Advancing Opportunities for Ped. Research and the Role of CC-CHOC within NCATS

Kaskel, Frederick

Abstract

The Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA) and now the National Center for Translational Science (NCATS) has facilitated the restructuring of research and training across the multiple institutional sites. From its start in 2006, the NIH reauthorization act of 2006 explicitly stated that pediatric research was to be included in these efforts. In 2007, the Consortium of CTSAs (CC) established a Child Health Oversight Committee (CHOC) to build and oversee the priorities of the national pediatric research efforts. An integral part of the successful CHOC mission has been the establishment of an NIH-supported annual Face to Face (FTF) meeting preceding the annual Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting whose goals have been: 1) to bring lead pediatric CTSA institutional researchers together to share expertise that can be utilized at and across CTSA sites;2) to expand the reach of this expertise to a larger group of pediatric scientists attending the PAS meeting, many of whom belong to non-CTSA institutions and are also critical to child health research efforts;and 3) to provide a CTSA child health fellowship program aimed at fellows and junior faculty, that promotes multi-site collaboration in the explicit areas of research highlighted during each year of the annual PAS conference. """"""""Advancing Opportunities for Pediatric Research and the Role of CC-CHOC within NCATS"""""""" will continue with the original objectives to convene an annual FTF meeting that will occur in conjunction with the PAS annual meeting over the next three years. Lead child health CTSA researchers will share their expertise in order to build collaborations across both CTSA and non-CTSA sites. A CTSA child health research fellowship program aimed at trainees and early stage investigators, will promote the acquisition of core skills in the explicit thematic research during each year of the FTC meeting. The CTSA investigators will provide state of the art updates and applications in the major highlighted annual themes via an interactive workshop, symposia, and abstract session, with dedicated time set aside for mentoring the presentations and recognition of trainees and junior faculty. An ongoing annual program evaluation will be reviewed by the Organizing and Scientific Committees in order to assure a continued successful engagement of the scientific community attending the FTF and PAS meetings.

Public Health Relevance

Children's health research is unique in multiple ways and requires a special perspective and expertise. The Clinical Translational Science Award and the Child Health Oversight Committee, CC-CHOC provides the structure to train and promote research in child health by organizing an annual Face to Face program for trainees and junior investigators at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Scientific meeting. Funds are requested to provide support for these promising young investigators.