New Grants & Awards
It has been a productive few months for Epi students and faculty alike. The following is a sampling of some of recent awards and grants:
Planning Grant for the African Initiative
In the spring of 2007, we began discussions among the Epi Faculty about a possibility for a large prospective study in one or several sub-Saharan countries in Africa. Because of the considerable enthusiasm, a delegation from the Department visited Uganda and Tanzania for one week in January 2008. We met considerable enthusiasm, and have now established a strong collaborative relationship with our peers at the Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda and at the Muhimbili University in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Needless to say, a very long list of questions need to be answered before we can proceed with concrete planning to write a proposal, which would be a prerequisite for funding initiatives. Answering all of these burning questions requires time, effort, and visits to our partners in Africa. To that end, we have asked the Dean's Office for a planing grant. Following some revisions and very fruitful discussions, we have become convinced that centers of excellence in South Africa also need to be included in our planning endeavor.
The good news is that the Dean has now approved our proposal for a planning grant. As a corollary, we will be able to employ a senior faculty member part-time and a postdoc full-time for the next year. We will also have sufficient funding for traveling to Africa, and our tentatively planned re-visit for the larger group of faculty members in January 2009 has become a reality.
Needless to say, we will be keep you informed about further developments about the initiative. Anyone who is interested in being more deeply involved in our discussions can contact David Havelick (dhavelic@hsph.harvard.edu).
Harvard Catalyst
On May 1, 2008, Harvard received a five-year Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health for $117.5 million, which is supplemented by an additional $75 million provided by the Harvard University Science and Engineering Committee (HUSEC), This grant will create a new Clinical and Translational Science Center - CTSC. The CTSC, administered through the Harvard Medical School, has formed a platform upon which the Harvard Catalyst is built.
On September 4, the Harvard Catalyst went live. It is intended to be a pan-University collaborative effort, available to all members of the Harvard Faculty and Students, regardless of their institutional affiliations.
Now, these resources are described, and the first competition for pilot grants is announced at http://catalyst.harvard.edu. I encourage you all to explore this new opportunity.
by Hans-Olov Adami
Lorelei Mucci
Assistant Professor Lorelei Mucci received a Young Investigator Award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation. These three-year awards are designed to encourage the most innovative research thinkers to continue their careers in prostate cancer research. This round of Young Investigator Awards represents a new $4.3 million commitment by the PCF to the global cancer research community.