A Great Day for VU

February 18 was a great day for Vanderbilt. Linda Sealy, the School of Medicine Basic Sciences Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion received the American Association for the Advancement of Science Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement. At the same ceremony, Keivan Stassun, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research in the College of Arts and Sciences, received the AAAS Mentor Award. This was the first time in the history of these awards from the world’s largest general scientific society that both were won by faculty at the same University. I had the privilege of being in the audience that evening to watch the award presentation, which celebrated Linda’s and Keivan’s accomplishments in making Vanderbilt an institution where students from a range of backgrounds are welcomed and challenged to succeed. Shortly after the award ceremony, Vice-President Joe Biden gave an inspiring speech about the importance of American science in which he underscored the importance of diversity in training the next generation.

Changing the makeup of an institution to make it more inclusive takes hard work, dedication, and institutional commitment. We are fortunate to have individuals like Linda, Keivan, and André Churchwell, Senior Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs in the School of Medicine, to provide vision and leadership. Vanderbilt’s trajectory in increasing its diversity is a tribute to their efforts. We’ve got more work to do, so we’ll continue pushing to make sure Vanderbilt is the kind of welcoming and nurturing place that will attract the best and brightest to work in our labs and to teach in our classrooms. But let’s take a moment to savor the recognition of our colleagues. Congratulations and thanks, Linda and Keivan!

Exciting Accomplishments!

AAAS Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement
We are very proud of our Associate Dean for Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Linda Sealy, who has won the 2018 AAAS Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement. It is totally fitting that Linda’s contributions to increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in biomedical research through the IMSD program and her own personal mentoring is now being nationally recognized. Congratulations Linda!

AAAS and Royal Society Honors
Craig Lindsley (Pharmacology) has received two distinctions – being named as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and being chosen as Chair-Elect (to be followed by Chair) of the Section of Pharmaceutical Sciences of AAAS. Two-fold congratulations!

Herty Medal
Sandra Rosenthal (Chemistry, VICB) has received the Charles H. Herty Medal from the Georgia Section of the ACS for her research on nanocrystals and her contributions to improving STEM education. Kudos!

Biophysical Society Co-Chair
Anne Kenworthy served as co-chair for the 62^nd Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society that was held in San Francisco Feb. 17^th to 21^st.

Yale Ciencia Academy Fellow
Congratulations to Denise Buenrostro (Julie Sterling Lab) who is one of 40 young science leaders chosen to be fellows of the Yale Ciencia Academy for Career Development. This highly competitive program provides graduate students with opportunities for mentoring, networking, and skills development to complement traditional graduate training. Denise began her year in the Academy by attending the annual AAAS meeting in Austin, Texas (Feb. 15-19).

New Discoveries

Targeting Topoisomerase Inhibitors

In a new report, Niel Osheroff and his lab describe a novel approach to constructing topoisomerase inhibitors that target DNA sequences found only in cancer cells.

Mitochondrial DNA Damage Disease Link

Recent findings from Larry Marnett and his lab correlate high levels of oxidative stress-linked mitochondrial DNA damage and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pluripotency and the Mitochondrion

Research from Vivian Gama and her laboratory identifies a new role for MCL-1 in modulating mitochondrial dynamics (fission and fusion) in pluripotent stem cells.

Biophotonics in Reproductive Biology

A productive (VU-VUMC) collaboration between Jeff Reese (Pediatrics) and Anita Mahadevan-Jansen (Engineering) exploring the use of biophotonic engineering to monitor the cervix in pregnancy is funded by an NIH multiple-PI mechanism and has resulted in recent publications in Scientific Reports and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Epigenetics to the Rescue

Justin Balko and his lab is taking an epigenetic approach to boosting the immune response in breast cancer.

Microtubules in the Brush Border

New research from Irina Kaverina, Matt Tyska, their laboratories, and their collaborators in Argentina defines the role of microtubules in formation of the epithelial brush border.

External Funding Opportunities

2018 NIH S10 Shared and High-end Instrumentation Grants
The NIH has now posted information on the S10 and High-End Instrumentation Grants program. Pre-proposals are required for all investigators planning on submitting a proposal for one of these grants. Instructions for submitting a pre-proposal via a REDCap Survey are now available. The preapplication process is fairly complicated, and the deadline for pre-prosposal submissions is April 2^nd. The NIH submission deadline is May 31^st.

The Science-PINS Prize for Neuromodulation
The Science-PINS Prize is a $25,000 award that honors the work of a young scientist for outstanding contributions to research in neuromodulation. The deadline for nomination submissions is Mar. 15^th.

Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Awards
The Prostate Cancer Foundation offers grants of up to $75,000 per year for three years to support research in prostate cancer by young investigators within 6 years of obtaining their degree. The award requires a mentoring plan, and favors those with an appointment at a VA hospital. The deadline for applications is Mar. 19^th.

Human Frontiers Science Program
The Human Frontiers Science Program offers funding to support the research of multi-disciplinary international teams of researchers. Both Young Investigator and Program grants are available. Funding levels of up to $450,000 per year for three years are possible, depending on the size of the team. Interested researchers must obtain a reference number by March 19^th in order to submit a letter of intent by March 28^th.

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Collaborative Science Awards
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Neurodegeneration Challenge Network provides grants of up to $350,000 per year for three years to support research in neurodegenerative diseases conducted by small collaborative research teams that must include at least one clinician working in the field. Letters of intent (required) are due April 3^rd. Full applications are due July 21^st.

Breast Cancer Alliance Exceptional Project Grants
The Breast Cancer Alliance offers one year grants of $100,000 to clinicians and research scientists pursuing creative, unique, and innovative research in breast cancer. Letters of Intent are required and are due April 6^th. Full applications will be due July 20^th.

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Awards
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Neurodegeneration Challenge Network offers grants of up to $500,000 per year for five years to support research in neurodegenerative diseases conducted by academic researchers at an early stage in their career. Applications are due April 17^th.

Breast Cancer Alliance Young Investigator Grants
The Breast Cancer Alliance offers two-year grants of $125,000 total to clinicians and research scientists at an early stage in their career who are pursuing research in breast cancer. Applications are due July 20^th.

Limited Submission Opportunities

V Foundation V Scholar Awards
Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center can collectively nominate one early career scientist for a V Foundation V Scholar Award, which provides grants of up to $200,000 over two years in support of either basic or translational research in cancer. Applications to be the Vanderbilt nominee are due March 14^th.

Breast Cancer Alliance Exceptional Project Grants
Vanderbilt University can submit up to three letters of intent for the Breast Cancer Alliance Exceptional Project Grant program, intended to improve survival rates and quality of life for breast cancer patients through better prevention, detection, treatment, and cure. Grants of up to $100,000 support research in any area related to breast cancer. Applications to be the Vanderbilt nominee are due March 14^th.

Takeda Innovators in Science Award – Regenerative Medicine
Vanderbilt University can nominate one early career scientist and one senior scientist for the Takeda Innovators in Science Award in Regenerative Medicine, which provides grants of up to $200,000 in support of research in regenerative medicine. Applications to be the Vanderbilt nominee are due April 2^nd.

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