The National Council of AFMR has extended the date for its annual nominations and elections process due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nominations for national and regional positions will be open through the end of May. Elections will take place via electronic ballot between June 1st and June 12th. New leadership will begin their terms on July 1, 2020.

In an email to its membership, the National Council noted: "In this incredibly challenging time for all of us, and in respect and empathy for the priority focus of our members at this time — caring for your patients, supporting your colleagues, and taking care of your families — AFMR is extending the date."

Members can nominate another AFMR member or self-nominate for the following positions.

National Council: President-elect; Councilor-at-large
Eastern Region: Chair-elect, Secretary/Treasurer
Midwestern Region: Chair-elect
Southern Region: Chair-elect
Western Region: Chair-elect; Secretary/Treasurer

If you have candidates for councilor positions on the regional level, contact the leadership of the specific regional council.

Nominate an AFMR member for a leadership position today.

Janice P. Dutcher, MD AFMR President

AFMR welcomes Dr. Janice P. Dutcher (Jan) as its new president. She begins her term on May 1st and will serve through April 2021. Dr. Dutcher is Co-Founder & Associate Director of the Cancer Research Foundation (CRF). She is also Professor of Medicine and Oncology at New York Medical College (Valhalla, NY). Dr. Dutcher also held that academic role at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Bronx, NY.

"I look forward to serving as president of AFMR this year," Dr. Dutcher stated, "as we continue to implement our initiatives in membership and mentorship, increase the visibility of our journals and newsletter, and social media presence, as well embarking on a major fundraising campaign." More

The World Health Organization (WHO) has a dedicated page devoted to global research on coronavirus.

Elements include:

• Update on Research Activities for Novel Coronavirus
• International Clinical Trials Registry Program
• COVID-19 Emergency Use Listing Procedure (EUL)
• "Solidarity" Clinical Trial for COVID-19 Treatments
• Ability to search or download the WHO COVID-19 database
• Other COVID-19 resources
• Related documents: Ethics and COVID-19: Resource allocation and priority setting

Leticia M. Ryan, MD, MPH Past President

I am completing my year as president of the American Federation for Medical Research during an unprecedented time — as we face a national crisis that has challenged all of us, both personally and professionally. I am honored to work with so many colleagues who are on the front lines clinically, caring for patients, and on the front lines in research, trying to better understand COVID-19 and identify optimal treatment and prevention strategies. These difficult times reaffirm the importance of our work.

It is my privilege and honor to have served as the leader of AFMR, one of the longest-running and largest organizations for interdisciplinary medical research in the nation. With a stated mission to "develop and mentor tomorrow's leaders in medical research,"... More

Listen to the podcast

On March 25, 2020, Dr. Amir A. Zeki, Associate Professor of Medicine at UC Davis and AFMR Publications Chair interviewed Dr. Leticia M. Ryan, about her tenure as AFMR president. Her term ended on April 30. 2020.

Dr. Ryan is Director of Research, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The NIH Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Information for NIH Applicants and Recipients of NIH Fund page offers a wide range of guidance on research funding.

The Guidance portion includes the following sections: Overview presentation (in PowerPoint and Word formats) Proposal Submission & Award Management Human Subjects & Clinical Trials Animal Welfare Peer Review FAQs (last updated April 13, 2020)

In the Funding section, there are two sections: Blog: COVID-19 Funding and Funding Opportunities List of NIH Funding Opportunities Specific to COVID-19

Learn more.

News and information on COVID-19 are constantly changing.

Here are quick links to resources for coronavirus updates: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Johns Hopkins Corona Virus Resource Center, and World Health Organization:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
• Johns Hopkins Corona Virus Resource Center
  COVID-19 Interactive Map
  
• World Health Organization (WHO)

Journal of Investigative Medicine (JIM)

Editorial
Meditations on Leadership
Amir A. Zeki; 10.1136/jim-2020-001331

Podcast
Faculty Development Roles During the COVID-19 Crisis
Guest: Dr. Sanja Kupesic, Associate Academic Dean for Faculty Development at TTUHSC El Paso and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Hosted by JIM editor-in chief. Dr. Richard McCallum

Review
Clinical Update on Pulmonary Hypertension
Salim Yaghi, Anastasia Novikov, Theo Trandafirescu; 10.1136/jim-2020-001291

Original Research
Enhanced Risk of Traumatic Brain Injury in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Tang-Hsiu Huang, Chiung-Zuei Chen, Hung-I Kuo, Hong-Ping Er, Sheng-Hsiang Lin; 10.1136/jim-2019-001207

Risk Factors Concerning Complications Following Permanent Pacemaker Implantation for Patients on Antithrombotic Therapy: A Cohort Study
Mª Reyes Carrión-Camacho, José Manuel Molina-Doñoro, José Rafael González-López; 10.1136/jim-2019-001238

Abstracts
Eastern Regional Meeting 2020
10.1136/jim-2020-ERM

JIM — High Impact Case Reports

Massive Fatal Pulmonary Embolism While on Therapeutic Heparin Drip
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) includes deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). In this article, we present a case of a patient with an acute DVT who was treated with a therapeutic heparin drip, then developed syncope while in the hospital and found to have massive bilateral PEs. This case aims to arouse the medical staff’s awareness of the VTE diagnosis even if the patient is fully anticoagulated. We review the indications for DVT hospitalization, heparin infusion monitoring, risk factors for developing PE from DVT, mechanisms of developing PE from DVT while on therapeutic anticoagulation, and signs and treatment of massive PE.

Resistant Hypertension Secondary to Severe Renal Artery Stenosis with Negative Duplex Ultrasound: A Brief Revie of Different Diagnostic Modalities
Renal artery stenosis is a cause of resistant hypertension, which can present with several features such as severe hypertension, deterioration of renal function (with or without associated angiotensin-converting inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker therapy), and flash pulmonary edema. When evaluating for the presence of renal artery stenosis, the most widely utilized imaging modalities are duplex ultrasonography and computed tomography angiography. In this article, we discuss the case of a 77-year-old female who presented with shortness of breath and mild pulmonary edema, secondary to hypertensive emergency. Later, she was diagnosed with renal artery stenosis and underwent stent placement in the left renal artery. Our case highlights the different diagnostic modalities and emphasizes that the most commonly used screening, which is duplex ultrasonography, was performed on our patient but gave a false-negative result, despite high-grade stenosis, which was later diagnosed on computed tomography angiography.

Dates have been set for AFMR Regional and Affiliate meetings for 2021. Meeting dates, locations, and abstract information are listed below based on date. Visit the AFMR website to get the latest updates on 2021 AFMR Meetings & Events.

Cherry Wongtrakool, MD VP of Meetings & Programs