2007 Awardees
Georgia
Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Atlanta, Georgia
Principal Investigator
David S. Stephens, M.D., Emory University
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. (Emory University Photo)
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 already are partners in health care, 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 nonprofit 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, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Illinois
University of Chicago Institute for Translational Medicine
Chicago, Illinois
Principal Investigator
Julian Solway, M.D., University of Chicago
The ultimate goals of the University of Chicago (UC) 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 Argonne National Laboratory, the Illinois Institute of Technology 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.
Iowa
Institute for Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Principal Investigator
Gary E. Rosenthal, M.D., University of Iowa
Michael Hildebrand studying gene therapies for hearing loss. (University of Iowa Photo)
The Institute for Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Iowa 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 master's 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.
Maryland
Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Baltimore, Maryland
Principal Investigator
Daniel E. Ford, M.D., M.P.H., Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University students in a laboratory. (Johns Hopkins University Photo)
The new Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research synergizes 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 also will 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 used to create and support new research teams that span the translational pathway.
Michigan
Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Principal Investigator
Thomas P. Shanley, M.D., University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
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. (University of Michigan Photo)
The Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research creates partnerships among the relevant units of the university, NIH, external industry partners and the community. The overwhelming majority of University of Michigan (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 UM 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, and from staff to community members.
Missouri
Washington University in St. Louis Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences
St. Louis, Missouri
Principal Investigator
Bradley Evanoff, M.D., M.P.H., Washington University of St. Louis
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. (Washington University Photo)
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 (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; St. Louis College of Pharmacy; key organizations promoting community health; and 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.
New York
Clinical and Translational Science Center
New York, New York
Principal Investigator
Julianne L. Imperato-McGinley, M.D., Weill Cornell Medical College
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. (Weill Cornell Medical College Photo)
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 and translational research.
Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, the lead institution, serves as a 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 50 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.
Ohio
Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative
Cleveland, Ohio
Principal Investigator
Pamela B. Davis, M.D., Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University faculty and students have the opportunity to work collaboratively in research and academia with nearby institutions that are partners in the CTSC, including the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center and University Hospitals. (Case Western Reserve University Photo)
The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative, based at Case Western Reserve University, includes three hospital affiliates of the School of Medicine, the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and MetroHealth Medical Center. Together, these hospitals cover 90 percent of the medical care delivered in the seven-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 have become study sites in the CTSC. Together with the strong biomedical cores, the reach of these programs affords great opportunity for collaborative clinical research.
Tennessee
Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Nashville, Tennessee
Principal Investigator
Gordon R. Bernard, M.D., Vanderbilt University
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. (Vanderbilt University Photo)
The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) was 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 bidirectional 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 and expert biostatistics support.
The institute funds also are being used to support 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.
Texas
UT Southwestern Clinical and Translational Alliance for Research
Dallas, Texas
Principal Investigator
Robert D. Toto, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Dr. Robert Toto, associate dean for clinical and translational research at UT Southwestern Medical Center, is principal investigator for UT-STAR. (UT Southwestern Medical Center Photo)
The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center has established the UT Southwestern Clinical and Translational Alliance for Research (UT-STAR) supported by the NIH-sponsored Clinical and Translational Science Award. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has established the UT Southwestern Clinical and Translational Alliance for Research (UT-STAR) supported by the NIH-sponsored Clinical and Translational Science Award. UT-STAR provides the crucial infrastructure necessary for medical scientists to discover and apply new diagnostics and therapeutics for the detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. We focus on four major areas: 1) catalyzing research that leverages our strengths in biological sciences, 2) educating clinical investigators to perform cutting-edge clinical and translational research, 3) developing and implementing new research methods and technologies, and 4) engaging the community in improving the health of the population that we serve.
The Department of Clinical Sciences serves as the academic home for UT-STAR and is supported by faculty from UT Southwestern’s schools of allopathic and osteopathic medicine as well as from our partnering institutions’ schools of dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, public health, bioengineering and computer science. Overall, UT-STAR includes more than 200 established clinical and translational investigators, who act as faculty and mentors.
Existing infrastructure includes our Clinical and Translational Research Center, which has incorporated the Dallas Heart Study infrastructure and database, creating new blood and tissue biobanks; education programs for Clinical Research Scholars and M.Sc. degree candidates that include an innovative T1/Phase I trials training track and expanded instruction in comparative-effectiveness research (CER) and community engagement research; a Spanish-language validation service; T1 research funding pilot awards to develop novel translational diagnostics and therapeutics; an Advanced Imaging Research Center for T1 research; a large and medically diverse patient base; and the use of more than 85,000 square feet of space.
With the help of the CTSA and a strong institutional commitment, UT-STAR reduces many barriers to performing clinical and translational research through education, collaboration, research resource expansion, integration, and improved health care delivery to our community and region.
Washington
Institute of Translational Health Sciences
Seattle, Washington
Principal Investigator
Mary L. Disis, M.D., University of Washington
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. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer Photo/Paul Joseph Brown)
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 integrates 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 supports 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 guides, supports and facilitates 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.
Wisconsin
UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Madison, Wisconsin
Principal Investigator
Marc K. Drezner, M.D., University of Wisconsin - Madison
The University of Wisconsin - Madison, through its Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), addresses how to translate biomedical discoveries into practices that improve health. ICTR has taken 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 provides researchers with an array of tools and creates feedback systems to ensure that research is relevant and addresses the health care needs of populations in Wisconsin.
The institute serves as 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 are involved as are experts at academic campuses on all points of the Badger State compass. New and existing statewide partnerships have been enhanced. Physicians and public health workers in towns and communities throughout the state are essential players.
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