12th Scientific Day 2023

The Hispanic Alliance for Clinical and Translational Research (The Alliance) held its 12^th Scientific Day on May 3^rd, 2023. The theme for the plenary session was “Population Health After Disasters: Responses from the Scientific Community”. The activity was organized by the Professional Development Core. Since 2019, The Alliance’s Scientific Day is one of the main events that is offered during the Puerto Rico Clinical and Translational Research Week, this year held from May 1^st to 7^th, 2023.

Plenary Session

Plenary session’s speakers showcased responses to disasters and community actions spearheaded by the clinical and translational research and academic communities in Puerto Rico.

Attending the activities were 135 in-person and 16 attendees through the Zoom platform. Services of Spanish to English translation and sign language interpretation were provided.

Dr. Stephanie Dorta from the UPR-MSC, shared the results of her Pilot Project titled “Interplay between microbial and immune cells in HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer

The event continued with the presentation of Dr. Stephanie Dorta from the UPR-MSC, who shared the results of her Pilot Project titled “Interplay between microbial and immune cells in HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer”.

Additionally, a total of 45 peer reviewed posters were presented, representing diverse research areas – Basic, Behavioral, Clinical, Public Health – as well as diverse institutions (academic, government, healthcare) in Puerto Rico and the US.

Awards

As part of the Scientific Day, The Alliance recognized the following professionals and researchers with the following awards:

2023 Awards 2023 Scientific Productivity Award Associate Professor,
Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology,
UPR-Medical Sciences Campus Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, Ph.D. Associate Professor,
Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology,
UPR-Medical Sciences Campus Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, Ph.D. Study of microbial communities and biodiversity, integration of the microbiome, combining metagenomics and bioinformatics analysis on topics as diverse as cervical cancer, biofilm succession, the gastrointestinal tract of animals or dysbiosis in tropical ecosystems.
The gut microbiome as a therapeutic strategy for modulating the efficacy of viroimmunotherapy against malignant glioma- NCI - U54 CA096297-17 The Microbiome as a risk factor for hr-HPV persistence and Cervical Cancer, RCMI NIMHD 2U54MD007600-36 (8538) Effects of environmental contaminants on anxiety-like and fear behaviors, and gut-microbiota in rodents- R21ES034191 NIEHS (Sierra/Godoy MPIs) NSF RAPID Award 2022-2023: 14 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and 3 new manuscripts submitted by graduate students, a book chapter on the human microbiome submitted to the “bible” of infectious diseases: “Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases”. Expertise: Recent Grants and Publications 2023 Scientific Productivity Award Associate Professor,
Biochemistry Department,
Universidad Central del Caribe Michelle M. Martínez Montemayor, Ph.D. Associate Professor,
Biochemistry Department,
Universidad Central del Caribe Michelle M. Martínez Montemayor, Ph.D. Experimental therapeutics derived from natural products, biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of aggressive breast cancers such as inflammatory breast cancer, characterization of inflammatory breast cancer in Puerto Rican patients, and improvement of diagnostic guidelines Characterization of Inflammatory Breast Cancer in Hispanic Women from Puerto Rico. Quirindongo-Rivera C, Rullán-Varela V, Underill Z, Rivera M, Ortiz-Ortiz KJ, Martínez-Montemayor MM. J Cancer. 2022 Oct 24;13(14):3495-3502. doi: 10.7150/jca.77108. eCollection 2022. PMID: 36484009. Metadherin Regulates Inflammatory Breast Cancer Invasion and Metastasis. Ortiz-Soto G, Babilonia-Díaz NS, Lacourt-Ventura MY, Rivera-Rodríguez DM, Quiñones-Rodríguez JI, Colón-Vargas M, Almodóvar-Rivera I, Ferrer-Torres LE, Suárez-Arroyo IJ, Martínez-Montemayor MM. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 28;24(5):4694. doi: 10.3390/ijms24054694. PMID: 36902125. Expertise: Recent Grants and Publications 2023 Outstanding Certified Mentor & PIlot Project Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology
Ponce Health Sciences University Caleb Esteban Reyes, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
of Clinical Psychology
Ponce Health Sciences University Caleb Esteban Reyes, Ph.D. Pilot Project Dr. Caleb Esteban Reyes holds the titles of Clinical Psychologist, Researcher, and Professor within the Clinical Doctorate Program of Psychology at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU). His research interests lie in investigating health inequalities in terms of biopsychosocial and social determinants of health, specifically within minority sexual communities such as lesbians, gays, and bisexuals (LGB) in Puerto Rico. He is considered an exemplary Junior Professor and Early-Stage Investigator, and has demonstrated exceptional mentoring skills to his mentees, some of whom have been under his guidance for over three years. Dr. Reyes' mentoring approach includes actively listening, establishing clear deadlines and timelines for progress, providing constructive and helpful feedback, guiding scientific productivity, facilitating professional networking, supporting work-life balance, and other valuable aspects. The Effect of the Coming Out Rejection toward Metabolic Syndrome among
Hispanics LGB Young Adults About 2023 Outstanding Pilot Project Assistant Professor, Microbiology and Zoology Department, UPR- Medical Sciences Campus Stephanie M. Dorta Estremera, Ph.D. Interplay between microbial communities and immune cells in HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer 2023 Outstanding Abstracts
Jennifer Díaz, BS (UPR-MSC) – Category: Student
Dr. Yisel Cantres, PhD (UPR-MSC) – Category: Faculty

Mock study section

Three concurrent sessions were held during the afternoon. The Professional Development Core (PDC) hosted a “Mock Study Section” that aimed to simulate a real NIH Study Section in which a certain number of grants (i.e., R, K or F applications) were reviewed and discussed. This activity targeted early-stage investigators and junior faculty who were interested in writing career development (F, K) and R01 grants and had previously participated in the grant writing courses or were part of the Pilot Projects program. Acting as reviewers were: Dr. Valerie Wojna, UPR-MSC; Dr. Michelle Martínez, UCC; Dr. Marian Sepúlveda, PHSU; Dr. Marcos Ramos, PHSU; Dr. Evangelia Morou, UPR-MSC; Dr. Filipa Godoy, UPR-MSC and acting as SRO Dr. Omar Khan, Chair of The Alliance Advisory Committee and as Chair Dr. Harold Saavedra, PHSU. Dr. Margarita Irizarry-Ramírez, PDC leader, organized this activity, in collaboration with the study section acting chair. The Community Engagement and Outreach (CoE) Core hosted a workshop titled “Trauma related to disasters: What should we do immediately after and later the disaster to minimize the consequences of the traumatic experience?” that was presented by Dr. Ibis Carrion from UCC.

Mining large datasets for research

The Biomedical Informatics, Bioinformatics and Cyberinfrastructure Enhancement Core (BiBEC) hosted a workshop titled “Mining Large Datasets for Research:  TriNetX, Hispanic Collaborative Clinical Research Data Warehouse, and the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C)” with Dr. Mary H. Mays, BiBEC leader as Chair and presented by: Erin M. Hammond MSc. (TriNetX LLC), Pedro J. Castro, Ph.D. (SUNY, Syracuse) and Michael Mendis, BS (Partners Healthcare System, Inc.).