Winter 2017 E-Newsletter

Our Semi-annual Faculty Meeting & Dinner on November 29th, was a resounding success with over 120 faculty and department leaders in attendance. I provided an overview of department achievements and current projects. Presenters included Drs. Gottschalk and Jeannie Huang on "Transitions of Care", while Dr. Gahagan presented on "Faculty Mentoring." The evening offered clinical and research faculty to re-connect and network with colleagues, and also learn about items of importance to the Department mission. The next bi-annual Faculty Meeting will be in Summer, 2018 (date TBA).

Lastly, I'm especially proud to report that our own Rob Knight, PhD, Division of Host Microbes and System Therapeutics, has been selected for the Massry Prize. Dr. Knight received this prestigious award for his pioneering work in microbiomes. Previous recipients have gone on to win Nobel Prizes, so this is a noteworthy achievement! Warm congratulations to Dr. Knight!

Our current resident recruitment season, which started in October, is now in full swing. This year we begin the expansion of our program to recruit three additional residents for the 18/19 year.

This recruitment season marks our first where all of our Resident Recruitment activities are taking place in RCHSD's beautiful new Education and Office Building (EOB). The new location has meant less travel time for our staff and 200+ prospective residents, along with access to easy and comfortable interview spaces for faculty. We continue to rely on our faculty to help us meet with and evaluate the applicants, and we appreciate everyone's time commitment. All of these changes and continued efforts help us to reach our goal of growing our program and continue to recruit some of the best resident candidates in the Nation!

  

Grant Writing Boot Camp

The University of California, San Diego's Office of Faculty Affairs just completed piloting its first grant writing boot camp. The purpose of the boot camp was to enhance research capacity and opportunity by training junior faculty to write a quality, review-ready grant proposals in six weeks, with valuable information and support from grant-successful faculty members. Participants worked with peer support and individually to prepare a research proposal and other accompanying grant documents with the goal of grant submission to a funding agency. We partnered with the grant writing boot camp directors and are currently exploring the possibility of rolling this training out within the Department of Pediatrics next year.

 

Neonatology Research Consortium Working Group Event 

On November 17, 2017, Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and the Department of Pediatrics at UCSD hosted a one-day working group event for neonatologists and fellows in San Diego and Imperial Counties. Led by Dr. Lance Prince and Dr. Mark Speziale, attendees worked together to develop a plan for community-wide research collaborations that can provide new, innovative solutions to complex neonate health problems. This event featured world-renowned keynote speaker Dr. Louis Muglia, Director of the Perinatal Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and consisted of 11 dynamic speakers who covered a variety of research needs in various specialties. This event was funded by the Rady Children's Hospital's Physician Development Fund.

For the Clinical Research Seminar Series, see the schedule for January-March, 2018 below. 

Upcoming Events

Clinical Research Seminar Series   

Topic	Presenter(s)	Date & Location
"Using Genomic Studies to Provide Insight into Pediatric Disease"	David Dimmock, MD	January 23, 2018  12:00-1:00pm  EOB Grand Conf Rm B
"Optimizing Drug Dosing in Pediatrics Through Clinical Pharmacology"	Jennifer Le, PharmD	February 27, 2017 12:00-1:00pm EOB Grand Conf Rm B
"Leading a Complex, Multisite Clinical Trial"	Jane Burns, MD	March 20, 2017 12:00-1:00pm 7910 Frost St, Ste 440

This seminar series is intended for physicians, nurses, and researchers interested in clinical research. At the conclusion of the clinical research seminar series, participants will be able to: understand and apply current practice guidelines in the area of clinical research, describe the latest advances in the field of clinical research, and identify and explain areas of controversy in the area of research.The University of California San Diego School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.The University of California San Diego School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

 

 

This exciting and collaborative symposium will bring together pediatric basic science and health services researchers for a series of talks, poster presentations, and networking opportunities.

San Diego Magazine Announces
2017 "Top Docs" 

"15 Tips For the Grantwriter" 

by Jouni Vesa, PhD, Senior Grant Writer 

 

The new grant cycle begins in January, so now is a good time to begin drafting your research proposals for upcoming deadlines. Below are 15 tips you should keep in mind before you start, and during, the writing process:

 

Food insecurity is a critical pediatric issue, and 1 in 5 children in San Diego County are food insecure. All donations from the 2017 drive will go to Feeding San Diego, which supplies food to children and families and provides education/advocacy around food insecurity. For every dollar donated to Feeding San Diego, 4 meals are provided to children and their families. Our Residents and Attendings will compete against each other to see who can raise the most money by December 31, 2017. Members from the losing team will have to wear silly costumes in the clinic and on rounds.To donate, go to our team website at https://give.feedingsandiego.org/aap, or https://give.feedingsandiego.org/AAPResident, or https://give.feedingsandiego.org/AAPAttending. Thank you for your help in this important cause! And a big thank you to Dr. Maya Kumar for organizing this year's event!