Membership Requirements

Computational Medicine Center members enjoy many privileges including competitive access to center financial support (seed grants), priority and low-cost access to the center's resources and core services, access to the center's office and research space, participation in funded program area activities, and access to the center's Marketing and Communication and Commercialization committees for assistance with news releases, media inquiries and business plans.

Please review the following requirements carefully before completing our online application. Applications will be reviewed by the relevant program area director(s) as well as the center's leadership team.

Basic Requirements

Membership in the Computational Medicine Center is potentially open to all Ohio investigators and businesses. Members must have:

• A commitment to the center's objectives
• A predominant and productive interest in personalized, predictive and preventive medicine and/or an interest in the commercialization of discoveries in the defined research areas of the center
• The ability and willingness to serve the center in some way

Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Objectives of the Center

The Computational Medicine Center is dedicated to innovation and excellence in interdisciplinary research and training and to commercialization of personalized medicine. Specifically, the center seeks to:

• Increase the proximity of investigators to other investigators in related fields, to commercialization expertise and to advanced technology by providing centralized space on the adjacent campuses of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati
• Sponsor and conduct scientific entrepreneurial activities leading to advances in personalized medicine and creation of Ohio businesses and jobs
• Develop new resources to assist and complement personalized medicine research
• Provide shared resources for member investigators and businesses at reduced costs or, when possible, no cost
• Strengthen its shared resources through ongoing infrastructure development germane to the needs of businesses and investigators

Research Areas

Members are expected to have interest in one or more of the center's defined program areas:

• Basic research
  • Computational biology
  • Microarray analysis
  • Proteomics
  • Phenotyping
• Translational research
  • Pharmacogenomics
  • Microarray diagnostics
  • Microarray therapeutics
• Services
  • Secure and HIPAA-protected data
  • Biological specimen storage and tracking
  • High-performance computational facilities
  • High-availability data storage
  • Web-based protocol management
• Commercialization Core
  • Access to venture capital

Applicants whose interests lie outside the defined program areas of the center should briefly describe their situation and activities in the Long Description or Comments sections of the membership application. A limited number of individuals or organizations may be categorized as "associate" members.

Productivity in Personalized Medicine

To demonstrate productive interest in the field of personalized medicine, academic members may use:

• Publications or presentations in personalized, predictive or preventive medicine from the last three years
• Training activities in personalized, preventive or preventive medicine
• National and community service -- for example, participation in study sections or voluntary assistance to personalized, predictive or preventive medicine organizations

Commercial members must have a track record of creating Ohio-based jobs in the biotechnology sector and/or a commitment to creating additional Ohio jobs or forming Ohio-based companies associated with the fields of predictive, preventive or personalized medicine.

Service Areas

Members of the Computational Medicine Center are expected to lend their expertise through service to the center. This service can take many forms including:

• Participation on the center's boards and committees
• In-house scientific peer review
• Educational or promotional activities for the center such as participation in scientific seminars or talks to lay groups
• Administrative contributions

Membership Renewal

Computational Medicine Center membership must be renewed every three years. Renewing members must demonstrate a continued commitment to the center's objects, interest in the center's defined research areas, current productivity in the field of personalized medicine and commitment to service, as outlined above.