Data from Rochester RHIO’s Community Health Indicators Report, including never-before-presented clinical measures of the region’s health, are now available to the public at the RocHealthData website. The site, developed and supported by the Medical Center’s Clinical & Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI) and Center for Community Health & Prevention (CCHP), provides access to maps and datasets that help our community explore and understand our health successes and challenges.

Commissioned by Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and compiled by Rochester RHIO, the region’s health information exchange, the 13-county data report helps set the stage for health improvement planning and programs for years to come. It contains health measures including obesity, prevalence of smoking, blood pressure control rates, and diabetes control rates. This first local population health dataset containing clinical data available at a granular level – by county, by age, and by sex – includes full-year 2017 anonymous data with a total sample of more than 600,000 observations. Rochester RHIO plans to publish these data annually through the RocHealthData website, allowing year-to-year comparisons of data and tracking of progress.

As previously reported in Rochester RHIO’s Report summary earlier this summer, some key health measures and highlights of the 2017 data include:

• The percentage of patients who say they smoke is 22 percent of the population, which is higher than the latest national average (14%) reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• The prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30) throughout the Greater Finger Lakes region is 41.9 percent. The latest national average reported by the CDC was 39.8 percent.
• Nearly two-thirds of patients (66.4 percent) who had high blood pressure have their condition under control, which is better than the national average by 12 percentage points.
• Almost three out of four (74.4%) patients with a diabetes diagnosis have their disease under control, indicated by an HbA1c level of less than 8.0%.

“RocHealthData is a rich resource for interested community members, community-based organizations, health leaders and researchers,” says Nancy M. Bennett, director of the CCHP and co-director of UR CTSI.  “The mapping functions make it clear where we need to target our resources to improve health, and the overall data enable us to set goals and evaluate our progress towards them. Finally, the data will enable those developing interventions to target the communities most in need.  RocHealthData is a tremendous public resource for us all.”  Read more here.

In the 27 years since the first charter school opened in Minnesota, there has been considerable debate about the benefits to students from the opportunity created by an alternative educational option. But in a set of new studies,  John Singleton, assistant professor of economics, argues that maximizing any benefits requires a careful examination of how charter schools are organized and a closer look at the policies that influence their location.

Singleton hopes his work will help educational policymakers to craft guidelines and practices that are in the best interests of all students.

Charter schools receive government funding, yet operate independently of state school systems and local districts. While proponents have long argued that charter schools have a positive impact on district schools by creating competition, the empirical evidence has been mixed.

Singleton wanted to know if the potential impacts varied according to the type of charter school. In one study, he looked at specific types of charter schools that offer alternative styles of instruction, such as experiential and project-based learning. Examples include Montessori schools, characterized by mixed-age classrooms, student self-assessment, and increased freedoms for students. In their working paper, “Horizontal Differentiation and the Policy Effect of Charter Schools,” Singleton and two colleagues—Michael Gilraine of New York University and Uros Petronijevic of York University—explain that those charter schools, which they term “horizontally differentiated,” have very little, if any, effect on student performance at nearby public schools.

“Many charter schools are moving into neighborhoods where they’re not serving what we consider to be the social purpose of charter schools.”

“The parents sending their children to those charter schools value an alternative style of instruction, so there’s no real competition with traditional public schools,” says Singleton. “As a result, officials at the nearby district schools have no incentive for making changes.”

Read more here.

Our circadian rhythm — a scientific way to describe our body’s natural 24 hour cycles over the day and night— can impact when we feel sleepy or awake. But did you know cells also have their own circadian rhythm? For cancer researchers like Brian Altman, an assistant professor of biomedical genetics, a question arose: How does a cell’s circadian rhythm impact whether cancer develops or progresses? Could timing of cancer treatment impact how effective it is? Altman came to the University of Rochester in 2018 to study these questions. A Q&A with Altman about what he’s learned so far appears in Dialogue, a publication of the Wilmot Cancer Institute. Here are excerpts:

What research are you working on right now?

We are working on the idea of whether disruption of the circadian clock can drive cancer development and progression. The circadian clock is your body’s natural 24-hour rhythm, and it actually occurs in just about every cell in your body. The normal function of the circadian clock is to coordinate important processes like sleep and metabolism, but cancer researchers have found that tumor cells have an altered or absent clock, which may be necessary for tumor cells to ramp up their metabolism and grow quickly. We’re looking at how this occurs, and whether it indeed is a part of cancer progression or development in lung cancer.

What’s your proudest achievement so far as a cancer researcher?

I’m very proud of bringing together researchers in fields of circadian rhythm and tumor metabolism, neither of which had thought very much about the other before we began our work. Now, these researchers have a broad appreciation of paying attention to circadian rhythms in cancer, and we’re asking whether we can leverage this knowledge to inform cancer treatments.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a researcher and how did you work to overcome it?

When I started my post-doctoral research with Dr. Chi Dang at the University of Pennsylvania, we knew we wanted to work on circadian rhythm and cancer, but we had absolutely no experience in working on circadian rhythm.  It was tremendously challenging to learn an entirely new field and make new connections with circadian researchers, but we overcame this challenge by reaching out to worldwide experts on the circadian clock at the University of Pennsylvania, such as Dr. Mitchell Lazar and Dr. John Hogenesch, who we continue to collaborate with today. Asking for and receiving help in tackling this new topic was absolutely key to ensure we were using the right tools and asking the right questions, and I am grateful to those researchers and others for assisting us in getting into the field.

What would you want everyone to know about your research or cancer research in general?

Important cancer research isn’t just about screening new drugs in cells, mice, and patients, though that work is tremendously important. A lot of the most important developments in cancer research have come from asking seemingly basic questions about how biology works in normal and cancer cells.

The Wilmot Cancer Institute is very supportive of this sort of research and has experts studying a very broad base of topics.

Read more here.

Luminate, the world’s largest business accelerator focused solely on advancing next-generation optics, photonics, and imaging-enabled companies, is accepting applications for its next cohort of startups.

Two companies with strong ties to the University were the top prize winners in Luminate’s most recent cohort.

Funded by New York State and based in Rochester, Luminate can help get your technology to market faster.

Each cohort company receives a $100,00 investment to begin the program. At the end of six months, $2 million in additional seed money is distributed among four winning teams at Demo Day with other possible investments from corporate and venture partners in the audience. Learn more.  Apply for Luminate’s cohort by Monday, September 23.

Co-sponsored by UNYTE, this conference, to be held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Oct. 25 at Flaum Auditorium, will focus on opportunities and challenges in research and clinical collaboration.

Program highlights include regional clinical, biomedical and translational research and advances in psychosocial care in pediatric hematology/oncology. Learn more.  Register now.

The application deadline to become a 2020-21 Fulbright U.S. Scholar is Sept. 16, and there is still time to apply. There are nearly 500 awards available in more than 125 countries. Opportunities are available for faculty and administrators, as well as for professionals, artists, scientists, and many others. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. The Office for Global Engagement can help answer any questions.

To read about some recent Fulbright experiences of University faculty, see: https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/faculty-fulbrighters-reflect-on-their-international-experiences-370862/

David Brink-Roby, geological sciences, “Syntectonic Fluid Migrations in Foreland Fold-Thrust Belts; Evidence from The Wyoming Salient of the Sevier Fold-Thrust Belt.” 2 p.m. August 19, 2019. Hutchison 229. Advisor: Gautam Mitra.

Francis Smith, electrical and computer engineering,  “Integrated Silicon Photonic Optical Phased Array for Free-Space Optical Interconnect.” 1 p.m. August 20, 2019. 426 Computer Studies Building. Advisor: Hui Wu. 

Murat Guner, mathematics, “Degenerating Translators.” 1 p.m. Aug. 21, 2019. Hylan 1106A. Advisor: Stephen Kleene.                                
Saikat Chakraborty, chemistry, “Development of Photocatalytic Systems for Hydrogen Production from Water.” 1:30 p.m. Aug. 22, 2019. 473 Hutchison Hall. Advisor: Kara Bren.

Elizabeth Shay, brain and cognitive sciences, “Neural Signatures of Compositionality in the Human Brain.” 9 a.m. Aug. 23, 2019. 269 Meliora Hall. Advisor: Bradford Mahon.

Xiangru Lian, computer science, “Large Scale Optimization for Deep Learning.” 9 a.m. Aug. 23, 2019. 1005 Wegmans Hall. Advisor: Ji Liu.

Alexander Kotelsky, biomedical engineering, “Elucidating the Factors That Govern Vulnerability of In Situ Articular Chondrocytes to Mechanical Loading.” 12:30 p.m. Aug. 23, 2019. Adolph Auditorium 1-7619 (Medical Center). Advisor: Mark Buckley.

Viktoria Steck, chemistry, “Biocatalytic Methods for Carbon-Nitrogen Bond Formation via Hemoproteincatalyzed Group Transfer Reactions.” 2 p.m. Aug. 23, 2019. 101 Goergen Hall (Sloan Auditorium). Advisor: Rudi Fasan.

Today: Deadline to submit initial applications to the Environmental Health Sciences Center for pilot project funding of up to $30,000 for one year. Submit applications to Pat Noonan-Sullivan. Contact Deborah Cory-Slechta or Pat Noonan-Sullivan for questions. Learn more.

Aug. 21: Training workshop for TriNetX cohort discovery tool that will replace the current i2b2 tool. With TriNetX investigators can search a limited set of electronic medical record data to determine the feasibility of their clinical trials. Participants should have a basic understanding of the TriNetX interface and be able to build simple queries. 2-4 p.m. SRB 3434A/3434B. Register now. Learn more about TriNetX here.

Aug. 30: Entry forms due for a new annual student competition promoting awareness of Tobacco Regulatory Science. Each team (either an individual or up to four students) develops and presents a proposed solution — a well-developed and researched thought experiment  — to address one or more identified Tobacco Regulatory Research Priorities. Winning team will travel to DC/MD to present their solution to the FDA and NIH. Read more here.

Sept. 11: Deadline for students, junior faculty, early career researchers, and entrepreneurs to apply for this year’s Falling Walls competition. Complete the online application here. By Friday, September 27 email a three-panel slide presentation. Then pitch your innovative idea — highlighting a breakthrough that creates a positive impact on science and society — in just three minutes on October 8 at Feldman Ballroom. The winner will represent the University at the International Falling Walls Finale in Berlin. Contact Adele Coelho for questions.

Sept. 13: Symposium on novel applications of technology to accelerate the development of new therapeutics for patients with rare neurological disorders. Hosted by the University and sponsored by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI). Featuring industry leaders in rare diseases, health technologies and clinical trials. Registration information and agenda available on the TRNDS website.

Sept. 17: Training workshop for TriNetX cohort discovery tool that will replace the current i2b2 tool. With TriNetX investigators can search a limited set of electronic medical record data to determine the feasibility of their clinical trials. Participants should have a basic understanding of the TriNetX interface and be able to build simple queries. 2-4 p.m. SRB 1404. Register now. Learn more about TriNetX here.

Sept. 23: Deadline for next-generation optics, photonics, and imaging-enabled startup companies to apply for next cohort of the Luminate business accelerator. Each cohort company receives a $100,00 investment to begin the program. At the end of six months, $2 million in additional seed money is distributed among four winning teams at Demo Day. Learn more.

Oct. 16: Training workshop for TriNetX cohort discovery tool that will replace the current i2b2 tool. With TriNetX investigators can search a limited set of electronic medical record data to determine the feasibility of their clinical trials. Participants should have a basic understanding of the TriNetX interface and be able to build simple queries. 2-4 p.m. SRB 1416. Register now. Learn more about TriNetX here.

Oct. 22: Deadline to apply for AS&E PumpPrimer II seed funding, typically up to $50,000 for up to one year, for innovative research projects to help the applicant establish a novel research direction and secure extramural funding. Submit proposal via the application portal. All eligibility criterion is enumerated in the guidelines Direct questions to your respective AS&E assistant dean: Arts and Sciences – Debra Haring, debra.haring@rochester.edu; Engineering – Cindy Gary, cindy.gary@rochester.edu.

Oct. 25: Conference co-sponsored by UNYTE on opportunities and challenges in research and clinical collaboration, including regional clinical, biomedical and translational research and advances in psychosocial care in pediatric hematology/oncology. 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Flaum Auditorium. Learn more.  Register now.

Nov. 20: Training workshop for TriNetX cohort discovery tool that will replace the current i2b2 tool. With TriNetX investigators can search a limited set of electronic medical record data to determine the feasibility of their clinical trials. Participants should have a basic understanding of the TriNetX interface and be able to build simple queries. 2-4 p.m. SRB 1412. Register now. Learn more about TriNetX here.