Brianna Theobald, an assistant professor of history, has won a third award for her first book, Reproduction on the Reservation: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Colonialism in the Long Twentieth Century (University of North Carolina Press, 2019).

This month, the American Society for Ethnohistory awarded Theobald the Erminie Wheeler-Voegelin Award, which—established in 1981—is given annually for the best book-length contribution to the field of ethnohistory.

Theobald’s history of reproductive health care and reproductive politics on reservations during the last century includes what’s now considered a notorious period in the 1970s, when US doctors sterilized an estimated 25 to 42 percent of Native American women of childbearing age, some as young as 15, often without the women’s consent.

The Rochester historian earlier won two other prizes for her monograph—the John C. Ewers Award from the Western History Association and the Armitage-Jameson Prize from the Coalition for Western Women’s History.

“The federal government and local authorities have long tried to control indigenous families and women’s reproduction, using tactics such as coercive sterilization and the removal of indigenous children into the white foster care system,” Theobald explains.

Theobald’s book traces those efforts, but also the response from Native Americans themselves—“widespread activism across Indian country” that arose as a direct consequence of federal reproductive policies.

An interim analysis of study data from a coronavirus vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech indicates that the vaccine is highly effective in preventing COVID-19.

Researchers and volunteers in Rochester have been involved in the testing of the vaccine since May, when the first human studies were launched. Technologies used in the development of the vaccine can trace their origins to decades of infectious disease research conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC).

“While we need to keep in mind that the study is ongoing and this is a preliminary analysis, the data is very encouraging,” says Ed Walsh, a professor in the Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases.  “We need to continue the process of rigorous analysis of this and other potential vaccines to ensure they are safe and effective, and this will take time.  However, I think it is safe to say that, if these findings hold up, we can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Pfizer this week announced that an interim analysis by an independent data and safety review board indicated that the vaccine is 90 percent effective in preventing infection.  The data is based on more than 40,000 phase 3 study participants in the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, and Germany.  The clinical trial is ongoing and Pfizer has indicated that it anticipates submitting formal data to the FDA later this month for review.  The company also said that it will have 50 million doses of the vaccine ready by the end of the year and an additional 1.3 billion doses available globally in 2021.

The local arm of the Pfizer/BioNTech study is led by Walsh and Ann R. Falsey, co-director of the Medical Center’s Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit.  Read more here.

The second phase of the new Integrated Online Research Administration (IORA) system for funding proposals and funded agreements is planned to go live in January 2021. (See September 18^th Research Connections)

TO PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:

Rick Waugh, vice provost for research (and project executive sponsor) and Steve Dewhurst, vice dean for research, SMD/associate vice president for Health Sciences Research, invite principal investigators (PIs) to attend a virtual open house on November 18, 4:30-5:30 p.m. to learn more about IORA. Read the full communication that was sent to the UR Research community here. Please visit the IORA website for the details and add the meeting information to your calendars. There is a 300-person Zoom limit and the meeting will be recorded and shared.

TO RESEARCH ADMINISTRATORS:

Please plan to attend this month’s RARA or River Rats meetings for an IORA update, training information, demonstration and more. Meetings will be held November 17, 2-3:30 p.m. and November 18, 9-10:30 a.m. Look for meeting details and Zoom information via ORPA-L.

ABOUT IORA:

IORA is a University-wide implementation of an electronic research administration platform widely chosen by educational institutions. Built in conjunction with the Huron Research Suite, IORA will be a single platform to manage most research administration related activity, including grants, agreements/contracts, and RSRB, which is already part of the IORA platform.

Over 100 senior department administrators and 30+ department super users have participated to help ensure the Grants module meets the needs of our research community.

TRAINING:

Virtual instructor-led classes will be held in December for those intending to submit funding proposals between January – March 31, 2021. Class size is limited but additional classes will continue to be added and the training will be recorded. Other training resources will also be available. Please visit the IORA Training page for information.

Please check the IORA website for the latest information. For questions, please contact iora@rochester.edu.

Paula Cupertino fills a key role as Wilmot Cancer Institute’s first associate director of community outreach, engagement and disparities–leading efforts to strengthen and expand Wilmot’s research and partnerships across its catchment area of 27 counties in upstate New York.

These efforts will include enhancing community partnerships, new community-driven research on cancer disparities, bringing diverse communities closer to Wilmot, and improving recruitment into clinical trials from across the region, especially from minority and underserved communities.

Cupertino is uniquely qualified for this role. She has been a social and behavioral scientist in cancer primary prevention for the past 20 years, is trilingual, and has expertise in community-driven research in the Latino immigrant communities in the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil.

The goal of her Community Outreach, Engagement and Disparities Office is to reduce the burden of cancer by guiding effort and attention where the need is the greatest and to begin a path with communities toward understanding and addressing cancer disparities throughout Wilmot’s catchment area.

Her arrival in Rochester could not have happened at a better time. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on poor clinical outcomes in communities of color, clearly showing how differences in race, ethnicity and other social determinants of health can disproportionately impact specific groups and put them at higher risk for disease. It has also brought renewed attention and action to addressing the social and economic impacts of racism that are at the heart of those disparities.

“I can only understand these disparities by working alongside communities impacted by them. This is the solid beginning that, when done right, can help us fly fast and furious toward better outcomes. We will do this in Rochester as many other cancer centers are doing around the country,” says Cupertino in a conversation with Lydia Fernandez. Read more here.

Wenxiang Hu, a PhD student in materials science, and Purvanshi Mehta, a data science master’s student, who were among the 17 interns with the highest rated presentations during Amazon’s first-ever virtual science intern poster session series this  summer. More than 180 graduate research interns had the opportunity to present a poster. More than 1,000 members of the Amazon science community were invited to rate, review, and provide feedback. Hu presented “Improving performance of job recommender system based on classification and ranking model and click data.” Mehta presented “Pre-training graph neural networks for NLP tasks.”

Eastman Performing Arts Medicine seeks to research the impact of arts in health and healing. With O. J. Sahler of Golisano Children’s Hospital leading our research component of this collaboration, we are asking any UR researcher working at the intersection of arts and health to contact us about their current or planned work using this form.

Contact Program Manager Gaelen McCormick with any questions at gmccormick@esm.rochester.edu

Scholars at Risk is hosting “Free to Think 2020: Responding to Attacks on Higher Education,” a virtual conference November 19–20 marking the network’s 20th anniversary and the release of its annual report, “Free to Think 2020.”

Scholars at Risk is an international network of individuals and institutions—including the University of Rochester—whose mission is to protect scholars and promote academic freedom.

The annual report draws on data from the network’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, which documents attacks on higher education between September 1, 2019, and August 31, 2020. The virtual conference is free, but pre-registration is required for any students, faculty, or staff who wish to attend.

Here are important links for researchers:

• The University’s COVID-19 Resource Center for important updates and guidance on working, teaching, and learning remotely
• University of Rochester Medical Center website for restrictions, resources, and news
• Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA) site on Coronavirus 2019 resources related to sponsored programs
• The University’s COVID-19 “Restart and Recovery” web page

Updated travel guidance: New York State recently changed its travel and quarantine guidance for individuals coming from out of state. In response, the Coronavirus University Restart Team (CURT) has evaluated what this new information means for University faculty, staff, students, and parents, and is providing updated University travel guidance effective for the remainder of the fall semester. Of note, New York State has done away with its restricted states list as part of its new approach. Some highlights:

• Non-Medical Center faculty and staff embarking on personal/vacation travel out of state should closely follow New York State’s recent guidance for returning to Rochester. For University-related travel, the University is treating all of the 49 outside states the same. Instead of completing a full 14-day quarantine, individuals traveling to and from another state or a CDC Level 2 or Level 3 country can take a COVID test within three days prior to their return to Rochester, and on day four or later following their return. Quarantine is required until both tests are negative, and then it can end.
• Medical Center faculty and staff need to continue to follow existing processes. The new New York travel guidance does not alter the process they must follow to return to work after travel.
• Parents traveling from outside of New York state to pick up their student from campus for the Thanksgiving break do not need to be tested or quarantine if only staying in-state for 24 hours or less. However, it’s strongly recommended that they complete New York State’s Traveler Health Form. Parents must also observe social distancing, wear masks, wash their hands often, and use sanitizer. Only one family member may enter the building at a time to assist with moving out.

Updated testing students: Since the pre-departure COVID testing plans were announced on Tuesday, University Health Service has been able to expand its testing capabilities by securing rapid test kits. Now, all residential undergraduate students on the River Campus and at the Eastman School of Music will be required to get tested for COVID-19 between Monday, November 16, and Wednesday, November 25, before departing from campus for the semester. This new component of UHS’s testing program is an addition to the previously announced optional testing program, which includes graduate students, off-campus undergraduates, and international students with specific testing requirements.

Undergraduate residential students need to schedule their testing slot through UHS’s online sign-up sheet, which will be live starting at noon today. There is no cost for the test.

What ‘yellow zone’ means for the University: On Monday, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that Monroe County is now in a “yellow zone”—a new set of precautionary restrictions aimed at addressing the micro-cluster of COVID-19 cases seen recently in the region. The designation will last at least 14 days (beginning November 10) and is intended to immediately reduce the spread of the virus. At the University, it means the following changes are now in effect until further notice:

• All non-academic indoor and outdoor campus activities and gatherings will now be limited to 25 individuals. Student Activities will be adjusting their protocols accordingly. The previous guidance required that gathering in groups be limited to 50 people.
• In-person classes and research activities will continue as normal, as will the current library occupancies.
• Campus Dining can now only permit four individuals to sit together at one table to eat. This four-person limit also applies to designated indoor dining areas (for example, Feldman Ballroom), residence hall rooms and lounges, campus apartments and houses, and designated outdoor dining areas. Eating in indoor and outdoor campus spaces requires students to wear a mask up to the point of starting to eat a meal and immediately putting it back on after the meal is done.

Tips for safe Zooming: As many of us continue working remotely and rely on Zoom for meetings and interaction, University IT reminds us that threats continue from hackers and other malicious actors who intervene.

“Zoombombing” occurs when someone uses a publicly available Zoom link or meeting ID to take over the screen or online chat and then blast everyone with inappropriate or offensive material. There are steps you can take to avoid this. Change your screen sharing setting to “host only,” especially for large, publicly promoted events. Do not use your Personal Meeting ID for public or promoted events; your personal meeting is better for small or one-on-one sessions. Furthermore, once everyone has arrived, you can lock your meeting to latecomers.

University IT has created a Zoom meeting host guide for best practices. For more information regarding Zoom, visit University IT’s Zoom Video and Web Conferencing page.