H. Enrichment Program Overview. The Enrichment, Training, and Outreach Program of the CDTR, under the leadership of Russell Rothman, M.D, will orchestrate a broad range of essential CDTR activities that greatly enhance and enrich the research and training environment at Vanderbilt. Dr. Rothman, in combination with the Administrative Core, also facilitates cooperative activities and interactions of the Vanderbilt CDTR with other academic medical centers. Dr. Rothman, an accomplished scientist and educator, is ideally suited to lead these CDTR efforts. His research focus on effective communication has resulted in a number of important collaborations with investigators in several CDTR research areas and with investigators at other institutions. He will be supported in these activities by the CDTR Administrative Core and by Dr. Elasy. Both Drs. Rothman and Elasy have considerable experiences as educators with Dr. Elasy teaching a 3 credit course in our Master's of Public Health Program at Vanderbilt University. Both Drs. Rothman and Elasy serve as Associate Directors for a VA Quality Scholars Fellowship Program (Dittus, PI) that attracts a range of young investigators. In this portion of the proposal, we discuss the enrichment activities of CDTR, the CDTR involvement in research training, and outreach efforts of the CDTR. Importantly, funds from the CDTR grant for enrichment and training are greatly amplified by considerable funds provided by Vanderbilt and philanthropic sources for these CDTR efforts H.1 Enrichment Activities The target audience of CDTR efforts to enhance the research and training environment is not only CDTR-affiliated investigators, but also their students and postdoctoral fellows, and other members of the Vanderbilt scientific community. The CDTR has multiple mechanisms for achieving these goals, including a weekly seminar series and an annual Diabetes Research Day that promote interaction and cooperation with the broader science community at Vanderbilt. H.1.1 The weekly CDTR Seminar Series brings speakers from outside Vanderbilt and speakers from within the CDTR to present the latest diabetes-related research. For the seminar series, each core group is responsible for designating Vanderbilt speakers from their research group and for inviting outside speakers of interest to the CDTR. This ensures that the CDTR seminar series addresses the range of scientific interests in the CDTR membership and also provides a regular forum for CDTR-affiliated investigators to gather and interact. Because we have noticed that investigators at other institutions are more likely to hear a member of the Vanderbilt CDTR speak about his/her research than investigators at Vanderbilt, we think it is critical that CDTR-affiliated investigators also present their research in this seminar series. This is especially important in promoting interactions and collaborations between investigators in different research areas. The Administrative Core will provide logistical support for the seminar series (travel arrangements, posting on web site, notification of CDTR members, publicity flyers, etc.). We have designated funds to bring 5 outside speakers/year. In addition, we will merge this seminar series with a DRTC seminar series so as to further integrate our research base with the broader diabetes community at Vanderbilt. Dr. Powers, director of the DRTC, has graciously agreed to provide funds designated for DRTC enrichment activities that will be used to provide lunch to the attendees of the weekly seminar series (Fridays from 12-1 PM). H.1.2 The CDTR will join with the broader diabetes community to sponsor a Vanderbilt Diabetes Research Day. This is an extremely important event that gathers Diabetes-affiliated investigators. The next event will be held on November 19""""""""^, 2010 at the Vanderbilt Student Life Center. This location is ideal in that it is on the undergraduate Vanderbilt campus and a five-minute walk from the Medical Center. A recent program highlights the diversity of topics covered during this venue and allows CDTR investigators to continue to interact with the broader diabetes community at Vanderbilt: 12:00 - 2:20 Presentations by Diabetes investigators ? Naji Abumrad, M.D., John L. Sawyers Professor of Surgery and Chairman, Department of Surgery ? Maureen Gannon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, """"""""What genes regulate the formation and maintenance of insulin-producing cells?"""""""" ? Billy G. Hudson, Ph.D., Elliot V. Newman Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry, Director, Vanderbilt Center for Matrix Biology, """"""""Diabetic Kidney Disease: Collagen, AGEs, and a Drug Candidate"""""""" ? Tom Elasy, M.D., M.P.H., Ann and Roscoe R. Robinson Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, Vanderbilt Eskind Diabetes Center, """"""""Longitudinal Diabetes Care"""""""" 2:20 Presentation of Vanderbilt Scholars in Diabetes for 2006-2007 by Jeffrey R. Balser, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Vanderbilt University Medical Center 2:30 Poster session of research from DRTC-related laboratories 4:00 Christopher B. Newgard, PhD, Duke University Medical Center, """"""""Comprehensive metabolic profiling for understanding of diabetes and obesity mechanisms"""""""" 5:00 Reception We were delighted that over 250 people attended (all from Vanderbilt or Meharry) and that over 55 posters highlighting Diabetes research were presented (18 from CDTR Investigators). Publicity and attendance were greatly enhanced by a web site for registration and poster presentation. In the new funding cycle, the annual Diabetes Research Day will continue to be structured so that the program encompasses the broad array of Diabetes research activities. H.2 CDTR Involvement with research training The CDTR enhances the efforts of five training grants, which is in keeping with the idea that CDTRs promote education and training. These are ? T32 DK07061-32 (PI, James May, M.D.), """"""""Research Training in Diabetes and Endocrinology,"""""""" ? T32HD060554-02 (PI, Jonathan Gitlin) """"""""Conducting Child Health Care Research in Vulnerable Populations,"""""""" ? 5T32 HS013833-08 (PI Marie Griffin, M.D.), """"""""Vanderbilt Health Services Research Training Program"""""""", ? 5T15 LM007450-09 (PI Cynthia Gadd) """"""""Vanderbilt Biomedical Informatics Training Program"""""""" ? VA Quality Scholars Program (PI Robert Dittus, M.D.) - Rothman and Elasy, Associate Directors ? T35 DK07383-27 (PI, Alvin C. Powers, M.D.), """"""""Short-Term Research Training,"""""""" an NRSA grant that provides research training for 25 medical students in diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolism each summer. Within these training programs, CDTR key personnel serve key mentorship roles and allow a wide variety of trainees to be exposed to translation research. Diabetes and obesity oriented translation trainees through these programs (currently 7 mentored by CDTR key personnel) attend a weekly work-in progress session on Tuesdays at 11am which is lead by Dr. Rothman. Trainees take turns presenting their research and hear various challenges and possible solutions to conducting translation research. H.3 Outreach of the CDTR We have established a relationship with the Tennessee Department of Health Diabetes and Prevention Control Program over the past three years. As part of a contract that just completed this year (Elasy, PI), we developed a state plan (Appendix) for diabetes that brought together an Advisory Council from a variety of stakeholders across the state to agree upon a course of action to improve diabetes prevention and control in the state. A variety of planned activities are now underway as a result of this multi-year effort. While many are service oriented projects and involve diabetes awareness and education, we have also been able to secure a substantive research undertaking due, in part, to this outreach effort (Rothman, PI, 1R18DK083264) entitled """"""""Public-Private Partnership Addressing Literacy-Numeracy to Improve Diabetes Care"""""""" that engages local state health departments. In addition, two continuing education programs were hosted by Vanderbilt for health care workers across the state during the past three years (Elasy, Rothman and Barkin presenters) that highlight the gaps in our diabetes care and discuss research efforts at Vanderbilt to bridge those gaps (Program in Appendix). Finally, we directed our informatics personnel to develop a new web site to support community engaged research (www.communityresearchpartners.net). Just launched in October of 2010, this website provides a venue for the exchange of information related to community engaged research, and the promotion of partnerships between community organizations and academic researchers. The site hosts a searchable database of member-created profiles. The search feature allows researchers, community leaders, and government agencies who share common interests to connect and explore opportunities to collaborate. Users of the site can select from a host of factors, and the website will deliver a list of potential partners that meet matching requirements. The site also supports weekly updates related to community engaged research, an email list-serve, and a weekly eNewletter that includes information about important meetings, events, grant opportunities and training.
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