February 2023
Issue 2
Letter From the JCTS Editor: An Exciting Start
The winter is still upon us and to cite Frank Sinatra, even in California it is cold and damp. Luckily we have snow this year and quite a lot of it. And more is expected to come. It is a good time to focus on JCTS. We are off to a good start of the year and our ongoing thematic issues have attracted many submissions. Some of these are past the official deadline but we remain flexible and are open to consider additional submissions within a reasonable timeline. We also want to highlight the most recent thematic focus on Integration of Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) with Clinical and Translational Science. We hope that this important area will attract submissions that illustrate a broad spectrum and look forward to seeing this issue brought to completion by the summer.
It is now only two months to the Translational Science 2023 meeting and we look forward to see many of you at the meeting. It will be nice to return to Washington, DC after 4 years and the program committee has worked hard to put together an outstanding agenda, available on the ACTS website. There will be a number of “firsts” for JCTS at the meeting – the first ever Publication Award will be given highlighting an important JCTS publication. I believe the task given to the ACTS Awards Committee was hard as there has been a number of stellar publications in recent years and there will be more opportunities for nominations in coming years. Additionally, together with our publisher, Cambridge University Press, we will be offering a new “How to Get Published” seminar that illustrates the process involved from drafting a manuscript to submission and the perhaps more hidden steps from acceptance to final publication. We will also be providing information on some of the tools that Cambridge University Press offers. We look forward to getting some constructive feedback to see how we can further refine the presentation in future years.
On a more somber note, this month represents the one year mark of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The suffering of the Ukrainian people has been immense and our Ukrainian health care colleagues have endured a virtually endless number of challenges. It is important not to lose sight of this tragedy as the months roll on, especially as no clear end is in sight. We can only hope that the coming year will offer some path out of this terrible situation and that some resemblance of normality can return. On that hopeful note we wish you a productive winter and hope to meet up at TS23.
Lars Berglund, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Clinical and Translational Science (JCTS)
Translational Science 2023: Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition
The globally recognized Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition is coming to Translational Science: Innovating Translational Science For Research, taking place April 18-20, 2023 in Washington, DC!
The 3MT is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia that cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Now's your chance to participate! Please nominate one primary and one alternate trainee or scholar for each category — Predoctoral Trainee, Postdoctoral Trainee, and Early Career Faculty Scholar — Friday, February 24.
Learn more about the competition and apply today!
Advancing the Science of Effective Mentorship Conference
Join the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a free upcoming conference: Advancing the Science of Effective Mentorship: Future Directions for Sustainable Implementation and Evaluation of Mentorship Education for the Clinical and Translational Science Workforce, taking place April 12-13, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin.
More information can be obtained on the event website and the event flyer.
Member Highlights
Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized for outstanding or groundbreaking work? Is your institution embarking on an exciting project? Send ACTS your story to be highlighted in future issues of the ACTS Connection.
Submit stories here.
Career Center
The ACTS Career Center is the premier resource for connecting those in the field of translational science with career opportunities. Visit today to find a wealth of resources to help achieve your career goals.
ACTS members receive a 50% discount on the site—use code ACTSMEMBER to save!
Translational Science Today
UAMS Advances Health Equity with Computer-Guided Study Consent Forms
A new software tool developed at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will help researchers quickly create consent documents in plain language for their prospective study volunteers. Called the Informed Consent Navigator, the web-based tool breaks new ground with its ability to guide researchers through the creation of plain-language informed consent forms at an eighth-grade reading level or below.