2010 Awardees
California
University of California, Irvine Institute for Clinical and Translational Science
Irvine, California
Principal Investigator
Dan M. Cooper, M.D., University of California, Irvine
ICTS is dedicated to innovation in clinical science. In this photograph, ICTS Research Nurse Connie Parido is drawing blood in a regional middle school as part of an NIH-funded research effort to reduce obesity in children at high-risk for developing type 2 diabetes. (Paul R. Kennedy Photo)
The University of California, Irvine (UCI) Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) is designed to identify, test and implement innovative ways to break down barriers that impede biomedical discovery. The overarching vision of ICTS is to: 1) Nurture novel collaborations by building multidisciplinary research teams, such as chemists and clinicians exploring breath biomarkers in the human “ventilome.” ICTS experts in team science will work with investigators to identify and remove obstacles to successful collaboration. 2) Create new research tools by assessing new technologies for clinical investigators including iophotonics and microdevices, ubiquitous computing for field research, approaches for qualitative and comparative-effectiveness research, and metrics of human performance that link genomic information with dynamic disease phenotypes. 3) Share information by bringing together clinicians, hospital information technology staff and UCI scholars in the Center for Biomedical Informatics. Infrastructure for clinical data interoperability is embedded in the data warehouse. 4) Engage our community by championing new approaches such as PEER (Participant Experience Enhancement in Research), a program that views research volunteers as partners in the process of discovery. Research outreach and dissemination activities are targeted to a variety of timely health care issues, such as mitigating elder abuse and preventing sudden death in pediatric athletes. 5) Training clinical and translational researchers by sponsoring Crossing Boundaries, a set of degree and certificate programs along with mentorship interaction that tackles key issues in translational science.
Finally, UCI is working with regional academic centers to actualize the CTSA vision of collaborative translational science throughout Southern California.
UC San Diego Clinical Translational Research Institute
La Jolla, California
Principal Investigator
Gary Steven Firestein, M.D., University of California, San Diego
Victor Nizet, M.D., chief of the division of pediatric pharmacy and drug discovery at the UCSD School of Medicine department of pediatrics and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, analyzes a gel related to a novel target for treatment of MRSA and anthrax infections with post-doctoral fellow Shauna McGillivray. (UCSD Photo)
The goals of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI) are to: 1) provide an academic home for the discipline of clinical and translational science; 2) establish an integrated educational pipeline to train and support clinical and translational scientists; 3) develop a robust clinical research infrastructure that replaces silos with integrated research; 4) enhance bioinformatics capabilities that leverage unique UCSD resources; 5) develop novel technologies to improve research, such as biomarker and imaging; 6) form a Translational Research Alliance with research institutes and industry; and 7) form a Community Alliance with community physicians and the general public to translate scientific discoveries into best practices, increase research into health care disparities and involve the general public in biomedical science.
CTRI will transform education in clinical and translational science by coordinating disparate programs, providing breadth of education from high school through predoctoral students and providing training to postdoctoral fellows and faculty. The institute also will transform the conduct of clinical research by providing guidance and support from initial planning through data analysis and sharing. The new structure will foster development of novel technologies to facilitate clinical research and provide support for the services and resources necessary to conduct clinical investigation and improve health. CTRI will place a special emphasis on several areas of strength, such as imaging, biomarkers, community outreach and the translation of basic science discoveries to clinical science.
Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Los Angeles, California
Principal Investigator
Thomas A. Buchanan, M.D., University of Southern California
Thomas A. Buchanan, M.D., administers a bone density scan. Dr. Buchanan is associate dean for clinical research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), and principal investigator and director of the Los Angeles Basin Clinical and Translational Science Institute. (Phil Channing Photo)
The vision of the Southern California Basin Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is to improve the health of the diverse and underserved population of urban Los Angeles and gain knowledge to improve health in urban settings and large cities across the globe. There are four main goals for the CTSI: 1) to build on many independent strengths to create an integrated academic home that places a high priority on clinical and translational science, 2) to create new translational research teams and conduct projects that leverage the unique populations and partnerships to address the best scientific opportunities and most important health priorities of the local communities, 3) to transform education and training to create a core group of people with a major career focus on clinical and translational research, and 4) to implement and disseminate the findings to improve health in Los Angeles communities and advance translational research through regional and national networks and collaborations.
To achieve these goals, CTSI is creating: 1) outstanding resources for active development of new research projects and teams; 2) a robust infrastructure to promote and support basic, clinical and community research; 3) cutting-edge methodologies for data acquisition, integration, management and analysis; 4) integrated training of basic, clinical and community researchers using distance education and a focus on research for the diverse communities; 5) a novel approach to sharing its findings using professional communications expertise; and 6) a professional evaluation group to track and evaluate the progress and impact.
District of Columbia
Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children's National
Washington, District of Columbia
Principal Investigator
Lisa M. Guay-Woodford, M.D., Children's National Medical Center
Lisa Guay-Woodford, M.D., principal investigator at the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children’s National, talks with patient Michael Lewis during his visit to the Clinical Research Center. Lewis has mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (Morquio A syndrome).(Stephen Bobb Photo/Paula Darte)
The Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children's National (CTSI-CN) offers a unique set of resources in translating discovery to improved health. CTSI-CN provides highly integrated, cost-effective, investigator-focused resources designed to overcome research barriers, promote collaborative research and provide research training in the area of children's health. With an emphasis on health disparities and childhood antecedents to adult diseases, this center builds upon its pediatric research strengths in areas such as rare diseases, asthma and neurodevelopmental disabilities to collaborate with a national network of 1,200 community health centers.
The specific objectives of CTSI-CN are to: 1) provide state-of-the-art, flexible resources required by clinical and translational researchers, 2) promote multidisciplinary clinical and translational research (CTR), 3) strengthen CTR education and training for diverse trainees at all stages of career development, 4) promote demographic diversity and address health disparities, 5) incorporate effective and sustained collaboration with community partners, 6) ensure research efficiency, and 7) establish bidirectional collaborations with the CTSA network. CTSI-CN lends its unique perspective on pediatric health issues and urban health disparities to the already distinguished members of the CTSA network.
Some key features of CTSI-CN are to expand CTR education and training, making it available from high school through mid-career, encourage community-based research at diverse locations, and overcome gaps in innovative research methodologies to support research.
Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science
Washington, District of Columbia
Principal Investigators
Joseph G. Verbalis, M.D., Georgetown University
Thomas A. Mellman, M.D., Howard University
Thomas Mellman of Howard University and Joseph Verbalis of Georgetown University (right) share leadership of the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science. (Georgetown University Photo)
The Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science (GHUCCTS) is a collaborative research center that includes two major universities and three affiliated hospital and research systems.
The specific aims of GHUCCTS are to accelerate improvements in human health by stimulating innovative, multidisciplinary and cross-institutional research among GHUCCTS investigators; to support the careers of clinical and translational investigators through a variety of educational programs paired with focused mentorship; and to enhance local and national clinical and translational research in underserved populations, including minorities, the elderly and those with disabilities.
To accomplish these aims, the GHUCCTS team integrates existing research and training programs with an innovative infrastructure to enhance practice-, laboratory- and community-based clinical and translational research. GHUCCTS includes a coordinated multi-institutional biomedical informatics infrastructure, an expanded clinical research operation with new community-based clinical research units, a new community engagement resource to support and enhance community-based research, and expanded resources in regulatory knowledge and ethics. GHUCCTS also supports collaborative research projects, using the supercomputing and translational tools of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to explore and develop novel translational methodologies.
Resource integration across the GHUCCTS institutions is accompanied by a joint research education, training and career development program, including new master's degree and scholars' programs in clinical and translational science. GHUCCTS multidisciplinary and cross-institutional research enables the Washington, D.C., community to benefit from the generation and application of new discoveries in clinical and translational science.
Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts Center for Clinical and Translational Science
Worcester, Massachusetts
Principal Investigator
John Lewis Sullivan, M.D., University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester
Drs. Thomas Mayer, Craig Lilly and Joanne Meisner stand in front of a robotic, liquid-handling instrument used to isolate plasma, DNA and RNA from volunteer blood samples in the Biorepository Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts. (University of Massachusetts Medical School Photo)
The University of Massachusetts Center for Clinical and Translational Science, housed within the only public medical school in Massachusetts, transformed the conduct of clinical and translational research by providing an academic home for all university bench-to-bedside-to-population investigators. By recruiting leaders and establishing innovative research core facilities, we aim to: 1) accelerate early phase translational studies and develop new therapies, devices and interventions based upon UMass discoveries; 2) integrate unique networks of clinical research and health care delivery in Central New England and Massachusetts to build and expand clinical effectiveness research and implementation research capacity and enhance patient and community outreach and participation in clinical/population-based research; 3) work collaboratively with all campuses and schools of the UMass system in developing programs, curricula and faculty support systems that promote careers in clinical and translational research.
The university has established the UMass Advanced Therapeutics Cluster (UMATC), which includes the RNA Therapeutics Institute, the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and the Gene Therapy Center. UMATC joins the Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories, Meyers Primary Care Institute and Commonwealth Medicine to speed discoveries in clinical and translational research.
New Mexico
The University of New Mexico Clinical and Translational Science Center
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Principal Investigator
Richard S. Larson, M.D., Ph.D., University of New Mexico
A nurse practitioner meets with a patient and his mother at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. (University of New Mexico Photo)
The vision of the Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) at the University of the New Mexico (UNM) Health Sciences Center is to continue expanding and refining a transformative, novel academic home for essential clinical and translational health sciences discovery in New Mexico and the Mountain West region.
The UNM CTSC will integrate the efforts of community leaders and clinicians; basic, clinical and translational investigators; health care and research collaborators; and industry partners to advance meaningful human health discovery, and accelerate its applications in New Mexico communities.
With its numerous, diverse partners in New Mexico and the Mountain West region, CTSC has the expertise, infrastructure and resources to: 1) synergize multidisciplinary clinical and translational research to catalyze the application of new knowledge and techniques on the patient-care front lines; 2) recruit, train and advance talented, highly skilled investigators and research teams strong in cultural sensitivity, health disparity and biotechnology; 3) create an incubator for innovative research, information technologies and research informatics; and 4) expand existing partnerships between UNM Health Sciences Center researchers, practicing clinicians and communities to speed the development of medical research.
Virginia
VCU Center for Clinical and Translational Research
Richmond, Virginia
Principal Investigator
John N. Clore, M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University
John N. Clore, professor of medicine and associate vice president for clinical research, speaks with patient Colleen A. Thoma, as she undergoes a test to monitor brain wave activity. (Virginia Commonwealth University Photo/Tom Kojcsich)
Effective delivery of research that moves from the bench to the bedside to the community requires a transformation of research practice at every level. To accomplish this, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has established the VCU Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR), a comprehensive matrix center that supports VCU's efforts to strengthen ties with affiliates and community partners to better share resources and respond to community health needs. CCTR facilitates new partnerships and initiatives, extending the university's research base of federal, private and industry sponsors. Combining VCU's existing resources with those of the CTSA award, CCTR supports novel research methods in three areas of strength: substance abuse, women's health and rehabilitation science; pilot funds support innovation and community engagement research in these areas. Through CCTR, researchers benefit from centralized management, web-based data sharing, training and access to a rich array of resources, including biostatistics, ethics, research study and regulatory support. In addition, students can pursue a transdisciplinary education through the center's M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs in clinical and translational science.
Wisconsin
Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Principal Investigator
Reza Shaker, M.D., Medical College of Wisconsin
Kathleen Schmainda, Ph.D., professor of radiology and biophysics, utilizes MRI methods capable of measuring the micromolecular movement of tissue water (i.e., diffusion) to demonstrate the potential to track tumor progression and, possibly, invasion. She is seen mentoring Melissa Wagner Schuman, graduate student in the Medical Scientist Training Program. Inset -- Diffusion Tensor Imaging, MRI of white matter tracts. (Mark Dersen Photo)
The goal of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is to create a borderless, collaborative environment for biomedical researchers, health care providers, educators, citizens and industry to work together synergistically and translate discoveries into better health for our citizens. CTSI has constructed a unique academic community partnership, building on the long collaborative history among the major academic and health care institutions in Wisconsin.
To accomplish this transformation, CTSI is: 1) developing a distinct academic home for the discipline of clinical and translational science, which transcends intra- and interinstitutional barriers and empowers experienced leadership to have the authority and resources to promote, facilitate, coordinate and foster the continuum of translational research from bench to bedside, to clinical practices, and to our communities; 2) increasing the number of investigators participating in clinical research through innovative programs; and 3) engaging clinical practices and the community in research that enhances public health. To train clinicians and basic scientists in the emerging discipline of clinical and translational science, CTSI has launched a Ph.D. program in basic and translational research and a Master of Science degree in clinical and translational science and is developing a Ph.D. program in Clinical and Translational Health Sciences for health professionals.
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