The Rossell Hope Robbins Library is now home to a custom-made, full-size book wheel, a kind of rotating bookshelf that was the brainchild of 16th-century Italian military engineer Agostino Ramelli. The device is a “Ferris wheel for old tomes,” says Gregory Heyworth, an associate professor of English and a specialist in textual science. The core of what he calls its “fanciful design” is a system of epicyclic gears in which one gear rotates around another—like a planetary system—with the device’s shelves maintaining a constant 45-degree incline that holds the books securely as the giant wheel turns.

“It’s an incredibly beautiful and historically accurate machine that we’ll be able to use to teach the history of the book and reading technologies during the medieval and early modern eras, the history of engineering and technology, material culture, and more,” says Anna Siebach-Larsen, the director of the Robbins Library—which has comprehensive holdings in all aspects of medieval history, literature, art, and culture—and the Koller-Collins Center for English Studies.

The wheel was a tool for producing early encyclopedias and editions of classical works, “tasks that require having many books open simultaneously so that information from multiple sources can easily be collated,” says Heyworth. It’s the same kind of need that prompts modern-day information seekers to open multiple tabs in a browser.

A happy convergence of engineering and the humanities, the wheel is tangible evidence of a growing collaboration between the University and the nearby Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The Robbins Library and the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at RIT share a similar focus on the history of the book across the Middle Ages and into the early days of printing—and beyond, in the case of the Cary Collection. Heyworth had long dreamed of building a book wheel based on Ramelli’s design, and the project evolved from conversations between him; Siebach-Larsen; Steven Galbraith, curator of the Cary Collection; and Jessica Lacher-Feldman, assistant dean and director of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of Rochester.

“Rochester is rich with cultural and historical collections, and working with RIT on projects such as this only adds to the experiences we can help create for students, faculty, and the community,” says Lacher-Feldman. “As we continue to think creatively about how to connect with the past, we become stronger and more dynamic as an institution.”

As a senior project, Ian Kurtz, Reese Salen, Matt Nygren, and Maher Abdelkawi—mechanical engineering students at RIT—worked for a year to build two book wheels, one for Robbins Library and another for the Cary Collection. Students in Heyworth’s Digital Media Studies and Medieval Idea of the Book courses are developing a digital kiosk to explain to Robbins Library visitors the book wheel’s history and mechanics. The wheel itself will serve as display space, offering literally rotating exhibits of works in the library’s collection.

Read more here.

The Working for Inclusive and Transformative Healthcare (WITH) Foundation has awarded Cynthia Wong $50,000 to develop online training modules for medical and dental professionals to promote inclusive health for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). 

“Most medical and dental schools provide insufficient training in treating people with IDD,” says Wong, principal investigator for the grant and assistant professor at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health. “As students progress into residencies and clinical practice, many feel uncomfortable interacting and managing patients with IDD, negatively affecting the number of providers willing to see patients with IDD.”

A study led by the University of Bristol revealed that people with IDD die, on average, 16 years earlier than the general population, which is attributable to the lack of quality healthcare in the population with IDD, compared to the general population.

Wong, who will be joined by Eastman colleagues Adela Planerova and Erin Shope, says the curriculum will be accomplished through web-based learning modules, coupled with suggested clinical applications. Tiffany Pulcino, director of UR Medicine’s Complex Care Center, is experienced in web-based training and will offer mentorship and support along with her staff.

The interactive learning modules, co-designed and co-led by patients with IDD, will cover topics such as healthcare access and disparities, cultural diversity and inclusion, risk of diseases, and healthy choices, communication and interdisciplinary approach.

Read more here.

The past decade has seen an incredible rise in omics techniques (like genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics). These techniques allow rapid accumulation of large amounts of data specific to an individual cell, tissue, or patient.

A recent article in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science provides recommendations to address key gaps in omics-related regulatory science to advance the utility and approval of these approaches to precision medicine, which are revolutionizing patient diagnosis and therapeutic interventions.

A group of authors led by Scott Steele, director of Regulatory Science Programs, and Joan Adamo, director of Regulatory Support Services, both with the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI), also advocates approaches to enhance the FDA approval process for new diagnostic tests that probe for more than one diagnostic marker or rely on genomic data that has huge variation in human populations.

Adapting omics approaches to collect data for precision medicine is challenging because there are often multiple components that need to meet FDA requirements for safety and utility. In a test that involves genomic sequencing, the machine, software, reagents, and reference data (control data used to identify genetic mutations) must all pass FDA regulatory standards.

For rare diseases or diseases with large variability within the population, reference data is especially important. Without validated reference data, a test could harm patients by failing to identify dangerous mutations or identifying mutations that aren’t actually present. To address this, the authors from UR CTSI, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institute of Standards and Technology, industry, and academia recommend groups work together to combine well-validated data to serve as publicly available reference genomes.

It is also important to ensure that target genes or proteins are as important as a diagnostic test would claim. That is, if a physician was to order a screen looking for a gene or series of genes, it is important to know whether the gene could alter disease or treatment outcomes. Similarly, it is critical that physicians understand the diagnostic capacity of the test, and how the outcome of the test will affect patients’ prognosis or treatment.

Ultimately, the authors believe that the advances in omics research will translate to improvements in precision medicine and patient outcomes. Cooperation among government, industry, academia, and non-profit sectors will be critical to efficiently address the scientific and regulatory considerations for these promising technologies.

UR Medicine has been named one of the 64 teams to compete in this year’s STAT Madness Competition, a bracketed competition organized by STAT News to find the most innovative research in the country.

STAT News is a media company, produced by Boston Globe Media, focused on finding and telling compelling stories about health, medicine, and scientific discovery.

Starting on March 4, we’ll need your votes to win. To sign up for contest alerts, including when rounds of voting start, go here.

Thanks to the receipt of additional funds, up to four additional pilots have been added the Del Monte Institute Pilot Program.

There are now up to 21 pilot project awards available, increasing the total funds for this year’s program to $840,000.

There are two additional awards available in the CHET program, and up to two additional awards available in Alzheimer’s Disease Research program.

The updated RFA and application information can be found here.

The University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI) is seeking candidates for a postdoctoral fellowship to develop and complete a population health research project within an existing research program and participate in didactic and hands-on training experiences.

Applicants are required to be within three years of completing their doctoral degree and have a solid track record of published research with at least one first authored publication.
Learn more.

Strengthening Latino Health: the 2019 Latino Health and Health Disparities Conference (Fortaleciendo La Salud Latina: Conferencia de Salud Latina 2019) is an opportunity for researchers, practitioners, and advocates to share emerging research, best practices, and community perspectives that shape the agenda for Latino health and eliminating disparities.

The conference is April 1 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. View course information and register online.

Marco Ruella, assistant professor of hematology/oncology and scientific director of the Lymphoma Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, will present the keynote address at the 8th annual Medical Scientist Research Symposium, to be held from noon to 4:30 p.m. on April 5.

Ruella’s talk, “Catch Me if You Can: Resistance to Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell Therapy,” will begin at noon in the Class of ’62 Auditorium.

A student poster session will take place in the Flaum Atrium from 1:30 – 3 p.m. and student oral presentations will be held in the Class of ’62 Auditorium 3 – 4:30 p.m. For questions or requests, email Cathy Senecal-Rice or call 5-8721. Additional Information

Andrew Smith, microbiology and immunology, “Rational Alterations to the Influenza A Polymerase Have Ramifications for Both Therapeutic Intervention and Pandemic Preparedness.” Noon, April 5, 2019. K207 (2-6408) Medical Center. Advisor: Stephen Dewhurst.

March 4: Voting starts in STAT Madness Competition to find the most innovative research in the country. UR Medicine is one of 64 teams entered. To sign up for contest alerts, including when rounds of voting start, go here.

March 6: Jesse L. Rosenberger Works-in-Progress seminar. Anna Rosensweig, assistant professor of French, presents “Affective Evidence: Rights of Resistance on the Early Modern French Stage” as part of the theme of expertise and evidence. Noon to 2 p.m. Humanities Center Conference Room D at Rush Rhees LIbrary. Lunch provided. RSVP by clicking here.

March 13: Translational genomics and proteomics un-meeting. Researchers from across UNYTE Translational Research Network member institutions will discuss and develop new, innovative, and effective ideas for genomics and proteomics translational research. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Helen Wood Hall 1-304. Click here for registration and agenda.

March 18: Applications due for up to 21 pilot project awards (maximum budget of $50,000 per award) to support novel basic, clinical and translational projects in the neurosciences. Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. Open to all Medical Center and River Campus faculty. For more information and to download the RFA, click here.

March 19: Nominations due for the Furth Fund, which provides early career scientists with $12,500 in research funds to help foster the development of promising scientists. Nominees should be junior, tenure track faculty appointed in natural or biological science departments within ASE, SMD or SON who have been hired within the past three academic years. Completed nominations should be directed to Adele Coelho at adele.coelho@rochester.edu Additional information about the Furth Fund may be found here.

March 21: Jesse L. Rosenberger Works-in-Progress seminar. William Miller, assistant professor of English, presents “The Prophet Muhammad in the Early English Enlightenment” as part of the theme of expertise and evidence. Noon to 2 p.m. Humanities Center Conference Room D at Rush Rhees LIbrary. Lunch provided. RSVP by clicking here.

March 27: Phelps Colloquium Series: Huaxia Rui, associate professor, Simon Business School, Open Voice or Private Message? The Hidden Tug-of-War on Social Media Customer Service, and Maria Marconi, assistant professor of clinical nursing, and specialty director of Health Care Organization and Management Master’s Program and of the master’s program in nursing, Leveraging Generational Diversity in Our Classrooms. 4-5:30 p.m. Location TBD. Register here. Questions? Contact Adele Coelho or call 273-2571.

April 1: Strengthening Latino Health: the 2019 Latino Health and Health Disparities Conference (Fortaleciendo La Salud Latina: Conferencia de Salud Latina 2019.) Researchers, practitioners, and advocates share emerging research, best practices, and community perspectives that shape the agenda for Latino health and eliminating disparities. 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., School of Medicine and Dentistry. View course information and register online.

April 3: Jesse L. Rosenberger Works-in-Progress seminar. Jennifer Kyker, associate professor of music, presents “Sekuru’s Stories: Musical Sound and the Digital Humanities” as part of the theme of expertise and evidence. Noon to 2 p.m. Humanities Center Conference Room D at Rush Rhees LIbrary. Lunch provided. RSVP by clicking here.

April 4: University Technology Showcase, sponsored by Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences and the Center of Excellence in Data Science. 1 to 5 p.m., Doubletree, 1111 Jefferson Road. Speakers are Julie Gerstenberger, CEO and co-founder of Moondog Labs; Sharon Samjitsingh, co-founder of Health Care Originals; and Michael Molaire, CEO and founder of Molecular Glasses. Poster session. Register at https://ceis.wufoo.com/forms/moa11nv1mhui4d/

April 5: 8th Annual Medical Scientist Research Symposium. Keynote address: “Catch Me if You Can: Resistance to Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell Therapy” by Marco Ruella, assistant professor of hematology/oncology and scientific director of the Lymphoma Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Noon, Class of ’62 Auditorium. Student poster session 1:30 – 3 p.m. Flaum Atrium. Student oral presentations 3-4:30 p.m., Class of ’62 Auditorium.  For questions or requests, email Cathy Senecal-Rice or call 5-8721. Additional Information

April 17: Jesse L. Rosenberger Works-in-Progress seminar. Anaar Desai-Stephens, assistant professor of ethnomusicology, presents “‘You have to feel to sing!’: Affective Pedagogy, and the Commodification of  ‘Feel’ in (Neo)liberalizing India” as part of the theme of expertise and evidence. Noon to 2 p.m. Humanities Center Conference Room D at Rush Rhees LIbrary. Lunch provided. RSVP by clicking here.

May 2: Jesse L. Rosenberger Works-in-Progress seminar. Tracy Stuber and Anastasia Nikolis, Public Humanities graduate fellows, present a public humanities fellowship update. Noon to 2 p.m. Humanities Center Conference Room D at Rush Rhees LIbrary. Lunch provided. RSVP by clicking here.