10th Alliance Scientific Day: Multidisciplinary Research as a Response to COVID-19: Challenges and Outcomes

Clinical and Translational Research Week in Puerto Rico Review

The Opening Session of the CTRWPR took place on May 3, 2021. During this official ceremony, Dr. José Hawayeck, Dean of Academic Affairs for UPR MSC, read the Governor’s Proclamation for the Clinical and Translational Research Week in Puerto Rico.

After the proclamation there was a presentation of the mosaic, ” Supported by Roots” which was chosen as the WCTRWPR’s emblem. The presentation of this artwork was done by Architect Luis A. Rivera-Torresrepresenting the seventeen artists that made this collaborative work, as a response to the COVID-19 situation, which depicts from left to right the somber presence of the virus and towards the right, the bright future after the pandemic.

The plenary lecture was sponsored by HiREC, through its Visiting Scientist Professorship Program. The lecturer was Dr. Gerry Eijkemans, Unit Chief of Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health for the Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization, discussed: “Challenges and opportunities created by COVID-19, a glance towards the future”. Dr. Eijkemans summarized the COVID-19 situation throughout the Americas and then presented her perspective on the research and educational agendas for the future to deal with the present challenges. A very active question and answer section followed.

A celebration of scientific organizations and projects 5^th, 10^th, and 20^th anniversaries was done through a video presentation highlighting the accomplishments throughout the years. Approximately 90 attendees, who included students, faculty, and public, were linked and participated in this enlightening opening session.

The central theme of the Title V symposium was Education for Research and Entrepreneurship during the Pandemic. The symposium, one of the two (since 2019) main activities of the CTRWPR 2021, was held on May 4.

On the 4^th Dr. Rubén García-García started the morning session with a brief review of the mission and vision of the “New Title V project, for the formation of clinical and translational researchers and scientific entrepreneurs during the pandemic”. His conference was followed by the presentation made by Dr. José Rodríguez-Orengo, Director of the Puerto Rico Public Health Trust, speaking on “The Perspectives from the Institute of Public Health throughout the Pandemic.” Reactions and commentaries and new perspectives were then presented by the intervention of three distinguished speakers, who each brought a specific approach. In Education: Dr. Marieli González-Cotto, in Biology: Dr. Marcos López-Casillas and in Statistics: Dr. Rafael Irizarry-Quintero. This session was attended by 50 members of the academic and general communities.

During the afternoon participants of the Title V projects presented their research and educational outcomes. Presentations included : Outcomes of the Interdisciplinary Course on Clinical and Translational Research, INTD5998, a course designed by the project; by Mr. Orlando Serra- Marrero, Ms. Norcris Flores-Díaz , Mr. Alex Mora-Pagán and Mr. Carlos Acevedo-Soto; the Financial Literacy and Scientific Entrepreneurship (FLSE) trainings, presented by Ms. María Vázquez-Machado, Mr. Marcos Roche-Medina, Dr. Soami Santiago de Snyder and Ms. Tania Avilés-Andino and the outcomes of the Clinical and Translational Mentored Teams (CTMTs) presented by Ms. Carola González-Lebrón, Ms.Camiled Quirindongo-Rivera and Dr. Carlos Ríos-Velázquez.

This session concluded with three ten-minute oral presentations. The three ten-minute oral presentations were reserved for the members of Clinical and Translational Mentoring Teams (CTMTs) that obtained the highest three scores for their abstracts for posters accepted for presentation at the Scientific Day (next day), within the abstracts submitted from Title V’s CTMTs.

Presenters were as follows:

Mr. Eduardo Álvarez Rivera, Graduate Student, in the Ph.D. program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, UCC: Coriolus versicolor’s PSP Restricts HIV-1 Entry by IFN Driven Cytoskeletal Protein Signatures
Dr. Luis Arroyo Rosario, Professor, School of Health Sciences, Universidad Ana G. Méndez: A Pharmacogenomic Study of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACEs) in Caribbean Hispanic Patients on Clopidogrel by using Machine Learning Tools.
Ms. Sorangely Vázquez Alicea. A cyclic diterpenoid has a neuroprotective effect against Gulf War Illness involved neurotoxicants

Both the morning and afternoon sessions were well attended with more than 120 attendees.

The activity had four main components: the recognition of the progress and achievements of The Alliance’s supported investigators, the presentation of interactive e – posters by researchers, trainees, and students, three five-minute oral presentations of the best abstracts selected after peer review, and the plenary session in which four researchers presented their investigations related to COVID-19 in Puerto Rico, and

The morning started with a brief review of The Alliance’s mission and Vision and goals presented by Dr. Margarita Irizarry-Ramírez, PDC Core leader at the Alliance and moderator. This was followed by the presentations of the four researchers. They were selected out of a group of ten (10) researchers that received the University of Puerto Rico sponsored grants to work with COVID 19, and the selection was based on showcasing some of the diversity of approaches to deal with COVID-19 in Puerto Rico. The speakers were:

María del Mar González Pons, PhD

“Host-genetic Susceptibility to COVID-19 and Pandemic -Associated Stressors”

Milagros I Figueroa Ramos, RN, PhD, FCCM
“Long Term Cognitive and Psychological Outcomes in Puerto Rican COVID-19 Survivors”.

Julio C. Hernández Correa, MD, PhD
“Fighting COVID-19: Assessment of the Impact of Agricultural Extension Training on COVID-19 in the Meat Supply Chain in Puerto Rico”

Carlos A. Sariol Curbelo, MD
“Immunological Characterization of the Immune Response to COVID-19 in Puerto Rico”

Poster Presentations

After the plenary session, 38 virtual breakrooms were presented, in which on each one, a poster presenter could interactively engage with the visitors and explain the research. As it is customary in the Scientific Days, the presented posters were those that were selected after a peer review process.

Poster Number	Presentation Title	Presenter Name	Email:
1	**Strategies to catalyze and support meaningful community academic partnerships to improve population health in Puerto Rico.	Acosta Pérez, Edna	edna.acosta2@upr.edu
2	Does the ‘Night-float rotation’ alter sleep/wake cycles and circadian rhythms of UPR physician residents: Modulation by chronotypes	Agosto-Rivera, Jose	jose.agosto1@upr.edu
3	Biomarkers found in the Plasma of Hispanic patients suffering from type 2 diabetes and early diagnosis of DKD using Enzyme-Link InmunoSorbent Assay.	Álvarez Meléndez, Arnaldo E.	arnaldo.alvarez1@upr.edu
4	*Coriolus versicolor’s PSP Restricts HIV-1 Entry by IFN Driven Cytoskelal Protein Signatures	Alvarez, Eduardo	416ealvarez@uccaribe.edu
5	A Case Report: An Atypical Innervation to the Gluteus Maximus by the Sciatic Nerve and its Clinical Implications	Camacho-Quiñones, Amarilis	118acamacho@uccaribe.edu
6	GluN3B expression at vHPC-IL after fear-related behavior	Castillo-Ocampo, Yesenia	ycastillo15@stu.psm.edu
7	Factors Related to HIV Screening in Puerto Rico in Adult Population, 2018	Colón Bayona, Marlena I.	marlena.colon@upr.edu
8	Development of macromolecule-based drug delivery system nanoparticles for lung cancer therapy	Correa, Clarissa	clarissacr@sanjuanbautista.edu
9	Multidimensional Intelligences Model in LGB Latinx’s Coming Out: A Pre-Pilot Study	Esteban, Caleb	cesteban@psm.edu
10	Neuroprotective Properties of Phospholipase C Inhibitors, Novel Drug Candidates to Treat Epileptic Seizures	Ferrer-Acosta, Yancy / Delgado-Reyes, Yamixa	yancy.ferrer@uccaribe.edu
11	FOLLOW UP OF EMERGENT VIRAL DISEASES INTRAUTERINE EXPOSED NEONATES: TRANSITION TO VIRTUAL CARE AND HEALTH DISPARITIES	Garcia-Garcia, Ines	ines.garcia@upr.edu
12	Risk factors of women with endometrial cancer in Puerto Rico	García-Irizarry, Kimberly D.	kgarcia15@stu.psm.edu
13	Ganoderma lucidum Compounds and the Effects on Inflammatory and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Viability	García-Ortiz, Karla Marie	118kgarcia@uccaribe.edu
14	Rac expression among Puerto Rican breast cancer patients	Gonzalez Ortiz, Mariangeline	mariangeline.gonzalez@upr.edu
15	Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Students Studying in Puerto Rico	Hermina-Pérez, Jose	118jhermina@uccaribe.edu
16	PREPCOVI: Puerto Rico- Epidemiological evaluation and Prevention of COVID-19 and Influenza	Joshipura, Kaumudi	kaumudi.joshipura@upr.edu
17	**Reducing newborns early exposure to antibiotics in the neonatal intensive care unit.	Lopez-Vallejo, Daniela	daniela.lopez5@upr.edu
18	The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Mental Health and Wellbeing of Healthcare workers in Puerto Rico	Martínez-Lozano, Marijulie	marijulie.martinez@upr.edu
19	Availability of treatment for opioid use disorder with buprenorphine following disasters in Puerto Rico	Melin, Kyle	kyle.melin@upr.edu
20	Multiple Criteria Optimization (MCO): a gene selection deterministic tool in RStudio	Narvaez, Bandera Isis	isis.narvaez@upr.edu
21	Cyanosis and Increased Oral Secretions in a Newborn: Rare Case of E type Tracheo-Esophageal Fistula	Negron Garcia, Lianela Cristina	lianella.negron@upr.edu
22	Enhancing Personal Decision Making During and After a Hurricane to Preserve Wellness: Preliminary Results	Nieves-Jiménez, Angelie	angelie.nieves1@upr.edu
23	COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Implication in Puerto Rico’s Medical Students’ Academic and Clinical Performance	Pabón, Nicole	118npabon@uccaribe.edu
24	Epidemiology of Inflammatory Breast Cancer in Puerto Rican Women	Quirindongo-Rivera, Camiled	cquirindongo16@stu.psm.edu
25	Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on endometriosis patients: symptoms, stress and access to care	Ramos-Echevarría, Paola M	pramos@psm.edu
26	Shear Wave Elastography Detects Asymptomatic Changes of the Liver among Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Patients	Riestra-Candelaria, Bárbara	barbara.riestra@uccaribe.edu
27	Confidence and Capability in Sexual History Note Taking Among Third- and Fourth- Year Medical Students from Medical Schools in Puerto Rico	Rivera, Luis C.	117lrivera@uccaribe.edu
28	Centrosome-associated mitotic kinases correlate with proliferation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers in breast cancer tissue microarrays from Hispanic Latina patients	Rivera-Rivera, Yainyrette	yarivera@psm.edu
29	Mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant and postpartum women	Rodriguez, Marianela	marianela.rodriguez@upr.edu
30	*A Pharmacogenomic Study of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACEs) in Caribbean Hispanic Patients on Clopidogrel by using Machine Learning Tools.	Rosario Arroyo, Luis	lrosari2@its.jnj.com
31	Development of a Mobile Software Application to Promote Education, Self-Care and Treatment Follow-Up among Puerto Rican Breast Cancer Patients	Soto-Torres, Brenda	bsoto@psm.edu
32	**JOINT ANALYSIS OF AUTISM AND SCHIZOPHRENIA VIA BIOOPTIMATICS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS	Suarez, Deiver	deiver.suarez@upr.edu
33	Association between vitamin D levels and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus	Toledo Rosario, Leishla N.	leishla.toledo@upr.edu
34	Rb phosphorylation, CDK5 activators, p38, and the cadherin switch as potential biomarkers for prostate cancer metastasis.	Valle Corte, Sheila M.	svalle19@stu.psm.edu
35	*A cyclic diterpenoid has a neuroprotective effect against Gulf War Illness involved neurotoxicants	Vázquez Alicea, Sorangely	sorangely.vazquez@upr.edu
36	Exploring factors needing attention to implement effective drug and mental health treatment in community correctional supervision: a study protocol	Vega-Debién, Graciela D.	graciela.vega@upr.edu
37	Cytokines expression pattern of tumor infiltrating microglia defines Pyk2 and FAK signaling activation in glioma cell	Viera Ramírez, Fernando Antonio	fernando.viera@upr.edu
38	The Difficulty of Family Centered Care During the Time of COVID-19	Weiner, Natalie	nataliew@sanjuanbautista.edu

After the poster session, there were Five-minute oral presentations. These three five-minute presentations are reserved for the researchers that obtained the best three scores for the presented abstracts for posters. This year the presenters were:

Edna Acosta Pérez, PhD. Strategies to catalyze and support meaningful community partnerships to improve population health in Puerto Rico
Daniela López Vallejo. Reducing newborns early exposure to antibiotics in the neonatal Intensive care unit
Deiver Súárez. Joint analysis of autism and schizophrenia via Biooptimatics: preliminary results.

The final activity during the morning session was the recognition for productivity (funded grants and publications) selected among the researchers that acknowledge support from The Alliance. This year’s awardees for “The Alliance Investigator Achievement Award” were:

Fotos Dr. Vila, Dr. Duconge y Dra. Figueroa

This morning session was attended by 165 persons that were linked through the Zoom platform but also, another 190 persons that were following the proceedings using Vistazo a la Ciencia (A Glance @The Science, [vistazoala ciencia.com]) facebook website and platform, managed by Dr. Félix Rivera-Mariani from Larkin University, for a total of 355 attendees. In addition, we provided simultaneous English-Spanish translation. Thus, The Alliance ‘s efforts to reach out to the community were fulfilled with the use of these platforms and services.

Integrated concurrent workshops organized between Dr. Mariela Torres-Cintrón from The Alliance and Dr. Lizbelle Dejesús-Ojeda from Title V projects.

Both workshops were well attended with over 250 persons linked through the Zoom or the Vistazo a la Ciencia platform.From the Census Office in San Juan Puerto Rico, Ms. Clara Santiago-Bello and Mr. Edgar Almodóvar-Cotto, allowed the participants to interact with the newly created page responsive to the need for quick information related to COVID-19, through which researchers may access socioeconomic and social determinants of health data that serve to answer research questions or to propose new research question addressing health Disparities.

The other workshop was presented by Dr. Joel Acevedo-Nieto and dealt with how to design research to include the scientific entrepreneurship perspective.