rivera Rodríguez, UPR-MSC, and Dr. Natalia Valentín Carro, UCC, Co-Investigators

Luna. S. Lugo Latorre, first author and member of the team, presented the poster entitled: “Factors influencing healthy lifestyles among Hispanic Adults with End Stage Renal Disease in Hemodialysis: IDEARIO experiences’’ at the poster session of the 2nd Clinical Research Summit PRCCI, as part of the 8th PRCTRC Scientific Day and organized by PRCTRC. On the other hand, Dr. Ivelisse Rivera Rodríguez presented the work developed, during the oral session of the 8th Annual Title V Symposium entitled: RETO-MOTOR-CTMT-IDEARIO: “Experiencias de Adiestramiento y Formación de Equipos de Investigación Clínica y Traslacional…” The group also published an abstract of their work, which has the following citation: Orellano-Colón, E., Lugo-Latorre, Luna., Rivera-Rodríguez, I., Valentín-Carro, N. & Almodóvar-Arbelo, N. (March, 2019). Understanding barriers to and facilitators of a healthy lifestyle of Hispanic adults with end stage renal disease in hemodialysis: Intensive Development and Experiences in Advancement of Research and Increased Opportunities (IDEARIO). Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 3(S1), 157. Other dissemination efforts include a publication in the Triple S Newsletter.

Renal

Dr. Inés García García, Dr. Lourdes García Fragoso, Dr. Lourdes García Tormos and Dr. Juanita Negrón Pagán, Principal Investigators (Mentors), UPR-MSC Prof. Juan Pérez Ocasio, Co-Investigator UCC

Prof. Juan Pérez Ocasio, as first author and member of the team, Presented the poster entitled: “High risk of choroid plexus cyst in non-microsephalic term infants with intrauterine Zika virus exposure” at the poster session of the 2nd Clinical Research Summit PRCCI, as part of 8th PRCTRC Scientific Day and organized by PRCTRC. In addition, he presented the work developed, during the oral session of the 8th Annual Title V Symposium entitled: RETO-MOTOR-CTMT-IDEARIO: “Experiencias de Adiestramiento y Formación de Equipos de Investigación Clínica y Traslacional…” The poster entitled: “Neurobehavioral and developmental outcomes of possible congenital Zika in a cohort study in Puerto Rico”, from the outcomes of the research developed and lead by the principal investigators of this CTMT, was presented at the 2nd Summit.

Zika

Members of the CTMTs and Title V Cooperative UPR-MSC & UCC collaborators.

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Team members, rol and institution Outcomes Topic Dr. Juan C. Jorge Rivera and Dr. Loida A. González Rodríguez, Principal Investigators (Mentors), UPR-MSC Dr. Bárbara L. Riestra Candelaria, UPR-MSC, Prof. Mirian Rodríguez Figueroa, UCC, and Winston J. Serrano Matos, UPR-MSC, Co-Investigators

Dr. Bárbara L. Riestra Candelaria, as team member, presented the work developed, during the oral session of the 8th Annual Title V Symposium entitled: RETO-MOTOR-CTMT-IDEARIO: “Experiencias de Adiestramiento y Formación de Equipos de Investigación Clínica y Traslacional…” The research protocol was approved by the San Jorge Children Hospital’s IRB and has been implemented with steady steps on data collection.

Liver

Dr. Maribel Campos, Principal Investigator (Mentor), UPR-MSC Dr. José L. Torres Cruz and Quiriat Torres Rosario, Co-Investigators, UCC

Dr. José L. Torres Cruz, as team member, presented the work developed, during the oral session of the 8th Annual Title V Symposium entitled: RETO-MOTOR-CTMT-IDEARIO: “Experiencias de Adiestramiento y Formación de Equipos de Investigación Clínica y Traslacional…” Their research protocol was approved by the UCC’s IRB and the Auxilio Mutuo Hospital’s IRB. As a staregy to engage new students in RETO-MOTOR, three UCC students have been working with the team.

Cardio

Dr. Nadezhda Sabeva, Principal Investigator (Mentor), UCC José Reyes González and Prof. Jorge L. Rodríguez Muñiz, Co-Investigators, UCC

This group has developed and tested a mouse model to evaluate the effects of the Gulf War Illness. .José Reyes González, as member of the team, presented the development of the proposal during the oral session of the 8th Annual Title V Symposium entitled: RETO-MOTOR-CTMT-IDEARIO: “Experiencias de Adiestramiento y Formación de Equipos de Investigación Clínica y Traslacional…”. He also presented a related research project, entitled: “A Mouse Model of Gulf War Illness Allows for Mechanistic Studies and the Search for Antidotes”, at the poster session of the 2nd Clinical Research Summit PRCCI, as part of 8th PRCTRC Scientific Day and organized by PRCTRC.

Neuro

Dr. Farah Ramírez Marrero, Principal Investigator (Mentor), UPRRP Sujes A. Centeno Rivera, UPRRP, Eduardo J. Correa Vázquez, UPR-MSC, Alondra K. Mercado Andino, UPRRP and Misael F. Riquelme Batista, UPR-MSC, Co-Investigators.

Team members have completed selection of the research topic and are developing the proposal to be submitted to the UPRRP’s IRB.

Exercise

Dr. Astrid Zayas-Santiago, Principal Investigator (Mentor), UCC Isabel V. Caballero Martínez, UPR-MSC, Génesis K. Medina Sánchez, UPR-MSC, Jairelisse Morales Morales, UPRH and Bianca P. Ruiz Guzmán, UPR-MSC, Co-Investigators

After achieving approval of their proposal, team Glaucoma has achieved collaborative agreements with clinical service providers to facilitate participant recruitment. This milestone marks an important step towards requesting IRB approval for this important project.

Glaucoma

CTMT/IDEARIO – Team Renal. CTMT/IDEARIO – Team ZIKA. CTMT/IDEARIO – Team Liver.

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Team members, rol and institution Outcomes Topic

Dr. Maribel Campos Rivera, UPR-MSC and Dr. Farah A. Ramírez Marrero, UPRRP, Principal Investigators (Mentors) Tania Avilés Andino, UPR-MSC, Ana Carro Ocasio,UPRRP, Jorge Martínez Rodríguez, UPRA and Natalia del Valle Rivera, UPRRP, Co-Investigators

Concept Paper was received. They are currently working on the proposal to move forward with the IRB submission.

Obesity

Dr. Juan C. Jorge Rivera and Dr. Loida A. González Rodríguez, Principal Investigators (Mentors), UPR-MSC Gabriela F. Cardy Rodríguez, UPR-MSC, Dr. Bárbara L. Riestra Candelaria, UPR-MSC, Prof. Mirian Rodríguez Figueroa, UCC, Jonathan Torres Pabón, UAGM and Winston J. Serrano Matos, UPR-MSC, Co-Investigators

This team will further expand the translational work on the subject of liver disease.

Liver Disease

Dr. Pablo Vivas Mejia, Principal Investigtor (Mentor), UPR-MSC Prof. Moraima Sosa Porrata, Co-Investigator, ITPR

This team started their meetings and literature review to present their concept paper.

Ovarian Cancer

We are working to increase the pool of principal investigators (mentors) from UPR-MSC and UCC to create new CTMTS. New CTMTs are also being formed with principal investigators (mentors) that lead one of the existing 13 CTMTs and are available to continue as mentors in other CTMTs. Also, faculty members that have previously participated in a CTMT are willing to become part of new CTMTs. We expect to have three additional CTMTs once the aligment with participant research interest and mentor availability is completed among RETO-MOTOR 2 participants, as well as, the successful completion of Concept Papers and Proposals of the new teams by September 30, 2019.

CRESCO-UCC’s Inauguration Ceremony - May 16, 2019

The facilities of the Center for Research Education and Scientific Communication Opportunities (CRESCO-UCC), located at the Arturo L. Carrión Pacheco Library, were inaugurated on May 16, 2019. With the participation of UCC’s President, Dr. Waleska Crespo Rivera and the Project’s collaborators, the ceremony started by welcoming all the people that gathered for the opening and thanking everyone that participated and made the development of this space possible.CRESCO-UCC was created to provide services and resources to undergraduate & graduate students, and professors of the partner institutions (UPR-MSC and UCC), as well to students and professors from other institutions that are participating in the project. One of CRESCO‘s main objectives is to develop competences in clinical and translational research, and strategies to communicate the findings of the research projects to the community. This facility can accommodate up to ten students, and is equipped with a 65” intelligent monitor, five tablets, two computers, one 3D printer and a dedicated with Wi-Fi line for internet access. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHOoEU7E7pI&feature=youtu.be)

Dr. Waleska Crespo Rivera, UCC’s President; Prof. Mildred I. Rivera

Vázquez, Libray Director and CRESCO-Co-coordinator; Dr. José R. Mosoco Álvarez, Title V Co-Director and Dr. Rubén García García, Title V Director, cut the ribbon

during CRESCO-UCC’s inauguration ceremony.

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At CRESCO-UCC, the project collaborators will be able to work in training activities, workshops, group orientations and discussions pertaining their respective investigations. This space will also provide the participants with a platform where they can exchange the experiences and knowledge gained by their participation in this innovative project.

Participation in the Faculty Resource Network (FRN) at New York University - June 9 - 15, 2019

Two Title V Co-coordinators, Dr. Margarita Irizarry Ramírez and Dr. Efraín Flores Rivera, attended the 2019 FRN Summer Seminar. They participated, respectively, in the one-week courses: “Using Digital Resources to Support Online Project-Based Learning” and “Teaching for Social Justice through Comics & Graphic Novels”. As a final project for her course, Dr. Irizarry Ramírez redesigned an experience within the topic of Scientific Integrity, applying On-line Problem Based Learning (PBL) techniques discussed during

the seminar. She presented this project during the last session of her seminar. Meanwhile, as a result of his participation in the “Teaching for Social Justice” course, Dr. Flores Rivera learned how to integrate comics and graphic novels as part of a research findings dissemination plan for non-scientific audiences. In addition, he invited Edgardo Miranda- Rodríguez, the Puerto Rican graphic novelist based in New York, to present his graphic novel La

Borinqueña at the UPR-Medical Sciences Campus on October of this year. This event will be organized by the Title V’s Center for Research Education and Science Communication Opportunities (CRESCO) and the MSC-Library, with the aim to explore the intersection between science communication, social determinants of health, and graphic arts. The date and other details of this activity will be announced soon.

A chronological view of CRESCO-UCC’S inauguration ceremony wih the participation of UCC’s academic leaders and Title V Cooperative Project UPR-MSC & UCC participants and collaborators.

Dr. Margarita Irizarry Ramírez and the convener Dr. Anandi Nagarajan.

Dr. Irizarry Ramírez (3rd from left, back) and other participants on the PBL course.

Dr. Efraín Flores Rivera (1st from right, holding PR flag) with other participants of the “Teaching Social Justice” course.

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July 2019 Vol. 7 Num.1

Title V participants in the Summer Seminar of the UPR Medical Sciences Campus for high school students - June 12, 2019

The theme of the activity was: Immerse Yourself in the Sea of Knowledge Offered by Translational Clinical Research. In accordance to the Project's goals/objectives and in another creative-participatory activity organized by the Liaisons of the School of Health Professions and the School of Nursing, approximately 151 high school students had the opportunity to receive specific information on the Training Cycles of Research Education Towards Opportunities (RETO) and Mentoring Offering Training Opportunities for Research (MOTOR), level 1. This is the second year that the Project participates in this Summer Seminar.

Upcoming activities up to September 30, 2019…

The Project’s collaborators –Dr. José Rafael Moscoso Álvarez (UCC) and Prof. Edgardo L. Rosado (UPR-MSC) will present a poster entitled: “Integration of Undergraduate (US) and Graduate (GS) Students and Faculty (F) in Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) in Puerto Rico: The University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus (UPR-MSC) and Universidad Central del Caribe (UCC) Experience” during the 52nd. Annual Association of Educators in Imaging and Radiological Sciences (AEIRS) meeting, to be held on July 11- 12, 2019, at Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Second brainstorming session between CTMT’s mentors and Title V Coordinators to identify new services, products or specific support that CRESCO could provide to students and professors who are conducting research and/or publishing their results.

Inauguration of the simulators – X-Ray and Victoria– located in the Laboratory of the Radiologic Technology Program, School of Health Professions, UPR-MSC and in the Skills Laboratory, School of Nursing, UPR-MSC, respectively, on August 28, 2019.

Beginning of the design and related administrative processes at UCC for the development of the Community Medical Images Laboratory (CMIL) for imaging services and clinical practice.

Offering of new training cycles: the Seventh Training Cycle of RETO-MOTOR 1 and the Fifth Training Cycle of RETO-MOTOR 2, from August to September, 2019.

Forming new CTMTs and submission of new CTMT’s proposals.

Prof. Edgardo L. Rosado Santiago and Dr. Juan C. Soto Santiago with high school students.

Register at: https://tinyurl.com/y4lgmkpt