DAta | National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

ID	Title	Body
259	University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research	Madison, Wisconsin Principal Investigator Marc K. Drezner, M.D., University of Wisconsin–Madison Website The University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (UW ICTR) is a partnership of five academic entities at the UW-Madison campus (Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine, and the College of Engineering) and the Marshfield Clinic, a large private-practice medical group in northern Wisconsin. UW ICTR is affiliated with a numerous academic centers and institutes in Madison, and with clinical centers and practice networks throughout the state. Through associations with the UW-Madison Collaborative Center for Health Equity, the Wisconsin Research and Education Network, the Wisconsin Network for Health Research, and the Health Innovation Program, among others, UW ICTR focuses on research and programs to translate biomedical discoveries into practices that improve health. UW ICTR has an active research and career development program dedicated to producing interdisciplinary research scientists who can address health problems along a continuum – from basic laboratory investigations, through clinical trials in patients, and into the health care of Wisconsin populations. In addition, the Institute strives to provide researchers with an array of funding programs, tools and infrastructure to enhance research relevant to the health care needs of Wisconsin communities.
258	University of Washington Institute of Translational Health Sciences	Seattle, Washington Principal Investigator Mary L. Disis, M.D., University of Washington Website 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 Program hub 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.
257	University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science	Salt Lake City, Utah Principal Investigators Carrie L. Byington, M.D., University of Utah Willard H. Dere, M.D., F.A.C.P., University of Utah Website The University of Utah's Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) provides support for all aspects of clinical and translational research, from basic science investigation to studies on implementing research findings in clinical practice. The CCTS builds on the University's historic strengths in genetics and bioinformatics and in developing new approaches to the process of clinical investigation. The CCTS aims to: Provide resources and services to increase the quality, quantity, safety, efficiency and impact of translational research for all conditions. Train, mentor and support the next generation of translational investigators to become principal investigators by offering courses leading to the degree of Master of Science in Clinical Investigation and supporting junior faculty through a KL2 program. Engage in a process of continuous evaluation, improvement and innovation in all of these areas. The CCTS maintains an inpatient research unit that has been supported by NIH for 50 years, a statistics consultation and support service, initiatives to engage the people of Utah in translational research, and systems for maintaining research data securely with a guarantee of privacy for research subjects. The CCTS will provide special expertise to the national CTSA Consortium in the areas of human genetics, correlation of genetic makeup with disease states, health services research including comparative effectiveness, medical device innovation, and the development of electronic health records as tools for medical care and research.
256	University of Texas Southwestern Center for Translational Medicine	Dallas, Texas Principal Investigator Robert D. Toto, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Website Support for clinical and translational research at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern’s Center for Translational Medicine has led to many successful pilot grant awards and programs in education and training, biomedical informatics, biostatistics, population research, community health sciences, and patient-centered outcomes research. UT Southwestern has invested in clinical and translational research by recruiting new researchers into leadership positions; creating a new research institute that focuses on stem cell biology and cancer; and expanding work in the cutting-edge fields of genomics, metabolomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and systems biology. To more quickly translate new discoveries into clinical practice, UT Southwestern will draw on its scientific strengths and centralized resources to encourage collaborative research. The Center aims to: Promote a research-minded culture among faculty, trainees, and healthcare personnel. Improve efficiency and quality of clinical and translational research and integrate translational science across multiple sciences and disciplines. Provide new translational technologies and develop innovative solutions to advance clinical and translational research. Develop an expanded registry of potential research subjects and develop and disseminate best practices for successful recruitment. Educate, train, develop the careers of, and promote diversity within the clinical and translational science workforce. The Center’s programs enable investigators to discover, demonstrate and disseminate knowledge to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat disease.
255	University of Texas Medical Branch Institute for Translational Sciences	Galveston, Texas Principal Investigator Allan R. Brasier, M.D., University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Website As the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB)’s home for clinical and translational research, the Institute for Translational Sciences (ITS) is transforming the academic research culture to one that applies interdisciplinary team approaches to reduce the burden of disease. The ITS includes 17 multidisciplinary teams formed around a diversity of topics, including phenotypes of severe asthma, burn injuries and the hypermetabolic response. With these teams as a focal point for innovation in both research and education, ITS develops, evaluates and disseminates best practices for novel training and leadership programs in translational science. Since first receiving a Clinical and Translational Science Award in 2009, the ITS has collaborated with national and regional consortia to accelerate discoveries toward better health through scientific discovery, novel education programs and research in special populations. The ITS currently is advancing translation by training a diverse workforce, engaging stakeholders and integrating quality control/quality assurance systems. Over the next five years, the ITS and its partners will develop and apply innovation initiatives and continuous improvement systems to: Expand the success of its multidisciplinary research teams, Enhance education in translation and team leadership, Address cultural barriers to translation, and Improve health outcomes in communities. The ITS also will focus on enhanced technology commercialization using an Insight Workgroup Model developed through collaboration with UTMB’s Center for Addiction Research, Office of Technology Transfer and Center for Biomedical Engineering.
254	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science	San Antonio, Texas Principal Investigators Robert A. Clark, M.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Donald M. Dougherty, Ph.D., M.S., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Kenneth M. Hargreaves, D.D.S., Ph.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Paula K. Shireman, M.D., M.S., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Website The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio established the Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science (IIMS) in 2006 to improve health and reduce regional disparities by speeding scientific discoveries and applications across the translational research spectrum. IIMS focuses on prevalent challenges in South Texas, including the health needs of an underserved Hispanic population, health issues facing active-duty military and veteran populations, and limitations in the translational science workforce. South Texas encompasses 38 counties, including the U.S.-Mexico border region, in an area the size of Ohio. IIMS has expanded the number of clinical research units that extend to the border, increased the number of Practice-Based Research Networks that focus on diverse outpatient populations, and established new joint translational science doctoral and certificate programs. IIMS also developed a robust translational pilot grant program, shared among its partners, with a remarkable 15-to-1 return on investment. IIMS aims to: Speed innovation and effective team science along the entire clinical and translational research spectrum by providing an academic home that is integrated with strategic partner institutions. Expand, diversify and enhance the workforce of interdisciplinary translational biomedical scientists. Continuously evaluate services, increase efficiencies, improve processes and reduce costs across all IIMS programs. These strategies will encourage clinical and translational science evolution, bring together research teams, and support programs that produce creative, collaborative and culturally diverse scientists.
253	University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences	Houston, Texas Principal InvestigatorDavid D. McPherson, M.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Website The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H) has established a Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) at the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston. Participating faculty and trainees in CCTS 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, as well as collaborating faculty/facilities of The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), which also is located in the TMC. The academic home for CCTS is housed in 11,422 square feet of recently 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 administers all aspects of CCTS and provides 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, CCTS has subsumed 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, CCTS has subsumed, 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 degree at UTHSC-H, and an active K30 award at MDACC. Also proposed in the original application was 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. CCTS also has subsumed 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 has 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.
252	University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Institute	Rochester, New York Principal InvestigatorsKarl Kieburtz, M.D., M.P.H., University of Rochester Medical CenterNancy Bennett, M.D., University of Rochester Medical CenterMartin Zand, M.D., Ph.D., University of Rochester Medical Center Website The University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), funded through the Clinical and Translational Science Award program, serves as the academic home for clinical and translational science at the university. The CTSI acts as a hub, integrating clinical and translational science programs and related academic departments with four affiliated URMC research centers, namely the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics, the Clinical Research Center, the Center for Research Implementation and Translation, and the Center for Community Health. Since its inception in 2006, the CTSI has achieved many noteworthy accomplishments: Created and supports the UNYTE Translational Research Network made up of 18 biomedical research institutions in and near Upstate New York. Among other things, UNYTE implemented a model for collaborative Institutional Review Board review of multisite protocols to accelerate the approval time for research studies conducted within the network. Established a Research Navigator program to facilitate, accelerate and improve collaboration in clinical and translational research within the URMC, across the UNYTE network, and throughout the CTSA Consortium. Initiated and supports the Greater Rochester Practice-Based Research Network, which consists of 85 pediatric, internal medicine and family medicine practices that serve 30 percent of the adult and 80 percent of the pediatric population in the region. Created an innovative new Ph.D. program to prepare individuals for academic and clinical careers related to the translation of basic biomedical research into clinical strategies to improve health.
251	University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Principal InvestigatorSteven E. Reis, M.D., University of Pittsburgh Website As one of the nation's leading academic research centers, the University of Pittsburgh has embraced the opportunity and obligation to take the inherent risks associated with reengineering a successful research enterprise and to undertake a transformative initiative, resulting in the development and advancement of clinical and translational science as a distinct discipline in western Pennsylvania. The university demonstrated its commitment to transforming its culture, environment and structure to achieve this goal by forming the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The CTSI serves 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) and the region. CTSI focuses primarily on developing, nurturing and supporting 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, CTSI excels 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 CTSI Center for Clinical and Translational Informatics, which is developing translational research informatics tools for the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid initiative, infuses informatics tools into the entire lifecycle of clinical research studies and has developed an online collaborative research community. Innovative, interdisciplinary research initiatives have been 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 has improved health locally, regionally and nationally.
250	University of Pennsylvania Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Principal Investigator Garret FitzGerald, M.D., University of Pennsylvania Website The Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program has been greeted enthusiastically by the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and its partner institutions. The Penn-led proposal was funded in the first round of CTSA Program hubs, and Penn has just completed its renewal. The overarching themes of the Penn proposal are: 1) fostering the development of translational therapeutics and 2) bridging the artificial divide between pediatric and adult physiology and disease. A strategic plan had identified clinical and translational research as a priority, leading to the formation of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT) in January 2005. ITMAT anticipated many aspects of the CTSA Program — among them, inclusion of dedicated “dry” and “wet” bench space for translational research and a robust educational program, configured on a Master in Translational Research (MTR). This CTSA Program application prompted intra- and interinstitutional 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 9 of the 12 schools at Penn and from the partner institutions are represented in leadership roles. 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; dedicated slots 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, the State of Pennsylvania, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and a national network of CTSA Program hubs. Specifically, Penn and the FDA signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue jointly educational and programmatic initiatives in the area of translational therapeutics under the guidance of ITMAT. In summary, this initiative has fostered: An integrated strategy to develop clinical and translational research by Penn, CHOP, the WI and USP — more than 900 investigators from these institutions are now members of ITMAT; and The transformation and expansion of ITMAT. This has permitted the development of interdisciplinary structures designed to foster and facilitate research and education in this emerging discipline.

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