Biography

Jane C. Atkinson, D.D.S., is the senior scientific program manager in the Office of the Director within NCATS’ Division of Clinical Innovation (DCI), where she provides part-time support to the Trial Innovation Network and the DCI. She is the former director of the Trial Innovation Network, which is a collaborative initiative within the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program. The network is composed of three key organizational partners: the Trial Innovation Centers, the Recruitment Innovation Center and the CTSA Program institutions.

Prior to joining NCATS in 2017, Atkinson held several positions at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). She began her career with a fellowship in clinical research and oral medicine in the NIDCR Intramural Program and in time became an associate or principal investigator for several studies of individuals with salivary gland dysfunction or oral mucosal diseases. She also was a staff dentist at the NIH Clinical Center. From 2000 to 2004, Atkinson served as professor and assistant dean for clinical affairs at the University of Maryland’s Baltimore College of Dental Surgery. In 2004, she returned to the NIDCR Intramural Program to serve as deputy clinical director, and in 2008, she moved to the Division of Extramural Research to serve as the director of clinical research — a position she maintained until she joined NCATS.

Atkinson has served on several trans-NIH committees, working groups and teams, including as co-chair of the clinical pain management group of the Helping to End Addiction Long-term℠ Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative℠, co-chair committee; the NIH Coordinating Committee on Research on Women’s Health; the NIH Clinical Trials Stewardship Working Group; the NIH Inclusion Governance Committee; and the All of Us NIH Liaisons Coordination Team.

Atkinson received her D.D.S. from the University of Missouri–Kansas City prior to her fellowship at NIDCR. She is board-certified in oral medicine.

Research Topics

Atkinson’s research interests focus on Sjögren’s syndrome, the oral health of cancer patients, the oral manifestations of rare genetic diseases and improving the quality of clinical trials.