2009 Awardees
(The following descriptions are excerpts from the CTSA applications
and reflect proposed activities.)
Medical University of South
Carolina
Charleston, SC
South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute
Principal Investigator
Kathleen Theresa Brady, M.D., Ph.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- Medical University of South Carolina
- College of Dental Medicine
- College of Graduate Studies
- College of Health Professions
- College of Medicine
- College of Nursing
- Department of Library Science & Informatics
- South Carolina College of Pharmacy
- Claflin University
- Clemson University
- Greenwood Genetics Center
- Health Sciences South Carolina
- Clemson University
- Greenville Hospital System
- Medical University Hospital Authority
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Palmetto Health (Columbia, SC)
- Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System
- University of South Carolina
- Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center
- SC Area Health Education Consortium
- South Carolina Research Authority
- South Carolina State University
- University of South Carolina
Description:
The
goal of the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute
(SCTR) is to create a sustainable home at the Medical University of South
Carolina to advance clinical and translational research as a distinct discipline
and facilitate collaboration across other disciplines. The overall approach
focuses on implementing advances in biomedical science to create opportunities
for discovery; removing barriers to link knowledge, experience and expertise
across disciplinary boundaries; providing training and mentoring experiences
for clinical and translational researchers with diverse training and backgrounds;
and fostering community engagement with a rapidly growing underserved population
to improve health outcomes and research participation.
Joining the national CTSA consortium will accelerate progress by facilitating:
1) development and interoperability of biomedical informatics systems; 2)
active exchange of best processes and practices in evidence-based medicine
and community engagement; 3) advancement of clinical and translational science
as a discipline and career path; and (4) shared knowledge, experience and
collective influence in setting regional and national research agendas and
health policy designed to generate the transformative results envisioned
by the NIH Roadmap.
SCTR will bring together scientists, clinicians and the lay community to
address diseases that commonly impact the citizens of South Carolina. SCTR
will coordinate resources and expertise statewide in efficient, innovative
approaches to research. Through SCTR, a new generation of researchers will
be trained to work across multiple disciplines in collaboration with community
members so that scientific discovery is relevant to the public.
Photo: Teresa Kelechi, Ph.D.,
R.N. is a board-certified gerontological clinical nurse specialist and
a certified wound care nurse. Dr. Kelechi's translational research involves
the use of infrared thermometry to detect the potential for stasis ulcer
development in individuals with chronic venous disorders, and she is
developing a "smart sock" clinical intervention to prevent and treat
venous leg ulcers. (Photo courtesy of the SCTR Clinical & Translational
Research Center) Download
Photo (670KB JPG)
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, NY
Mount Sinai Institutes for Clinical and Translational Sciences
Principal Investigator
Hugh Sampson, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- Lehman College
- Pace University, Lienhard School of Nursing
- Hunter College
- Baruch College
- James J. Peters VA Medical Center
Description:
The
goal of the Mount Sinai Institutes for Clinical and Translational Sciences
(MSICTS) is to establish a research paradigm that will: 1) facilitate bench-to-bedside
translation of cutting-edge research; 2) create an academic home for clinical
and translational investigators; and 3) supply the governance and resources
needed to allow clinical investigators to benefit from Mount Sinai's Translational
Research Institutes and potential collaborators.
To accomplish this, MSICTS will redesign its research infrastructure to
integrate research functions across departments, enhance and promote interactions
between basic scientists and clinical investigators, and streamline administrative
procedures for new clinical trials and dissemination of results. It will
establish a Translational Discoveries Program to provide consultation, oversight
and facilities for clinical and translational research. MSICTS also will
engage the community and its affiliates to translate health benefits to the
public. And it will develop methodologies to improve trial design and reduce
participant burden.
To recruit and retain clinical and translational researchers, MSICTS will
train and support new investigators in a multidisciplinary, doctoral degree-granting
program in clinical and translational research. It also will develop a recruitment
program and enhance career development. An innovative Experimental Therapeutics & Technologies
Program will identify and develop novel clinical and translational research
projects and connect basic and clinical researchers, caregivers and laboratories
through an integrated network of information.
MSICTS will create an effective, efficient and centralized research administrative
structure. It will foster and reward interdisciplinary collaborations, educate
and retain new clinical and translational investigators and enable translation
of basic scientific discoveries into clinical practice. MSICTS also will
deliver to its diverse community new therapies and an improved standard of
care.
Photo: Hugh Sampson, M.D., (left) dean for Translational Biomedical Sciences and the Kurt Hirschhorn Professor of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, discusses the results of an experiment investigating the cellular mechanisms of peanut allergy. Joining him are student Steven Woo (center) and Wayne Shreffler, M.D., Ph.D. (right), assistant professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. (Photo by Matthew Septimus) Download
Photo (1.9MB JPG)
New York University School of Medicine
New York, NY
NYU-HHC Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Co-Principal Investigators
Bruce Neil Cronstein, M.D.
Judith S. Hochman, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
Description:
To
transform the way research is carried out at New York University (NYU) and
enhance the quality and productivity of the research effort, NYU and the
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) will establish a Clinical
and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The CTSI will aim to increase
collaboration among clinical, translational and basic scientists across NYU
to better determine the relevance and applicability of scientific advances
to clinical problems. It will also strive to provide leadership, infrastructure
and resources to support novel science and the rapid, efficient and safe
application of scientific discoveries to the community. A third aim will
be to support education, training and development of researchers who can
conduct the investigations necessary to bring scientific advances to the
public. Finally, the CTSI will work to enhance the ties between NYU researchers
and the community in order to more rapidly identify health problems, investigate
their scientific basis, apply the knowledge gained, promote use of new developments
and evidence-based medicine by the community, and reduce health care disparities.
The CTSI will link NYU and the HHC in a new venture designed to bring their
resources to bear on the health problems facing New York and the nation in
the 21st century. Combining strengths and synergies in research, patient
care and community outreach, it will provide a new and innovative engine
for translation of medical advances from the laboratory to the patient and
from the patient to the community.
Photo: Gbenga Ogedegbe, M.D.,
M.P.H., M.S., as seen with his patient, is an associate professor of
medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and director of
the Center for Healthful Behavior Change at the NYU School of Medicine.
Dr. Ogedegbe's research is focused on the translation and dissemination
of evidence-based behavioral interventions targeted at cardiovascular
risk reduction in minority and underserved populations in community settings
and primary care practices. Through the establishment of a Clinical and
Translational Science Institute (CTSI), NYU Langone Medical Center and
the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) will work to
enhance the ties between NYU researchers and the community in order to
explore mechanisms of health disparities and develop evidence-based approaches
targeted at their reduction. (Photo by by Mike Weymouth) Download
Photo (3.9MB JPG)
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, AR
Arkansas Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR)
Principal Investigator
Curtis L. Lowery, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- Arkansas Children's Hospital
- Central Arkansas Veteran's Hospital System
- The Arkansas Department of Health
- National Center for Toxicological Research
- Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
- Arkansas Minority Health Commission
(Note: This list does not include more than 30 other contributing partners
whose support is critical to the success of the CCTR.)
Description:
The
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) formed the Arkansas Center
for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) to synergize clinical and
translational research programs and revamp institutional research endeavors.
CCTR unites UAMS' colleges and graduate school to establish an integrative
center that transforms the pace, effectiveness and quality of translational
research, resulting in better health for all Arkansans.
The goals are to educate tomorrow's physicians and scientists in collaborative
translational science; develop partnerships with communities to assure that
research benefits them and addresses their needs; champion innovation and
collaboration in research and discovery to bring new technologies to Arkansans;
and provide administrative structure that promotes productive interactions
among basic science, clinical, health services and health policy researchers.
CCTR will foster the formation of a cross-disciplinary, multifaceted interface
among the laboratory bench, patient bedside and broader community through
an interactive network of scientists. The center will build on Arkansas'
statewide telemedicine program to support community-based research efforts.
UAMS is developing a new Division of Informatics to bring added value to
Arkansas and represent a model program for research that extends to rural
communities.
CCTR will facilitate the training of future clinical and translational investigators
across health sciences and forge collaborations among researchers, community
clinicians, clinical research networks, professional societies, industry
and policy makers
The ultimate goal of the Arkansas CTSA is to translate successful health
care research projects directly to patient care delivery and assure that
all Arkansans have access to the same state-of-the-art care — no matter
where they live.
Photo: Curtis Lowery, M.D.,
chairman of the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, consults
with a couple about their baby's ultrasound via a unique telemedicine
program that is the first of its kind in the nation. Known as ANGELS
(Antenatal & Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System), the
award-winning network links obstetric physicians at 40 sites around the
state with UAMS maternal fetal medicine specialists. ANGELS allows patients
living in rural areas to remain at home while ensuring their high-risk
pregnancies have the best possible outcome. UAMS will use the concept
of distance health to translate research into practical applications
in the community. (Photo by Johnpaul Jones, Office of Communications & Marketing,
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) Download
Photo (634KB JPG)
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training
Principal Investigator
James E. Heubi, M.D.
Co-Principal Investigator
Joel Tsevat, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
Collaborative Health Care Institutions
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
- Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- University Hospital
University of Cincinnati
- College of Allied Health Sciences
- College of Medicine
- College of Nursing
- James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy
Description:
The
Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST) is transforming
the research environment among the University of Cincinnati and its affiliated
partners in the community and industry. The CCTST will coordinate and plan
the overall direction of the university's research infrastructure and training
opportunities; serve investigators' needs from project concept to completion;
optimize skills and foster career development of both new and experienced
investigators; and ensure that community input informs research processes,
and that the university's discoveries are translated to the community.
Through Research Central, researchers will have easy access to centralized
study design, biostatistical, bioinformatics, regulatory and community engagement
support. The new Pilot & Collaborative Studies core will expand the pilot
funding program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to the entire
university. Greatly expanded educational offerings, including a new Certificate
in Clinical and Translational Research, will be developed, building on the
success of the Dean's Scholars in Clinical Research, as well as a master's
degree in Clinical and Translational Research program.
Through the community engagement program, CCTST will further bi-directional
research linkages with the local community, breaking down bureaucratic barriers
by creating Institutional Review Boards that can coordinate community-based
research. Expanding services, such as nursing/coordinator support and sample
processing provided by the existing General Clinical Research Center and
the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, will promote
patient-oriented research for populations in the community.
New translational technologies, including proteomics, drug discovery, imaging,
nanomedicine, gene transfer and stem cell biology, and translational and
molecular disease modeling, will be made more accessible to researchers.
Photo: Frank McCormack, M.D.,
director of University of Cincinnati's (UC) pulmonary division, is an
expert on the rare lung disorder lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Collaborative
research at UC and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has
already led to major discoveries about the progression and treatment
of LAM. This is just one example of successful translational research.
UC's Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training will
support translational research across a broad range of diseases. (Photo
by Dan Davenport, University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center Public
Relations and Communications) Download
Photo (2.5MB JPG)
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Principal Investigator
Peter W. Stacpoole, Ph.D., M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
- College of Dentistry
- College of Engineering
- College of Fine Arts
- College of Health and Human Performance
- College of Journalism and Communications
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- College of Medicine
- College of Nursing
- College of Pharmacy
- College of Public Health and Health Professions
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- Shands HealthCare
- North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System
- University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science statewide
extension program
- CTSI Community Advisory Council
Description:
To
speed the translation of basic science discoveries to early investigations
in humans and the translation of clinical research into better medical practice
and healthcare delivery, the University of Florida (UF) has invested in new
research and training resources and restructured its traditional reporting,
research and training operations to create the Clinical and Translational
Science Institute (CTSI). The institute will provide the intellectual home
for clinical and translational research and training, integrating and synergizing
the scientific and educational activities of 12 colleges, two academic and
clinical campuses, two regional healthcare systems and Florida's 67 counties.
The CTSI aims to: 1) create an environment through which individuals from
diverse disciplines can interact; resources, services and technologies can
be identified and accessed; and local and regional barriers to collaborative
research can be overcome; 2) train a workforce of clinical and basic science
investigators, clinical trialists, laboratory technicians, study coordinators
and other personnel required to establish and support multi- and interdisciplinary
clinical and translational research teams; 3) enhance the quality and availability
of cutting-edge technologies and novel research programs to accelerate discovery,
development and application of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities; and
4) create opportunities for clinical scientists and Floridians to collaborate
in advancing education and research into the causes, prevention, diagnosis,
treatment and cure of human disease.
The CTSI will enable UF to transform how it conducts multi- and interdisciplinary
clinical and translational research and training and how it engages citizens
across Florida in community-based participatory research, education, health
care and health care delivery.
Photo: Dr. Peter Stacpoole
visits with Dr. Jennifer Miller and her young patient, who was involved
in a clinical study at the University of Florida. (Photo
by Sarah Kiewel, University of Florida) Download
Photo (21KB JPG)
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL
Center for Clinical and Translational Science
Principal Investigator
Theodore Mazzone, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
University of Illinois at Chicago
- College of Medicine
- College of Nursing
- College of Pharmacy
- College of Dentistry
- College of Applied Health Sciences
- School of Public Health
- College of Engineering
- Jane Addams College of Social Work
- College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Collaborating Partners
- Advocate Health Care/li>
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria
- University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford
Description:
The
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Center for Clinical and Translational
Science (CCTS) will fundamentally alter clinical and translational investigation
at UIC and our partnering institutions. Harnessing our diverse backgrounds,
interests and expertise, CCTS will catalyze collaborative thinking and innovation.
The center will organize, finance and house the infrastructure, expertise
and resources for clinical and translational investigators within a single
academic home, crossing administrative boundaries to harness and enhance
existing UIC resources.
CCTS' goals are to: 1) create and develop an academic home for clinical
translational research at UIC that will provide a flexible, adaptable infrastructure
to stimulate collaborative thinking, generative discourse and collective
action, facilitating clinical and translational investigation. This will
include establishing a robust pilot grant program, a Clinical and Translational
Science Academy, a Web-based and geographic single point-of-access for investigators,
and a matchmaking service to identify novel collaborations. 2) establish
the research service infrastructure (six cores) to provide research support
services; and 3) provide multifaceted educational experiences for pre- and
postdoctoral trainees, junior faculty and established faculty who want to
extend their thinking beyond current disciplinary boundaries.
The administrative reorganization represented by CCTS will lead to rationalization
and integration of significant and mature UIC resources for clinical translational
research. CCTS will add to these resources to produce not only something
different, but something better for clinical translational researchers and
trainees at UIC and at partner institutions.
Photo: John Hetling, associate
professor in bioengineering, is working on a CCTS-funded study to produce
the first human data from the multi-electrode electro-retinogram, which
maps retinal health. (Photo by Roberta Dupuis-Devlin) Download
Photo (1.8MB JPG)
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX
UTMB Institute for Translational Sciences
Principal Investigator
Allan R. Brasier, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
Collaborative Academic Institutions
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Galveston
College
State and Local Governments
- City of Galveston
- Galveston County Health District
- Galveston Independent School District
Community Organizations
- Citizens for Environmental Justice
- Community In-Power and Development Association
- De Madres a Madre
- Galveston Houston Association for Smog Prevention
- Galveston Island Community Research Advisory Committee
- Galveston Partnership for Better Living
- Mothers for Clean Air
- Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services
- The Jesse Tree
- St. Vincent's Episcopal House
Industry Partners
- Genologics Life Sciences Software
- Ingenuity Systems
Practice-Based Research Network
- Coastal Area Health Education Center
- Piney Woods Health Education Center
- Texas Department of State Health Services
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler
Description:
The
University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, through its Clinical
and Translational Science Award, seeks to facilitate translational research
as a rigorous discipline, develop translational research training programs
at all levels in the graduate continuum, effectively conduct and bridge step
1 translational research to steps 2 and 3, and interface productively with
the national CTSA consortium. In particular, this CTSA will help UTMB to
build teams of researchers with diverse skills who can work effectively toward
positive health outcomes. These teams will also serve as exemplary learning
environments for the next generation of translational investigators. Training
activities include a Clinical and Translational Scholars program, an Academy
of Mentors, a seminar series and team training workshops.
The CTSA will be implemented by UTMB's Institute for Translational Sciences
(ITS), which will facilitate many aspects of translational research and support
at the University, enhancing researchers' ability to quickly and effectively
translate basic science discoveries into improvements in human health. ITS'
operations are guided by three overlying principles: 1) proactively identifying
new team-oriented research opportunities, 2) prioritizing trainee involvement
in a team-based culture, and 3) integrating systems biological approaches
into translational research. Through the CTSA, the ITS has organized 12 "Key
Resources" — combinations of university core laboratories and intellectual
resources, integrated by a single point of investigator/trainee contact.
Key Resources are designed to respond to the needs of investigators and trainees
and to break down communication, technology and regulatory barriers, thereby
transforming how UTMB conducts patient-oriented research.
Photo: UTMB physician Dr.
Meera Gupta's translational research interests include transplant immunology,
particularly the mechanisms of graft tolerance and rejection. She also
has clinical interests in solid organ transplantation and cystic fibrosis.
UTMB's Institute for Translational Science is composed of eight multidisciplinary
teams formed around a diversity of topics, including phenotypes of severe
asthma, burns injury and hypermetabolic response, aging muscle and sarcopenia,
hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma, obesity and its metabolic complications,
pediatric respiratory infection, and reproductive women's health. (Photo
by John Glowczwski, UTMB) Download
Photo (862KB JPG)
2008
Awardees
(The following descriptions are excerpts from the CTSA applications
and reflect proposed activities.)
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
New York, NY
Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Principal Investigator
Harry Shamoon, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- Montefiore Medical Center
- The Children's Hospital at Montefiore
- Bronx Health Link
- Clinical Directors Network
- College of New Rochelle School of Nursing
- Lehman College, City University of New York
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Beth Israel Medical Center
- North Bronx Health Network/Jacobi Medical Center
Description:
The
Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) is founded on successful
inter-dependent programs, comprised of pediatric and adult patient research
facilities; core laboratories; and expanded clinical research training programs,
including a Ph.D. in clinical investigation. Jointly supported by the Albert
Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, the ICTR encourages
the development of new methods and approaches to bidirectional clinical and
translational research. One focus will be on the improvement of education,
training, and mentoring to aid new investigators in navigating the increasingly
complex research system, while taking advantage of newly designed and improved
biomedical research informatics tools. The ICTR actively engages the ethnically
diverse communities of the Bronx, made up of 1.4 million people, collaborating
with regional and affiliated institutions to expand research and training
opportunities throughout the Bronx community. The ICTR builds upon existing
clinical research programs, such as the Hispanic Community Health Study;
on interdisciplinary centers in diabetes, cancer, liver, health disparities,
neuroscience, transplantation, and HIV/AIDS; and on an expanding base of
translational research faculty in genetics, systems biology, and stem cell
research—many of whom are housed in a new state-of-the-art facility.
The ICTR will enhance community collaboration and participation in its research,
as well as expand and develop partnerships with community organizations in
the Bronx. During the past two years, the Clinical and Translational Science
Award development process has involved a broad range of faculty from numerous
disciplines (including medicine, dentistry, nursing, epidemiology, social
work, and biomedical sciences) through these transformative partnerships.
Photo: Pediatric clinical
research is a vital component of the enterprise sponsored by the Einstein-Montefiore
Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. Download
Photo (37KB JPG)
Boston University
Boston, MA
Clinical and Translational Science (BU-BRIDGE) Institute
Principal Investigator
David M. Center, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- Boston Medical Center
- Veterans Administration, Boston Healthcare System
- Framingham Heart Study
- Boston HealthNet
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories
- Northeast Center for Research to Evaluate & Eliminate Dental Disparities
- Partners in Health and Housing Prevention Research Center
Description:
The Boston University Clinical and Translational Science (BU-BRIDGE) Institute
will integrate, connect, and expand research and programs across traditional
academic departments and schools. The institute will act as a bridge between
disciplines to facilitate interactions by incorporating multiple key programs
that support the university-wide commitment to a home for translational research.
The CTSA award will allow the Institute to build on existing strengths to
create an environment linking faculty members, trainees, and university programs
to speed the translation of innovations in medical science to improve maintenance
of health and diagnosis and treatment of diseases and share these innovations
with other University-based Clinical and Translational Science Awards. The
BU-BRIDGE environment also will support the bi-directional development and
translation of ideas that begin in the clinic to the BU scientific community
and back to identify new ways to improve health and delivery of health care
services. Moreover, the Institute will significantly enhance existing partnerships
with Boston's community health centers, transforming the conduct of clinical
and translational research by infusing it with community-based perspectives
and needs.
Photo: Lisa Gagalis, R.N.
(right), a study coordinator in the General Clinical Research Center
(GCRC) at Boston University Medical Campus, performs lung function testing
on research participant Ashley Mendez, who is enrolled in a clinical
trial of omalizumab, a new antibody-based treatment for asthma. This
trial is being conducted as part of the Inner-City Asthma Consortium
funded by NIAID of the NIH. The new BU Clinical and Translational Institute
(BU-BRIDGE) will include the GCRC and fund a hospital and university-wide
institute that will add multiple other programs to the portfolio of resources
available for clinical researchers, including community outreach, research
ethics, and bioinformatics to further translate basic science discoveries
into improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. (Photo
by Vivian Borek) Download
Photo (33KB JPG)
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center
Principal Investigator
Lee M. Nadler, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- Harvard Affiliated Academic Health Care Institutions
- Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Children's Hospital Boston
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Forsyth Institute
- Joslin Diabetes Center
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- McLean Hospital
- Mount Auburn Hospital
- Schepens Eye Research Institute
- Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
- VA Boston Healthcare System
- Collaborative Academic Institutions
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Broad Institute
- Community Healthcare Institutions
- Cambridge Health Alliance
- Harvard Medical School Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention
at Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
- Harvard University
- Harvard Medical School
- Harvard School of Dental Medicine
- Harvard School of Public Health
- Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
- Harvard Business School
- Harvard Law School
- Harvard Divinity School
- Kennedy School of Government
- Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
Description:
The
Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center will alter the culture
of clinical and translational research at Harvard by creating structured
and effective methods to connect and support individual investigators and
teams of investigators. The center will create managed approaches to focusing
the skills of experts in diverse disciplines to find innovative solutions
to challenging questions in clinical and translational research. It will
deploy both new and old resources more effectively, lowering the barriers
to the initiation and conduct of clinical and translational research within
and across institutions.
In parallel, the center will build a structure to encourage initiation
of new clinical and translational research projects and provide mechanisms
for bringing together interdisciplinary and cross-institutional teams, opening
the doors of the clinical and translational research enterprise to researchers
and engineers with diverse backgrounds, skills, and resources. The center
will educate the broader Harvard research community on the opportunities,
challenges, and goals of clinical and translational research.
The overarching goals focus on the individual development of clinical and
translational researchers and alignment of incentives with desired outcomes.
Structured processes will be created that will enhance the ability of investigators
to identify information, seek expertise, and access tools necessary to conceive
and successfully complete clinical and translational experiments.
Photo: Akiko Yabuuchi, a
Ph.D. in George Daley's lab at Children's Hospital Boston, conducts stem
cell research inside a clean room. Daley is a faculty member at Harvard
Medical School and part of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. (Photo
by Justin Ide/Harvard University News Office) Download
Photo (4.5MB JPG)
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, IN
Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Principal Investigator
Anantha Shekhar, M.D., Ph.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- Purdue University
- BioCrossroads
- Clarian Health Partners
- Cook Group, Incorporated
- Eli Lilly and Company
- Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation
- Fairbanks Institute for Healthy Communities
- Indiana State Government
- Indiana Health Information Exchange
- Indiana Network for Patient Care
- Regenstrief Foundation
- Regenstrief Institute
- Roudebush VA Medical Center
- Wellpoint, Inc.
- Wishard Health Services
- Indiana University
Description:
The
Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) will increase
translational biomedical research and improve the health of the people of
Indiana and beyond. The Indiana CTSI has developed enhanced educational programs
to train translational researchers; a newly designed community engagement
activity to produce effective and bidirectional community partnerships; a
streamlined process for all available research infrastructure to accelerate
translational projects; and a partnership with commercial and philanthropic
organizations in Indiana. The critical link connecting all of these efforts
is the university's medical informatics program that enables all parties
to interact in an easy, responsive and prompt manner. Thus, the Indiana CTSI
brings together the research resources of the entire state. It will provide
the national network of CTSAs with a statewide laboratory to experiment with
innovative methods aimed at transforming research in biomedical sciences,
health economy, health care delivery and health policy. It will create pilot
projects, train translational researchers, foster community engagement, build
research resources and technologies, and leverage the resources of the Greater
Indiana Community.
Photo: Mu Wang, Ph.D., (right)
director of the Protein Analysis and Research Center, and Attaya Suvannasankha,
M.D., assistant professor of medicine, are employing proteomics tools
to find biomarkers for multiple myeloma at Indiana University School
of Medicine. Download
Photo (417KB JPG)
Northwestern University
Evanston and Chicago, IL
Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
Principal Investigator
Philip Greenland, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- Children's Memorial Hospital
- Evanston Northwestern Healthcare
- Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital
- Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
- Infant Welfare Society
- Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children
- Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
- Center for Cultural Understanding and Change, Field Museum
- Practice-based Research Networks
- The Pediatric Practice Research Group (PPRG), based at Children's
Memorial Hospital
- The Research and Education for Academic Achievement (REACH) Network,
directed by the Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of General Internal
Medicine
- Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Network, directed by faculty in
the Department of Family Medicine
Description:
The
Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS)
is dedicated to facilitating, supporting, and promoting research that results
in better medical treatments and improved health care. NUCATS is the physical
home and central hub for translational research across the Northwestern University
enterprise. The institute is composed of five centers, and participation
spans several geographic locations, including the involvement of all four
NU-affiliated hospitals and six NU schools located on two campuses: the Feinberg
School of Medicine; the Kellogg School of Management; the McCormick School
of Engineering and Applied Science; the School of Communication; the School
of Education and Social Policy; and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.
Basic scientists, medical practitioners, community-based medical practitioners,
and community-based organizations are working together with leaders in the
fields of communications, education, business, and public health to eliminate
barriers to innovation.
Photo: Dr. Stephan Schuele
(right) leads the Northwestern University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
based at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The center's team of neurologists,
neurosurgeons, radiologists, neuropsychologists, electrophysiologists,
and nuclear medicine specialists apply the latest advances in molecular
biology, imaging, and pharmacology to diagnose and treat epilepsy. Download
Photo (70KB JPG)
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
The Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science
Principal Investigator
Rebecca Jackson, M.D., Ph.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- Nationwide Children's Hospital
- Battelle Memorial Institute
- Appalachia Community Cancer Network
- State of Ohio Comprehensive Program for the Prevention, Detection,
and Treatment of Lung Cancer
- The Kroger Company
- Faith Mission
- The Ohio State University Extension Agency
- Ohio Public Schools
- Metro High School
- The Ohio State Health Network
- Primary Care Research Network
- Columbus Osteopathic Association
Description:
The
Ohio State University has established the Center for Clinical and Translational
Science (OSU CCTS) to improve the quality of care for all patients in the
community by creating a transformative clinical and translational science
discipline that is at the core of the OSU academic culture. It will support
a robust and integrated partnership between the Ohio State University and
Nationwide Children's Hospital and will link these sophisticated health care
systems as a laboratory for biological, clinical and behavioral research.
By also working through affiliated hospital networks, a primary care network
and extension offices in all 88 counties in Ohio, the OSU CCTS will allow
clinical and translational research to be accomplished in innovative collaboration
with the community. As part of its community engagement plans, the OSU CCTS
has selected the Appalachian region of Ohio as an area of emphasis—an
area with some of the state's highest poverty rates. Expanding its community-based
research programs to include unique partnerships with the Appalachia Community
Cancer Network and Partners for Kids, a Nationwide Children's Hospital organization,
will provide clinical research opportunities to this rural community.
Photo: Caroline Whitacre,
Ph.D., one of the world's most acknowledged authorities on autoimmune
disease, is among hundreds of scientists at The Ohio State University
Medical Center who translate innovative research findings into personalized
patient care. (Photo courtesy of The Ohio State University
Medical Center) Download
Hi-Res Photo (2.4MB JPG)
The Scripps Research Institute
La Jolla, CA
The Scripps Translational Science Institute
Principal Investigator
Eric J. Topol, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- The Neurosciences Institute
- J Craig Venter Institute
- San Diego Supercomputer Center
- Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation
- Salk Institute
- The Center for Applied Genomics at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- San Diego State University
- Burnham Institute
- Whittier Institute
- Scripps Clinic Medical Group
- County of San Diego Free Clinics
- Community Health Improvement Partners
- San Diego Border Area Health Education Center
- Chula Vista Family Health Center
- Southeast San Diego Elementary Schools
- Retinal Consulting Services
- Indian Health Council
- 15 Community Health Centers
- 25 San Diego Area Life Science Companies
Description:
The
Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) will emphasize three dimensions
of translation: traditional bench to bedside, bedside to bench and back to
bedside, and bedside to the community and practice of medicine. The vision
of this program provides the appropriate amalgam of "integration and innovation" and
opportunity to capitalize on particular strengths at The Scripps Research
Institute, Scripps Health, and partnering institutions and faculty members
that have led to the development of the goals of the STSI. Building upon
and establishing specific collaborations with leading translational science
and clinical investigators will accelerate discovery that has impact across
multiple research disciplines. Collaborations with a large subset of the
550 life science companies in San Diego provide an extraordinary advantage
for accessing innovative technology and catalyzing benefits to patients.
STSI exploits the excitement of today's scientific advances to advance tomorrow's
preventions, betterment of health, and the training of the future leaders
of academic medicine.
Photo: Kelly Frazer, Ph.D.,
director of genomics research at Scripps Translational Science Institute
in San Diego, is working on an integrated Omics Program that studies
the intersection of genomics, proteomics, and glycomincs and their influence
on disease. She is researching how a piece of chromosome 9 (called 9p21)
contributes to heart disease. Download
Photo (48KB JPG)
Stanford University
Palo Alto, CA
The Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Education and Research
Principal Investigator
Harry Greenberg, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- Kaiser Permanente Division of Research
- The Palo Alto Medical Foundation for Health Care, Research, and Education
- Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health care System
- Northern California Cancer Center
- Community Partners
- Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
- Gardner Family Health Network
- Community Health Partnership of Santa Clara County
- Other Outreach Efforts
- YMCA of the USA Activate America Program
- Mountain View-Los Altos Challenge Team
- Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Network
- Stanford University
- Schools: Business, Earth Sciences, Education, Engineering, Humanities & Sciences,
Law, Medicine
- Independent Centers: Bio-X, Freeman Spoogli Institute, Stanford Center
on Longevity, Woods Institute on the Environment, Institute for Research
in the Social Sciences
- Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
- The Center for Healthy Weight
Description:
The
Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Education and Research will
pursue a multidisciplinary approach to transform and integrate critical components
of clinical and translational research related to human health across Stanford
University's academic and clinical enterprise. The goals of the Center are:
to effectively convert basic discoveries into practical methods that will
improve human health; and to prepare the next generation of research leaders
to ensure that the translation of discoveries into benefits in human health
continues into the future. This mission will be accomplished through a series
of coordinated and synergistic transformative changes in their educational
and mentoring programs, institutional governance structure, research support
infrastructure, and the professoriate, which are all intended to promote
clinical and translational research at Stanford and in the community.
The vision for the Stanford Center is to transform the goals of the institution
to incorporate the needs and priorities of the local community while continuing
to promote research. To realize this vision, Stanford is creating an office
of community research to create and establish bi-directional information
flow between the community and investigators, making the community a true
partner in setting the research agenda and priorities. The Office of Community
Research will serve as a single point of contact for community groups and
Stanford investigators, with the goals that include enhancing understanding
of local community needs and priorities and improving dissemination of key
research results to the local community to promote health and improved clinical
practice.
Photo: A team reviews tape
of a simulated birth at the Center for Pediatric Education at Lucile
Packard Children's Hospital. The CAPE facility is the world's first dedicated
pediatric and obstetric medical simulation center, allowing health-care
professionals to hone their skills in a simulated medical environment.
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital is a participating institution in
the Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Education and Research. (Photo
courtesy of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital) Download
Hi-Res Photo (5.7MB TIF)
Tufts University
Boston, MA
Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Principal Investigator
Harry Selker, M.D., MSPH
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
Clinical and academic organizations
- New England Quality Care Alliance Physician Practice Group
- Tufts Medical Center Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy
Studies
- Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development
- The Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA)
- Brandeis University's Heller School and Schneider Institutes for Health
Policy
- The Framingham Heart Study
- Northeastern University's Bouvé College of Health Sciences
- University of Massachusetts School of Nursing
- The National Kidney Foundation
Community-based organizations
- Asian American Center for Cancer Education and Research
- Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
- Boston Museum of Science
- Boston Neighborhood Development Office
- Boston Public Health Commission
- Center for Community Health Education Research and Service
- Codman Square Health Center/ Dorchester House Multi-Service Center
of the Dorchester Health Initiative
- La Alianza Hispana
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- Partners for a Health Community
- Somerville Community Health Agenda (of the Institute for Community
Health)
Heath plans
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
- Tufts Health Plan
Industry partners
- Advanced Magnetics, Inc.
- Biogen Idec
- Millennium Pharmaceuticals
- Neurologica Corporation
- Pfizer, Inc.
Tufts University schools
- Arts and Sciences
- Citizenship and Public Service
- Dental Medicine
- Engineering (including Computer Science and Bioengineering)
- Graduate Biomedical Sciences
- Medicine
- Nutrition
- Veterinary Medicine
Tufts-affiliated hospitals
- Tufts Medical Center
- Baystate Medical Center
- Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center
- Lahey Clinic
- New England Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital
- New England Baptist Hospital
- Newton-Wellesley Hospital
- Caritas Carney Hospital
Description:
The
Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute will build on long-standing
traditions of multidisciplinary collaboration. The Institute will leverage
that history to produce ground-breaking translation research to bring therapies
to patients more quickly. Among the endeavors the institute will undertake
will be a program aimed at cultivating connections between researchers and
community groups, transforming the research process by developing ways for
these groups to learn about each other's needs, interests and perspectives.
The program includes annual needs assessments with community partners to
identify perceived health needs and research priorities. This partnership
will facilitate the recruitment of diverse participants in research efforts
to accelerate the adoption of evidence-based care into clinical practice
settings. The emphasis on community involvement uniquely reflects both Tufts
University and Tufts Medical Center's dedication to active citizenship and
biomedical research by including multiple hospitals, community organizations,
health plans, industry, and others in Massachusetts and nationally.
Photo: Hans Klingemann, M.D.,
is director of the Bone Marrow and Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Program
at Tufts Medical Center. This program is an example of the clinical and
translational research being conducted by Tufts Medical Center and Tufts
University researchers. (Photo courtesy of Tufts Medical
Center) Download
Hi-Res Photo (920KB JPG)
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL
UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science
Principal Investigator
Lisa M. Guay-Woodford, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- UAB Health System
- Children's Health System
- Southern Research Institute
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
- UAB Outreach Sites including Alabama urban and rural communities
- Alabama's Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Description:
The vision of the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science is
to transform the university's environment by building productive and efficient
interdisciplinary research teams through educational ingenuity, regulatory
reorganization, resource coordination, and methodological innovation. The
mission is to develop a transformative infrastructure that spans the spectrum
from preclinical research to bench-to-bedside translation to community implementation.
This center builds upon a long-standing collaborative network that involves
Historically Black Colleges and Universities and underprivileged communities
in its region.
Using the community health advisor model, UAB CCTS investigators have a
strong record of NIH- and CDC-funded community-based participatory research
involving the Alabama "Black Belt", one of the nation's most underserved
areas. Further, in collaboration with Alabama's Historically Black Colleges
and Universities, they have built an extensive network for training the next
generation of health disparities researchers. The CCTS will provide the crucible
to bring these activities to the next level. Through its innovative "One
Great Community" component, the CCTS will support three community incubators
(Urban Lay, Health Professionals, and University), as well as a Research
Incubator to insure the bidirectional flow of information between the lay
and the research communities that will generate new knowledge at the intersection
between science and community needs.
Photo: Professor Victor Darley-Usmar,
Ph.D., and post-doctoral fellow Elena Ulasova perform research to understand
how diabetes and dietary factors impact on mitochondrial function in
the heart. A better understanding of these processes will help in designing
new therapies for treatment of diabetic patients. Download
Hi-Res Photo (2MB JPG)
University of Colorado Denver
Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO
Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
Principal Investigator
Ronald J. Sokol, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- University of Colorado at Boulder
- University of Colorado Hospital
- The Children's Hospital
- Denver Health
- National Jewish Medical and Research Center
- Kaiser Permanente Colorado
- Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- Colorado Foundation for Public Health and Environment
- Colorado Pharmacy Practice Education & Research Network
- Rocky Mountain Altitude Network
- Colorado Research Network
- American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Programs
- National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
- Nurse Family Partnership
- Colorado Cardiovascular Outcomes Research
- Catholic Churches
- Population-based Palliative Care Research Network
- LUCHAR-Latinos Using Cardio Health Actions to Reduce Risk
- Denver Metro Emergency Network
- Stapleton 2040
- American Academy of Family Physicians National Research Network
- Colorado Children's Healthcare Access Program
- Building Investigative Practices for Better Health Outcomes
- High Plains Research Network
Description:
The
University of Colorado Denver and its affiliates will use this award to speed
biomedical discoveries from laboratories to the lives of citizens. The university
and its partners will create an unprecedented statewide network of research,
health care and community facilities. Working together, the new Colorado
Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) will turn biomedical
findings into improved patient and community health. The CCTSI will coordinate
the efforts of scientists, health care providers, and advocates from two
research universities, six health care professional schools, five hospitals,
a health care network, and more than a dozen community health programs.
The Institute's five goals will be to: convert laboratory discoveries into
clinical use; bring clinical advances into communities; apply new technologies
to deliver personalized medicine; train future researchers; and advance child
and maternal health. A dynamic Partnership of Academicians and Communities
for Translation (PACT) will facilitate exchanges between communities and
academic programs that let scientists share discoveries with communities,
but at the same time let communities tell scientists what medical and public
health needs should be addressed. CCTSI will commit personnel and informatics
resources to six diverse and well-developed community partnerships as the
initial focus for launching this shared translational research agenda. Following
initial testing in these communities, CCTSI will adapt successful models
to the remaining PACT communities. Eventually, the PACT should have an impact
on the health care of all of Colorado's more than 4 million residents and
the 1,300 physician practices and 300 hospitals that serve them.
Photo: Dr. Ronald J. Sokol,
principal investigator for the University of Colorado Denver's CTSI,
examines 14-year-old Matt Gordon who is participating in research studies
that will translate discoveries into new treatments for cystic fibrosis.
Download
Photo (68KB JPG)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
Translational and Clinical Science (TraCS) Institute
Principal Investigator
Etta Pisano, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- RTI International
- Area L Health Education Center
- Coastal Area Health Education Center
- Carolinas Medical Center
- North Carolina State University
- North Carolina Central University
- Eastern Carolina University
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Description:
The
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill solicited input from over 300
faculty, administrators, and other stakeholders, drawn not just from the
university but across the state, to establish the Translational and Clinical
Sciences (TraCS) Institute. The TraCS Institute will transform the way research
is performed in the state by partnering with communities to more rapidly
and efficiently "translate" scientific discoveries into improvements in the
health of citizens. The TraCS Institute has three simple goals: prepare and
empower faculty, health care providers, and citizens to participate in all
aspects of the process involved in translating good ideas into health advances;
provide the advice and resources necessary to design and execute the best
research projects; and see that the best discoveries and ideas evolving from
these projects are rapidly used to solve important health problems in the
state. The Translational Research Advisory Board, consisting of senior faculty
from across the UNC System, will partner with communities to identify and
prioritize important health issues and will call for project proposals that
address these priorities. The TraCS study section, which includes community
members, will prioritize and help improve project proposals contributed by
over 40 units across campus and the state. A special TraCS program will make
sure that best ideas that result from these projects are implemented throughout
the state to improve the health of citizens.
Photo: UNC students at all
levels are inspired to participate in clinical and translational research.
Here two students display the results of their research project that
involved an improved way to detect kidney disease. Download
Photo (103KB JPG)
The University of Texas Health Science Center
at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science (IIMS)
Principal Investigator
Robert A. Clark, M.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children's Hospital
- San Antonio Metropolitan Health District
- San Antonio Military Medical Center
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System
- Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research
- University Health System
- The University of Texas at San Antonio
Description:
The
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has established
the Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science as the home for the
Clinical and Translational Science Award. The Institute's mission is to spur
integration of clinical and translational research, education, training,
and career development across all schools and among partner organizations
in South Texas. The Institute will bring existing and newly developing resources
and intellectual capital to bear on clinical and translational research for
the improvement of human health. Meaningful two-way community participation
has promoted buy-in from all stakeholders and will remain a key principle.
Institute partners have brought together major talent and a broad array of
resources to create synergies that add value to all participating organizations,
residents of the region, and the Clinical and Translational Science Award
network. Distinctive features of the Institute include: thriving partnerships
with key public and private organizations; major investments in research
resources and infrastructure; one of the world's largest primate research
colonies; the largest cadre of military health care and biomedical research
operations in the U.S.; and a 46,000-square-mile service area populated by
predominantly Hispanic residents. This area includes some of the country's
poorest people and has high rates of health disparities, providing an opportunity,
challenge, and obligation for this Institute to make a significant impact
on human health.
The primary vision is to work closely with all partners to translate the
results of the academic- and community-based research for the direct benefit
of the regional population.
Photo: A medical student
at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio celebrates
new life with a mother and baby while on obstetrics rotation at the Regional
Academic Health Center, a campus of the Health Science Center in the
Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. (Photo courtesy of
UT Health Science Center San Antonio) Download
Hi-Res Photo (3MB JPG)
The University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science
Principal Investigator
Don McClain, M.D., Ph.D.
Participating Institutions and Community Partners:
- Intermountain Healthcare
- University Health Care
- Veterans Administration Salt Lake City Health Care System
Description:
The
University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science will build
on the University's strengths in genetics and bioinformatics to translate
promising bench science into practices that improve human health. The Center
will serve as an academic home for clinical and translational research, developing
innovative health services for the community and health researchers, providing
seed funds to initiate clinical and translational research projects, and
training a new generation of clinical and translational investigators.
The Center and its partners will increase the visibility, volume, and quality
of participatory research by connecting investigators at the University with
other health care institutions, clinical practitioners, public health personnel,
patients, and research participants. As the sole academic health sciences
center serving Utah's rapidly growing racial, ethnic, and culturally diverse
population, the Center will support the empowerment and representation of
underserved populations as stakeholders in translational research. The Center
also will formally link research activities across systems that together
provide health care coverage to 80 percent of Utah's population as well as
patients in surrounding states.
Photo: Lauren Jones, R.N.,
assistant nurse manager (front left), Shelley Stanton, R.N., and Donald
A. McClain, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Utah Center for Clinical
and Translational Science, prepare a patient for a PET scan as part of
a clinical trial.
Download Photo
(735KB JPG)
2007
Awardees
(The following descriptions are excerpts from the CTSA applications
and reflect proposed activities.)
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
CTSA at Case Western Reserve University
Principal Investigator
Pamela B Davis, M.D., Ph.D.
Participating Institutions:
- Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Cleveland, OH
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM) of CWRU, Cleveland,
OH
- The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH
- University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
- MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
Description:
This
CTSA will be based at Case Western Reserve University and will include three
of the hospital affiliates of the School of Medicine, the Cleveland Clinic,
University Hospitals and MetroHealth Medical Center. Together these hospitals
cover 90% of the medical care delivered in the 7-county area surrounding
Cleveland, Ohio, offering a wealth of clinical research opportunities. In
addition, excellent programs based in the Frances Payne Bolton School of
Nursing and the School of Dental Medicine, as well as those in the School
of Medicine and its hospital affiliates reach into the community at many
sites, some of which will become study sites in the CTSA. Together with the
strong biomedical cores, the reach of these programs affords great opportunity
for collaborative clinical research.
Photo: Case Western Reserve
University faculty and students have the opportunity to work collaboratively
in research and academic with nearby institutions that are partners in
the CTSA, including the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center,
and University Hospitals. (Photo courtesy of Case Western
Reserve University) Download
Hi-Res Photo (1.7MB JPG)
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (Atlanta-CTSI)
Principal Investigator
David S. Stephens, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- Emory University, Atlanta, GA
- Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
- Georgia Research Alliance, Atlanta, GA
- Kaiser Permanente, Atlanta, GA
- Georgia Bio (formerly Georgia Biomedical Partnership), Atlanta, GA
- Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, GA
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
- Grady Memorial Hospital and Health System, Atlanta, GA
- The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Atlanta, GA
- Emory University School of Medicine
- Rollins School of Public Health
- Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center
- Emory Healthcare
- Emory University Hospital
- Emory Crawford Long Hospital
- Wesley Woods Geriatric Center
- The Emory Clinic
- Winship Cancer Institute
Description:
The Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (Atlanta-CTSI)
is led by Emory University, along with partners Morehouse School of Medicine,
Georgia Institute of Technology, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. These
institutions are already partners in healthcare, education, and cutting-edge,
interdisciplinary research that will be propelled by the Atlanta-CTSI.
The established partnerships and diverse faculty enable the Atlanta-CTSI
to combine strong clinical, translational, training and basic discovery programs
at Emory with the health disparities, training and community outreach focus
of Morehouse School of Medicine together with the engineering and bioinformatics
achievements of Georgia Tech and the excellence in pediatrics of Children's
Healthcare of Atlanta. Collaborations with the private non-profit Georgia
Bio organization and the Georgia Research Alliance, the state-sponsored academic-industry
partnership, create additional synergies that foster and accelerate development
and application of new and emerging technologies. Finally the Atlanta-CTSI
creates dynamic community, public health, informatics, and population studies
programs through partnerships and collaborations with Kaiser Permanente of
Georgia (KPGA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Atlanta
Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Photo: Nana Gletsu Miller,
Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Emory
University School of Medicine. Her research program studies patients
undergoing weight loss and the effects of excess adipose tissue on obesity-related
diseases. She is performing an ELISA assay to measure concentrations
of adipose tissue cytokines in plasma samples obtained from these patients. (Photo
courtesy of Emory University) Download
Photo (1.9MB JPG)
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Principal Investigator
Daniel E. Ford, M.D., M.P.H.
Participating Institutions:
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
- Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Description:
The
new Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research will
synergize many existing translational research efforts across the Johns Hopkins
Schools of Engineering, Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health. The Institute
will create new opportunities to partner with patient communities and for
profit organizations that are dedicated to moving new medical interventions
into practice. Incorporating new partners for clinical research among community
hospitals and primary care organizations will also be a priority. The Institute
will provide comprehensive training programs for clinical and translational
research that will be targeted for the full range of learners. Clinical and
translational researchers will be supported by new programs in biostatistics;
innovative methodology; patient recruitment; navigating through regulatory
offices; clinical research management systems; bioinformatics; data safety
and monitoring programs; building community bridges; research ethics consultations;
and the Accelerated Translational Incubator Program (pilot program). New
translational cores in drug, device and vaccine development, proteomics,
genetics, and imaging will create new translational research teams. Basic
science and translational science forums will be utilized to create and support
new research teams that span the translational pathway.
(Photo courtesy of Johns Hopkins University) Download
Photo (2.2MB JPG)
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
University of Chicago CTSA
Principal Investigator
Julian Solway, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL
- Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, IL
- University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL
- Access Community Health Network, Chicago, IL
- Advocate Health Care, Chicago, IL
- Additional University of Chicago Participating Divisions
- Biological Sciences Division
- Physical Sciences Division
- Division of Social Sciences
- School of Social Service Administration
- Additional University of Chicago Centers
- Center for Health and the Social Sciences
- Institute for Molecular Pediatric Science
- MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics
- University of Chicago Cancer Research Center
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics
- Center for Interdisciplinary Health Disparities Research
- Computation Institute
Description:
The ultimate goals of the University of Chicago CTSA program are : 1) to
train scientists and health care providers at the University, partner institutions,
and community to determine the molecular underpinnings of disease and disease
predisposition in any individual patient; 2) to develop, test, implement,
and make readily available to community residents personalized therapies
directed toward those individual underpinnings; and 3) to do this in a way
that is rigorous, valid, efficient, ethical, and respectful of our community's
needs and values. In a robust alliance with ANL, IIT, and two large health
care organizations, the UC CTSA will undertake three bold new steps that
will transform clinical and translational research: 1) Creation of an Institute
for Translational Medicine, a new University-wide structure to collect, integrate,
and disseminate the intellectual, organizational, and resource infrastructure
needed to promote and support multidisciplinary translational research collaborations;
2) Synergistic research interaction with a new Urban Health Initiative which,
through partnership with community stakeholders, aims to improve community
health care access and quality, to build health literacy and trust throughout
the community, to enhance a translational research program informed by and
responsive to the needs of the community, and so to reduce health disparities;
and 3) Establishment of a new academic Committee on Clinical and Translational
Science and of multiple novel training programs to encourage and develop
careers in clinical and translational research, intended for high school
students through university faculty and across the entire translational research
spectrum. CTSA investigators will employ a systems medicine approach to leverage
their particular expertise in social science, genetic medicine, and integrative
therapeutics.
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
University of Iowa's Institute for Clinical and Translational Science
Principal Investigator
Gary W Hunninghake, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Description:
The
University of Iowa's Institute for Clinical and Translational Science includes
39 established University centers and institutes representing all 11 UI colleges.
Examples include the UI Hospitals and Clinics' General Clinical Research
Center; the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the UI; the Law, Health
Policy, and Disability Center; the Prairielands Addiction Technology Transfer
Center; the Northern Plains Native American Health Disparities Center; and
the Upper Midwest Public Health Training Center. Partnerships with the University
of Arizona and Iowa State University add richness and diversity to the Institute's
efforts. The Institute will energize strong UI research programs in areas
like optical science, oral and maxillofacial implants, nanotechnology, and
advanced imaging, and nurture newer initiatives like community-based research.
The Institute's statewide network of community practitioners, hospitals,
and health organizations will help identify areas for further study, improve
public perception of clinical research, and make cutting-edge research, discoveries
and treatments available to patients wherever they live. Looking even further
ahead, the Institute's masters and Ph.D. degree programs in clinical and
translational science will prepare tomorrow's researchers. CTSA support will
advance research at the UI in innumerable ways.
Photo: Michael Hildebrand
studying gene therapies for hearing loss. (Photo courtesy
of University of Iowa) - Download Photo
(493KB JPG)
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan Institute of Clinical and Health Research
Principal Investigator
Kenneth J. Pienta, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Description:
The
Michigan Institute of Clinical and Health Research creates partnerships among
the relevant units of the University, the NIH, external industry partners,
and the community. The overwhelming majority of UM schools, colleges, and
institutes are participating, including: the top-ranked Schools of Business,
Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Social Work, and Public Health; the Colleges
of Engineering, Pharmacy, Literature, and Science and Arts; the Division
of Kinesiology; the Institute of Social Research; and the Life Sciences Institute.
The University-owned Health System, which includes integrated outpatient
and inpatient facilities, is contributing significantly to a strong partnership
with the UM CTSA site. In addition to the grant resources, the institution
is contributing substantial in-kind support, cost-sharing, support of pilot
and recruitment programs, and renovation costs, a more than 1:1 match of
NIH dollars. The University of Michigan CTSA program includes an Education
Program that reaches a wide spectrum of audiences: from undergraduates to
mid-career faculty, from basic scientists to population researchers, from
staff to community members.
Photo: Basic and clinical
researchers in the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Division at the University
of Michigan Medical School form collaborative relationships with other
units to speed discoveries to patients. (Photo courtesy
of University of Michigan) - Download
Hi-Res (1.1MB JPG) Photo
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX
North and Central Texas Clinical and Translational Science Initiative
Principal Investigator
Milton Packer, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/Dallas, Dallas, TX
Description:
The
North and Central Texas Clinical and Translational Science Initiative will
be led by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas and
will include schools of allopathic and osteopathic medicine, dentistry, nursing,
pharmacy, public health, engineering and computer science, which have already
formed relationships supported by a Roadmap K12 award. A new Department of
Clinical Sciences, which is supported by faculty from all participating schools,
will serve as the academic home for the CTSA site. Existing infrastructure
and support include: a substantial financial commitment of participating
institutions to the Initiative; more than 200 established clinical and translational
investigators who will act as faculty and mentors; and a large and medically
diverse patient base cared for by established hospitals.
Photo: Dr. Milton Packer,
chairman of clinical sciences at UT Southwestern Medical Center, is principal
investigator for the UT Southwestern-led North and Central Texas Clinical
and Translational Science Initiative. (Photo courtesy
of UT Southwestern Medical Center) Download
Hi-Res Photo (1.7MB JPG)
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Institute of Translational Health Sciences
Principal Investigator
Mary L. Disis, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, WA
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance,
Seattle, WA
- Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies, Seattle, WA
- Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA
- Northwest Association for Biomedical Research, Seattle, WA
Proposed American Indian and Alaska Native Network Sites:
- Seattle Indian Health Board, Seattle WA
- N.A.T.I.V.E. Project, Spokane, WA
- South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency, Shelton, WA
- Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, AK
- Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Portland, OR
- Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council, Billings, MT
Description:
The
Institute of Translational Health Sciences represents a consortium of six
University of Washington (UW) health science professional schools with multiple
partners that cover 12 performance sites, involve 67 scientific key personnel
and connect researchers to over 150 centers. In addition, the Institute of
Translational Health Sciences proposes to integrate major research and clinical
institutions across a five-state region: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana,
and Idaho (WWAMI) via ongoing clinical and research collaboration pathways
that are part of the WWAMI program led by the UW School of Medicine.
A unique feature of this CTSA site is its community engagement plan which
considers diversity across race, ethnicity, culture, rural and urban locations,
geography, health status and health service delivery with a targeted program
for Alaska Natives and American Indians. The Institute of Translational Health
Sciences will support an integrated ethics program linking adult and pediatric
medical centers and the community. An additional unique feature is the site's
advanced capability for therapeutic product development and clinical testing
that will enhance future health care throughout the region. The Institute
of Translational Health Sciences will foster new health sciences interactions
across the sites through a variety of technology, education, and research
support cores. The Institute will guide, support and facilitate translational
research efforts that focus on expanded information collection, sharing and
analysis, innovative scientific technologies, and critical support services
aimed at accelerating health sciences research.
Photo: Dr. Mary "Nora" Disis,
right, and researcher Vivian Goodell are conducting research to develop
a cancer vaccine that would work like immunizations against infectious
diseases. (Photo by Paul Joseph Brown, courtesy of
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI
Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR)
Principal Investigator
Marc K. Drezner, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- University of Wisconsin-Madison and its 5 academic partners (Schools
of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine and the College
of Engineering), Madison, WI
- University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, WI
- American Family Children's Hospital, Madison, WI
- William S. Middleton Veterans Administration Hospital, Madison, WI
- UW-Madison Interdisciplinary Research Complex, Madison, WI
- UW-Madison HealthEmotions Research Institute, Research Park Psychiatry,
Madison, WI
- Waisman Center at UW-Madison, Madison, WI
- UW Academic Campus at Aurora Sinai Medical Center CTRC satellite (hospital & outpatient),
Milwaukee, WI
- UW Academic Campus at Marshfield Clinic CTRC Satellite, Marshfield,
WI
- St. Joseph's Hospital CTRC Satellite, Marshfield, WI
- Wisconsin Network for Health Research at:
- Gundersen Lutheran Clinic, La Crosse, WI
- Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI
- Aurora Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI
- UW and its Wisconsin Research and Education Network affiliated practices
in WI; the Wisconsin Oncology Network affiliated practices, and the
Pediatric Practice-Based Research Network affiliated practices in Wisconsin
- Meriter Hospital, Madison, WI
Decsription:
The University of Wisconsin-Madison, through its new Institute for Clinical
and Translational Research (ICTR), will address how to translate biomedical
discoveries into practices that improve health. The ICTR will take a new
approach to research by producing interdisciplinary research scientists who
can address health problems along a continuum--from basic laboratory investigations
through clinical trials in patients and into population health studies in
communities. The Institute will provide researchers an array of tools and
will create feedback systems to ensure that research is relevant and addresses
the health care needs of populations in Wisconsin.
The Institute will be the hub of a network that fans across the university
and extends around the state. People based at five schools on campus and
several hospitals in Madison will be involved as will experts at academic
campuses on all points of the Badger State compass. New and existing statewide
partnerships will be enhanced. Physicians and public health workers in towns
and communities throughout the state will be essential players.
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR)
Principal Investigator
Gordon R. Bernard, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN
Description:
The
Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) will
be created to focus on both bench-to-bedside, and bedside-to-practice translation.
Vanderbilt intends to remove impediments and release investigators from administrative
burdens, produce inspired personnel trained in the bi-directional process
of translational research, foster innovation by stimulating contributions
from collaborators, and enrich the translational research environment with
extensive state-of-the art informatics tools as well as expert biostatistics
support. The proposed institute will leverage Vanderbilt's existing NIH-funded
General Clinical Research Center (GCRC), which has been an established center
generating clinical research for 50 years. The funds will also be used to
establish a Community Engagement and Research program, which leverages the
very strong ties of Vanderbilt to the community. Important to the overall
success of the program is a focused partnership with Meharry Medical College.
Also involved within Vanderbilt is the Institute for Medicine and Public
Health as well as the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Law, Business, Engineering,
Peabody College of Education and Human Development, the College of Arts and
Sciences, and the Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development.
Photo: Sandy Yoder, a senior
research specialist, works in Vanderbilt University Medical Center's
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Lab. She uses liquid nitrogen to keep vials
at 320 degrees below zero. Yoder is putting away influenza samples obtained
in vaccine trials at Vanderbilt. (Photo courtesy of
Vanderbilt University) - Download
Hi-Res (623KB JPG) Photo
Washington University
St. Louis, MO
CTSA at Washington University
Principal Investigator
Kenneth S. Polonsky, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- Washington University, St. Louis, MO
- Children's Hospital of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
- Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO
- Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO
- St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis, MO
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing, Edwardsville,
IL
- University of Missouri at St. Louis College of Nursing, St. Louis,
MO
- Goldfarb School of Nursing, St. Louis, MO
Description:
The
CTSA at Washington University (WU) in St. Louis will be implemented by creating
a new Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences designed to conceptually
and operationally reinvent and reinvigorate clinical and translational research
and research training. The Institute incorporates existing programs (GCRC,
K12, K30, and T32) and WU's new BioMed 21 strategic initiative in multidisciplinary,
collaborative research in genome sciences, biological imaging, and clinical
investigation. It also involves an unprecedented level of partnership with
other academic, health care, community and scientific institutions in the
St. Louis area. Partners include BJC HealthCare; Saint Louis University School
of Public Health, Graduate School and Doisy College of Health Sciences; University
of Missouri St. Louis College of Nursing; Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
School of Nursing; and St. Louis College of Pharmacy; key organizations promoting
community health as well as biomedical and pharmaceutical companies in the
St. Louis area. The Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences will
oversee 15 key programs, each designated to facilitate the safe and ethical
conduct of research in humans.
Photo: Samuel Klein, M.D.,
professor of medicine, and Jennifer McCrea, research coordinator, offer
health and nutrition tips to 10 year old Van Carter at the Adams Park
Elementary School Wellness Fair. Dr. Klein will be the director of the
CTSA Clinical Interactions Resources Core at the Washington University
Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences. (Photo
courtesy of Washington University) - Download
Hi-Res (3.3MB JPG) Photo
Weill Cornell Medical College
New York, NY
CTSA at Weill Cornell Medical College
Principal Investigator
Julianne L. Imperato-McGinley, M.D.
Participating Institutions:
- Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC), New York, NY
- Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences
- Cornell University, New York, NY
- Cornell University Cooperative Extension in New York City (CUCE-NYC)
- Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York, NY
- Hunter College, City University of New York
- Hunter College Research Center for Minority Institutions (RCMI),
Center for the Study of Gene Structure and Function
- Hunter College School of Nursing
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York, NY
- New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Campus
- Weill Cornell-affiliated hospitals
Description:
The
Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) - comprising public/private
institutions on the Upper East Side of Manhattan - is a unique and diverse
biomedical complex, providing investigators with state-of-the-art resources
for conducting clinical/translational research.
Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, the lead institution,
serves as conduit through which technological resources and educational programs
are efficiently shared and managed. Neighboring institutions contribute significantly
to the CTSC. Hospital for Special Surgery, a leader in investigating musculoskeletal
and autoimmune diseases, is one of two medical institutions designated by
NIH as a Core Center for Skeletal Integrity. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center is a cancer center where state-of-the-art basic science research flourishes
side-by-side with clinical investigation and treatment at Memorial Hospital.
Cornell University Cooperative Extension, NYC, engaged in research addressing
the needs of a changing New York for over fifty years, will be the linchpin
for community outreach. Hunter College Gene Center's Research Center for
Minority Institutions recruits and nurtures minority talent and has established
an effective electronic network with minority scientists nationwide. Hunter
College School of Nursing, training nurses from a diverse urban population,
will participate in community outreach and education in underserved areas.
Photo: Dr. Nasser Altorki,
director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at New York-Presbyterian
Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, confers with a colleague about
a CT scan of a patient's chest. (Photo courtesy of
Weill Cornell Medical College) - Download
Hi-Res Photo (215KB JPG)
2006
Awardees
(The following descriptions are excerpts from the CTSA applications
and reflect proposed activities.)
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, NY
Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (IICTR)
Principal Investigator
Henry Ginsberg, M.D.
Description:
Columbia
University Medical Center's (CUMC) CTSA program will transform the culture
of clinical and translational research so that CUMC can develop and retain
an outstanding cadre of senior faculty to lead the next generation of clinical
and translational investigators. With enhanced support from the CUMC-Herbert
Irving Endowment, which will increase from its present level of $15 million
to $25 million, CUMC will accomplish this goal by creating the Irving Institute
for Clinical and Translational Research (IICTR). The IICTR will be the academic
and intellectual home for the next generation of clinical and translational
investigators. The senior faculty will provide leadership and stature for
the IICTR, and serve as mentors for both the junior faculty and IICTR trainees.
The junior faculty, called Irving Fellows, will work with senior faculty
to develop novel approaches to advancing multi- and interdisciplinary clinical
and translational research. The Irving Fellows will be role models for the
way multi- and interdisciplinary research should be conducted at CUMC. The
resources provided by IICTR will include outstanding support and research
in biomedical informatics, biostatistical and clinical trial design, bioethics,
regulatory issues, patient-oriented research, and core laboratory resources.
The Irving Fellows will be supported by CUMC and the CTSA, as will pilot
and collaborative research grants awarded annually by the IICTR. CUMC has
invested in the development of new space for the IICTR, including space for
pediatric inpatient/outpatient research and the Center for Clinically Oriented
Research Education that will be a home for trainees and faculty. CUMC will
also develop a new off-campus research center to support community-based
clinical and translational research, and education. As part of the CTSA program,
CUMC has created an integrated educational program that includes a new multidisciplinary,
patient-oriented research master's degree, a novel K12 scholars mentored
research program in muti- and interdisciplinary research, and a pioneering
multidisciplinary, patient-oriented research Ph.D. program. The goal of the
IICTR and CTSA is to enable more direct utilization of research advances
to benefit patients and the community.
Photo: The CTSA grant will
support clinical and translational research at Columbia University Medical
Center, such as Dr. Howard Kaufman's research on tumor immunology and
cancer vaccines. (Photo courtesy of Columbia University
Medical Center) Download Hi-Res
Photo (1MB JPG)
Duke University
Durham, NC
Clinical Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
Principal Investigator
Robert M. Califf, M.D.
Description:
Duke
University proposes to create a Clinical Translational Science Institute
(CTSI). This institute will accomplish four specific aims: 1) create an institute
that will transform how fundamental discoveries are translated into improved
medical care by supporting creative translational research teams. The institute
will provide leadership and resources for original translational and clinical
research, and it will develop and perform studies regarding novel methods
and approaches to translational and clinical science; 2) create an environment
in which trainees at all levels, including medical and nursing school students,
physical therapists, pharmacologists, house staff, fellows, graduate students,
junior faculty, and career transition faculty can be trained in translational
and clinical research. The training will be built on the principle that a
rich clinical and translational research environment will provide Duke University
trainees with models and opportunities for success; 3) integrate translational
and clinical science by fostering collaboration among Duke University's departments,
institutes, centers, and schools, using human resources supported by modern
bioinformatics and a new clinical research unit designed to integrate intensive
measurements of biological processes; 4) and develop a community model for
understanding how to translate the findings of research from bench to bedside,
to populations using advanced informatics and health services delivery methods.
The Duke University CTSI will be founded on three entities, or pillars, including
Duke University Translational Research Institute (DTRI), Duke University
Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), and Duke University Center for Community
Research (DCCR). These three entities will bring together and expand existing
programs, and will be designed to emphasize the continuities along the spectrum
of research that begins in a basic science laboratory and concludes with
novel therapies that change outcomes for individual patients. These three
pillars—DCRI, DTRI, and DCCR—will be administratively joined
into the new Duke University Clinical and Translational Science Institute
(Duke University CTSI), the core of this application. This new institute
will link with other key programs, including Duke University Comprehensive
Cancer Center, Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Institute
for Genome Sciences and Policy, to create a comprehensive home for clinical
and translational researchers. The creation of the CTSI is relevant to public
health as it will create an environment that will foster speedier delivery
of new interventions and healthcare practices to the community.
Photo: Scientists at Duke
University Medical Center (Martin Tornai, Ph.D. shown here) have created
a new breast scanner that will dramatically improve their ability to
visualize small tumors while also reducing radiation exposure to one-tenth
that of normal mammograms. Moreover, the new device does not compress
the breast, as do traditional mammograms. (Photo courtesy
of Duke University Medical Center) Download
Photo (16KB JPG)
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Rochester, MN
Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR)
Principal Investigator
Robert A. Rizza, M.D.
Description:
The goal of the Mayo Clinic CTSA application is to present Mayo's vision
for the integration and expansion of our innovative clinical and translational
research activities, so that a highly functional academic home for clinical
and translational research is developed at the Mayo Clinic. This new Center
for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) will be founded on Mayo Clinic's
long-standing excellence in and commitment to clinical and translational
research, which includes the support of key infrastructure and a commitment
to career development. To achieve this goal, Mayo will take a comprehensive
approach to the key elements of the CTSA RFA and focus on enhancing: 1) clinical
research core resources that provide innovative tools to investigators; 2)
career development and education programs that prepare the next generation
of investigators; 3) compliance and regulatory affairs support that ensures
patient safety and privacy, and customer service-oriented approaches to support
investigative teams; 4) community affairs support to enhance participation,
diversity and community support for clinical and translational research;
5) collaboration with industry and clinical practices to translate research
discoveries into routine clinical practice; and 6) continued and expanded
institutional support that includes an "academic home" for clinical and translational
research. Mayo Clinic also proposes a consolidated governance plan that incorporates
strong data-driven evaluation of each CCTR element and the program as a whole.
In principle, the CTSA program is consistent with the historical, conceptual,
and philosophical underpinnings of Mayo Clinic, and this application clearly
articulates how the overarching and transformative goals of the CTSA program
can be met at Mayo. Additionally, the CCTR has the "institutional will" and
is culturally empowered to execute this plan. Thus, Mayo is ready to implement
the CTSA program aggressively and rapidly; the Mayo Clinic CCTR will be a
highly functional and successful "flagship" site for the CTSA program as
it emerges from the NIH Roadmap. To summarize, the Mayo Clinic Center for
Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) will bring together all the resources
of the five schools within the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, and more
than 100 years of scientific and medical research expertise, to discover
innovative new methods that will speed the translation of research results
into therapies, tools, and patient care practices that impact all members
of the local and national communities. This vision is entirely consistent
with the stated mission of the Mayo Clinic to provide the best care to every
patient, every day, through integrated clinical practice, education, and
research.
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, OR
Oregon Clinical and Translational Science Institute (OCTSI)
Principal Investigator
Eric Orwoll, M.D.
Description:
Biomedical research institutions in Oregon are outstanding, and are prepared
for a major expansion in clinical/translational investigation. The university
proposes to form the Oregon Clinical and Translational Science Institute
(OCTSI). The OCTSI will fundamentally change biomedical research to create
a vibrant academic home for clinical/translational investigation. It will
leverage existing strengths and remove barriers to the pace and growth of
research. At the heart of the OCTSI is a robust partnership between Oregon
Health & Science University (OHSU) and Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health
Research (KPCHR) that brings together a strong biomedical research university
and an innovative practice-based research center associated with a large
patient population. The collaboration provides unique opportunities for expansion
across the spectrum of human investigation, and sets the stage for major
advances in human health. Transformation of clinical and translational research
in Oregon is enhanced by: robust institutional support for the OCTSI, manifest
by significant administrative change as well as the commitment of substantial
financial and space resources; academic faculties at OHSU and KPCHR that
fully support the OCTSI initiative and the development of a strong, multidisciplinary
OCTSI leadership team; merging of resources to form a coordinated infrastructure
for clinical/translational research; and strong ties to the community and
the involvement of the region in the human research agenda. We have identified
three major goals for the OCTSI, and propose far-reaching, explicit, and
feasible approaches to achieve them. The university will 1) create an academic
home specifically devoted to the discipline of clinical/translational research;
2) nurture a new cadre of highly-trained, interdisciplinary investigators
through a strong, diverse educational curriculum; and 3) create a "research
commons"—a coordinated infrastructure of core research tools that greatly
expands research opportunities and provides a unified, effective means for
their access. There are particular opportunities to accelerate progress in
pediatric and child health, community based research, and human genetics.
Rockefeller University
New York, NY
Rockefeller University Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences
Principal Investigator
Barry Coller, M.D.
Description:
The Rockefeller University Hospital, a GCRC awardee since 1963, has been
the continuous "home" for clinical and translational science at Rockefeller
since 1910. It has been the site of numerous landmark scientific and clinical
contributions, and many of its trainees have gone on to become academic leaders.
With the new resources available under a Clinical and Translational Science
Award (CTSA), a core faculty of distinguished investigators, whose research
spans the basic-translational spectrum and encompasses a broad range of scientific
and medical disciplines, will integrate and expand Rockefeller University's
scientific and educational programs in a new Rockefeller University Center
for Clinical and Translational Science. The new center will transform clinical
and translational research by encouraging new studies, enhancing and centralizing
the support structures required to conduct studies with scientific rigor,
and ensuring an absolute commitment to the protection of human subjects and
participant safety. The key elements in the transformation will be: 1) a
new governance structure reflecting the NIH cooperative agreement (U54) "assistance" mechanism;
2) creation of a new K12 Clinical Research Scholars Program offering master's
and Ph.D. level degrees to complement the current Clinical Scholars Program;
3) infrastructure enhancements to facilitate the development and conduct
of clinical protocols under the principle of good clinical practice (GCP),
including biomedical informatics, biostatistics, bionutrition, research nursing,
research pharmacy, participant recruitment and community engagement, and
regulatory support and oversight from the clinical research (research subject
advocate) support office; and 4) development of innovative and novel core
methodologies related to dendritic cell therapy; vaccine development for
HIV, hepatitis C, and malignancies; genetics/genomics; assessing the immune
response; and metabolic phenotyping. The center will continue Rockefeller's
tradition of focusing on the interface between scientific discovery, human
pathophysiology, and novel diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic strategies.
It will partner with industry, when mutually beneficial, to achieve these
goals. The center will be an active member of the national CTSA consortium,
offering the consortium novel ideas and tools for conducting and evaluating
clinical and translational research. It will eagerly adopt the best practices
identified by the consortium and adhere to the standards set by the consortium.
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA
Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC)
Principal Investigator
Lars F. Berglund, M.D., Ph.D.
Description:
The
University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is proposing to create a Clinical
and Translational Science Center (CTSC) that will transform its medical research
enterprise into a highly effective "open" academic home for clinical and
translational research by building on three key assets: 1) a long-standing
commitment as a land-grant university to serve the geographically dispersed
and ethnically diverse populations of inland and northern California with
a health care system enabled by one of the broadest and most extensive telecommunications
programs in the world; 2) the collaborative culture of UC Davis, which has
one of the most extensive and interdisciplinary life science environments
in the country; and 3) an established CTSC pilot facility—the UC Davis
Clinical Research Investigator Services Program (CRISP) that serves as the
physical home for clinical and translational research, and for faculty training
and career development. CRISP is a fundamentally important CTSC testing ground
where many perceived CTSC barriers have been explored and solutions have
been tested. Through CRISP, UC Davis has completed the planning phase for
the CTSC. In the organizational structure of the UC Davis CTSC, considerable
attention is paid to create an organization that is: 1) responsive and familiar
to investigators; 2) flexible; 3) well linked to university leadership, to
participating academic units, and to the community; and 4) focused on the
goal of reducing barriers and facilitating the translation of research gains
into medical practice. Key features are: an education program focused on "team
science;" extensive collaborations across UC Davis colleges and centers;
introduction of catalyst functions such as collaborative research facilitators
and translational postdoctoral fellowships; dissemination through tele-technology;
flexible use of resources for patient-oriented research; and a community
engagement program emphasizing trust and respect. The CTSC is under the leadership
of two co-principal investigators, Drs. Berglund M.D., Ph.D., (P.I.) and
Joseph M.D., Ph.D. (co-P.I.), supported by a team of directors and co-directors
that oversees each of the nine CTSC programs, and a comprehensive committee
structure, designed to firmly anchor the CTSC with institutional leadership,
faculty, trainees, and the community. The UC Davis CTSC will be implemented
through a carefully designed, collaborative plan, and the activity will be
guided through continuous evaluations and corrections.
Photo: A cadre of leading
scientists and physicians will be overseeing the new UC Davis Clinical
and Translational Science Center. A few program leaders include: Ann
Bonham, Ph.D., executive associate dean for research and education; Lars
Berglund, M.D., Ph.D., assistant dean of clinical research and director
of the new center; and Fitz-Roy Curry, associate dean for research.
Download Hi-Res Photo (1MB JPG)
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
Principal Investigator
S. Clay Johnston, M.D., Ph.D.
Description:
Despite
explosive gains in our understanding of the basic mechanisms of human disease,
meaningful translation of this knowledge to the treatment and prevention
of disease has moved slowly. To accelerate the pace at which discoveries
in basic science can serve the health of our patients and community, the
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) intends to establish a Clinical
and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Its mission will be to create
a comprehensive, integrated academic home that promotes research and education
in clinical and translational science at UCSF, at affiliated institutions,
and in participating communities. Its goals are: 1) to support, enhance,
and integrate existing training programs, increasing the number of trainees
from diverse disciplines and improving the quality of their training in clinical
and translational research methods; 2) to support, improve, and integrate
existing infrastructure to enhance the design and implementation of clinical
and translational studies, fostering collaborations to achieve a diverse
spectrum of high-quality, original research; 3) to enhance career development
of clinical and translational researchers by providing mentoring and opportunities
to catalyze original research, and by changing the academic culture to appropriately
reward multidisciplinary collaborative work; and 4) to create a "virtual
home" providing contemporary communications to simplify collaboration, to
provide an optimal informatics matrix for conducting innovative research,
and to nurture the growth of clinical and translational science. To reach
these goals, UCSF is transforming its clinical and translational research
organization to establish 13 interrelated programs that will provide the
training, services, and opportunities needed. These programs are led by senior
scientists drawn from diverse disciplines in each of UCSF's four health science
schools—dentistry, medicine, nursing, and pharmacy—and its graduate
division. The plans reflect input from more than 200 interested, energetic,
and committed participants from throughout the community, including most
of UCSF's academic leaders. These individuals worked collaboratively to ensure
inclusion, transparency, and flexibility in the design and planned implementation
of the CTSI. UCSF believes that this infusion of new energy and resources
will create and sustain a rich environment for innovative research and drive
the realization of UCSF's full potential to educate and to support the work
of clinical and translational scientists. If so, biomedicine will be advanced
and the health of our patients and the community will benefit.
Photo: Joseph DeRisi, Ph.D.,
in his lab at the University of California, San Francisco. (Photo
by Felix Aburto, courtesy of UCSF) Download
Hi-Res Photo (2.6MB JPG)
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT)
Principal Investigator
Garret A. FitzGerald, M.D.
Description:
The
Clinical and Translational Research Award (CTSA) has been greeted enthusiastically
by the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). A strategic plan had identified
clinical and translational research as a priority, leading to formation of
the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT) in January
2005. ITMAT anticipated many aspects of the CTSA—amongst them, inclusion
of the GCRC, dedicated "dry" and "wet" bench space for translational research,
and a robust educational program, configured on a Master in Translational
Research (MTR). This CTSA application prompted intra- and inter-institutional
consideration of how to build on this achievement. This has forged a transformational
alliance between Penn, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the
Wistar Institute (WI) and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
(USP). Faculty from nine of the 12 schools at Penn and from the partner institutions
are represented in leadership roles in the response to this CTSA. ITMAT,
designated as the "academic home" for clinical and translational research,
has been broadened to serve a transinstitutional role. Its structure has
been transformed to foster interdisciplinary science from discovery of new
molecules through to the study of drug action in large populations. This
has been accomplished by developing interdisciplinary centers, related cores,
innovative interdisciplinary programs of research, and strategies to engage
and inform communities and their physicians. A particular emphasis has been
placed on training and innovative programs, which cover the entire career
span, engaging undergraduate students through to mature clinicians. The proposal
includes the flexible use of the MTR and new tracks in the Master in Clinical
Epidemiology (MSCE) with the M.D., Ph.D., V.M.D., M.S.N., D.M.D., and M.B.A.
degrees; the set-aside of places for medical school entrants pursuing M.D.-MTR/MSCE
degrees; and the flexible use of diverse faculty tracks at Penn and CHOP
to broaden physician engagement in research. These initiatives will be pursued
in partnership with industry (e.g., GSK, Oracle), the State of Pennsylvania
(BioAdvance), the FDA, and a national network of institutions holding CTSAs.
An elaborate and diversified approach to tracking the productivity of this
program has been developed and will be integrated into a national plan with
similar centers. In summary, this initiative has fostered: 1) an integrated
strategy to clinical and translational research by Penn, CHOP, the WI and
USP; and 2) the transformation of ITMAT. This will permit the development
of interdisciplinary structures designed to foster and facilitate research
and education in this emerging discipline.
Photo: Biomedical research
technician pipetting sample for translational therapeutic study at the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. (Photo
by Dan Naylor, courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine) - Download
Hi-Res (5.4MB JPG) Photo
The
Clinical and Translational Science Award was submitted jointly by the University
of Pennsylvania, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Wistar Institute,
and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. The CTSA grant will foster
research across the lifespan for many disorders, such as sleep disorders.
Photo: Caitlyn Regan, participating
in a sleep study at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's sleep lab,
with Carole Marcus, M.D.,co-principal investigator of the Clinical and
Translational Science Award, and Director of Children's Hospital's Sleep
Center and Robert Heinle, M.D., pulmonary fellow. (Photo
courtesy of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) - Download
Hi-Res (1.5MB JPG) Photo
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
Principal Investigator
Steven E. Reis, M.D.
Description:
As one of the nation's leading academic research centers, the University
of Pittsburgh has both an opportunity and an obligation to take the inherent
risks associated with reengineering a successful research enterprise and
to undertake a transformative initiative that will result in the development
and advancement of clinical and translational science as a distinct discipline
in western Pennsylvania. The university is committed to transforming its
culture, environment, and structure to achieve this goal by forming the Clinical
and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The CTSI will serve as the integrative
academic home for clinical and translational scientists across the university's
six health sciences schools; Carnegie Mellon University; the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)—one of the nation's largest and most
financially successful academic health care systems—and the region.
The CTSI's primary focus is to develop, nurture, and support a cadre of clinical
and translational scientists by building on the university's existing clinical
research training programs to establish a comprehensive program with activities
ranging from early research exposure for high school students to advanced
doctoral programs. Through "integration and innovation," the CTSI will excel
in the development of new biomedical knowledge and the translation of that
knowledge from the basic and preclinical research settings to individuals,
communities, and health practice. The Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh's
General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) and the four sites of the University
of Pittsburgh GCRC will be reengineered, integrated, and augmented by new
CTSI community-based and minority-health-focused centers to develop efficient,
accessible, and widely used participant and clinical interaction resources.
The CTSI Center for Clinical and Translational Informatics, which is developing
translational research informatics tools for the NCI Cancer Biomedical Informatics
Grid Initiative, will infuse informatics tools into the entire lifecycle
of clinical research studies and develop an online collaborative research
community. Innovative, interdisciplinary research initiatives will be developed
through the 10 CTSI resource cores, and translated to health practice via
a novel CTSI community partnership program and through centralization of
UPMC's extensive clinical networks. The resulting transformations in the
institution, scientists, research, and health practice will improve health
locally, regionally, and nationally.
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR
CTSI)
Principal Investigator
David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D.
Description:
The
University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR
CTSI) will be created as the academic home for clinical and translational
science, providing a centralized, integrated infrastructure. Under a system
of governance in which the UR CTSI program director has authority over space,
faculty, budgets, and other resources related to the CTSI, and in which much
of the current GCRC budget is distributed to CTSI in support of these key
functions, the university plans to transform the two distinct research fields
of clinical and translational science into a single new discipline. The goals
of this discipline include the creation of new knowledge and techniques to
diagnose, prevent, and treat human disease, and the establishment of an environment
that catalyzes their application to clinical practice in the community. To
achieve these goals, the university proposes specific aims involving: novel
methodologies; pilot studies; upgraded biomedical informatics, epidemiology,
research design, ethics, and regulatory support; community engagement; new
technology and resource cores; new educational and training programs; an
upstate New York consortium; and rigorous evaluation and measurement of performance
outcomes. Strategic planning for the UR CTSI has been underway for several
years. Evidence of institutional support includes commitment to a new 150,000-square-foot
Clinical and Translational Science Building (CTSB) in which faculty conducting
clinical and translational research will be brought together with students
and trainees in existing and new degree-granting programs; with supporting
regulatory and administrative functions; and with faculty working in collaborative
disciplines such as biostatistics, epidemiology, and biomedical informatics.
The director and co-directors of the UR CTSI will integrate the clinical
and translational science functions contained in the CTSB with those functions
located at other campus locations, such as functional genomics, other translational
resources, and the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC). As an integral
part of the CTSI, the GCRC will move into a newly-renovated 10,500-square-foot
facility across the street from the CTSB, with enhanced functionality and
subject access. As well, the UR CTSI will create two-way synergies with local
community groups such as the school system, faith community, businesses,
foundations, and other upstate New York institutions. Further, the UR CTSI
will enable the sharing of data across disciplines and across institutions
while ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of human subjects. In summary,
by coalescing and integrating new facilities with enhanced infrastructure,
community and state-wide partnerships, a strong foundation of existing research
and training, and a fundamentally reorganized administrative structure, the
CTSI will transform the conduct of clinical and translational science at
UR and contribute nationally to the forging of this new discipline.
Photo: John Treanor, M.D.,
professor of medicine and a director of the University of Rochester's
Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit, is a leading investigator of vaccines
for bird flu and other diseases. He also will be active in the Rochester
Clinical and Translational Research Institute. (Photo
courtesy of University of Rochester) - Download
Hi-Res (3.2MB JPG) Photo
University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston
Houston, TX
Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS)
Principal Investigator
David Dugald McPherson, M.D.
Description:
The
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H) proposes to
establish a Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) at the
Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston. Participating faculty and trainees
in the CCTS will include those from the UTHSC-H component degree-granting
schools, including its Medical School, School of Public Health, Graduate
School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Information Sciences, School
of Nursing, Dental Branch, and Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine
(IMM), as well as collaborating faculty/facilities The University of Texas
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), which also is located in the TMC. The
academic "home" for the CCTS will be in 11,422 square feet of newly renovated
space at the UT Medical School, which is physically joined to Memorial Hermann-Texas
Medical Center and serves as its partner and primary teaching hospital. The
CCTS "home" will administer all aspects of the CCTS; and provide space and
resources for faculty and trainees, along with expertise in study design,
biostatistics, regulatory issues, ethics, bioinformatics, funding of pilot
and feasibility studies, provision of resources, protected time for clinical
and translational faculty and trainees, and interactions/collaborations with
the various communities and industry. For participant and clinical interactions
resources (PCIR), the CCTS will subsume the UTHSC-H General Clinical Research
Center (GCRC) at Memorial Hermann, the satellite UTHSC-H GCRC at Brownsville,
Texas, and, in part, the MDACC Clinical and Translational Research Center,
to enhance research productivity and efficiency. In its educational component,
the CCTS will subsume, in part, the current Center for Clinical Research
and Evidence-Based Medicine, which has developed and currently provides formal
classes, mentoring, and a Master of Clinical Research (MCR) degree at UTHSC-H,
and an active NCRR K30 award at MDACC. Also proposed in the application is
a novel T32 application offering combinations of master's and doctoral degrees
in community health sciences, biomedical sciences and/or biomedical informatics—primarily
for pre-doctoral students—and a K12 application for post-doctoral trainees
and junior faculty. The CCTS also will subsume core translational laboratories,
including a genotyping/sequencing core, a biomarkers core offering DNA microarray,
RT-PCR and proteomics services, an immune monitoring core, an MRI core, and
a biobanking core. A CCTS "think tank" composed of highly accomplished translational
and clinical investigators, basic scientists and educators, and community
representatives, will come together as an "engine for innovation" to bring
forward and recommend the application of novel and emerging scientific information,
methods, and technologies to research into human health and diseases across
specialties, disciplines, and communities.
Photo: Dianna Milewicz, M.D.,
Ph.D., professor and director of medical genetics at The University of
Texas Medical School at Houston, directs research in the Genetics Core
Lab. The lab will help facilitate more rapid research results at UT-Houston's
Center for Clinical and Translations Sciences. (Photo
by Ester Fant, courtesy of The University of Texas Health Science Center
at Houston) - Download Hi-Res (1.7MB
JPG) Photo
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI)
Principal Investigator
Robert S. Sherwin, M.D.
Description:
The
Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI) was created to provide a "home" for
training the next generation of clinical investigators. Key programmatic
goals are to: 1) attract highly talented students and junior faculty across
medicine, nursing, public health, biological sciences, and biomedical engineering;
train them in the use of state-of-the-art research tools; give them the skills
to work within complex research teams; and support their professional development;
and 2) foster the translation of disease-related discoveries from the laboratory
into the community by: stimulating the creation of interdisciplinary teams;
making available state-of-the-art core facilities and expanded biostatistical
and bioinformatics resources; establishing organizational and regulatory
infrastructure for clinical studies; and forging a dynamic new partnership
that will integrate community leaders, physicians, and health centers. Participating
institutions include the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, the
Department of Biomedical Engineering, and graduate programs in biological
and biomedical sciences. The investigative medicine program (IMP) is central
to YCCI's education and training efforts. It is a unique doctoral program
that offers Ph.D. degrees in health sciences research to highly qualified
M.D. fellows embarking on careers in translational or clinical research.
IMP will be expanded with CTSA support to include nursing, public health,
biological sciences, and M.D.-Ph.D. students. YCCI has also created a Society
of YCCI Faculty Mentors who will participate actively in the training and
nurturing of the students and junior faculty members identified as YCCI Clinical
Scholars. Pilot and feasibility grants will be awarded for: 1) junior faculty;
2) interdisciplinary translational teams; 3) new technologies; and 4) community-based
projects. YCCI will cluster research cores around common themes, including:
imaging; specimen analysis; physiology; cognition and behavior; drug development;
and cell therapy. A new office of research services will provide facilities
for "one-stop" shopping for regulatory, biostatistical, bioinformatics, recruitment,
and other support services. YCCI will have an office to coordinate the university's
efforts to address health issues facing our community. The university's decision
to immediately provide substantial support to establish the YCCI reflects
its strong commitment to an innovative redesign of our clinical and translational
research activities.
Photo: Charles J. Lockwood,
M.D., chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at
Yale School of Medicine
,
consults with a patient on an ultrasound with Sifa Turan, former postdoctoral
fellow and sonographer at Yale Ob/Gyn. (Photo courtesy
of Yale University) - Download
Hi-Res (1.5MB JPG) Photo