Public health professor Xiaoming Li receives NIH grant of more than $1.25 million to study COVID-19
Xiaoming Li, the SmartState Endowed Chair for Clinical Translational Research and Professor in the Arnold School of Public Health, has received a grant of more than $1.25 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to study COVID-19. Li and his collaborators will use this impressive award to employ big data techniques to develop a database that will help monitor the spread of COVID-19 in South Carolina, examine COVID-19’s transmission dynamics and disease progression and identify predictors of short- and long-term COVID-19 patient outcomes in the Palmetto State. Since 2019, Dr. Li has distinguished himself as the world’s most active author in AIDS-related stigma and discrimination and been named Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.
NIH Center for Scientific Review to hold virtual forums on racial disparities in NIH funding
As indicated by several published studies over the last decade, and NIH’s own analyses, there remains a serious and disturbing disparity in NIH R01 award rates between White and Black applicants. The NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) has taken and continues to work through several concrete steps to address racial disparities in NIH funding. To help further these efforts, the CSR will host a series of forums with researchers about the data on racial disparities in NIH funding, CSR’s plans to address them, etc. The first forum will be held on Wednesday, July 8. To learn more about the forums and get involved, visit the CSR website.
Presentation reviewers needed for COVID-19 undergraduate research challenge
In May, Clemson and UofSC joined together to launch the COVID-19 undergraduate research challenge. The challenge attracted more than 500 student and faculty participants from the University of South Carolina, Clemson, Wofford, Furman, MUSC, Prisma and more colleges and universities around the state. The program is nearing completion at the end of June, with teams submitting their final three-minute pitch videos on Monday, June 22. The challenge team is seeking faculty and postdocs to serve as judges to view and score batches of pitch videos between Wednesday, June 24 and Sunday, June 28. Faculty and postdocs may sign up this week to serve as a reviewer.
NIH All of Us Research Program launches COVID-19 research initiatives
All of Us, a research program of the National Institutes of Health, has been developing new insights into COVID-19 through antibody testing, a survey on the pandemic’s impacts and collection of electronic health record information. All of Us will make data gathered through these activities broadly accessible to approved researchers over time, in future releases of its data platform, the Researcher Workbench, now in beta testing. Analyses may help reveal the origins of entry, spread and impact of COVID-19 in the United States. To learn more about this effort and request access to the Researcher Workbench, visit the NIH website.
Society of Toxicology releases list of virtual professional development resources for graduate students, postdocs and early-career faculty
The Society of Toxicology’s Regulatory and Safety Evaluation Specialty Section recently distributed a helpful list of virtual professional development opportunities for graduate students, postdocs and early-career faculty in all academic disciplines. The list, which is designed to help researchers enhance their skills remotely, includes wide-ranging resources in areas from educational and career development to grant writing and image processing, among many others. Download the list (pdf).
18 June 2020