The National institutes of Health's RFA for Clinical and Translational Science Awards has catalyzed the efforts of academic medical institutions to remove impediments to the translation of fundamental discoveries into better health for our citizens and rectify shortages within the clinical and translational workforce. This proposal of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin is tailored to the needs and resources of the biomedical enterprise In the region and offers a novel and transformative plan to achieve the above mentioned goals. Building on the long collaborative history among the major academic and healthcare institutions In our area, we have constructed a unique academic-community partnership comprised of the Medical College of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Froedtert Hospital, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Zablocki VA Medical Center and BloodCenter of Wisconsin, set in the milieu of a large urban community with remarkable ethnic and social diversity. Our proposal brings together the various resources of the partner institutions to identify and address the obstacles that impede the conduct of clinical and translational research in the region. The transforming environment of our CTSI focuses on the interdependency and interrelationship of our research teams and the relationship of the key functions to the rest of the CTSA in their integrating, enabling and effecting roles. To accomplish this transformation, we propose (and have begun to implement during the pre-award years) 1) To develop a distinct Academic Home for the discipline of clinical and translational science - the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) -which transcends intra-and inter-institutional barrier, empowers experienced leadership to have the authority and resources to promote, facilitate, coordinate and foster the continuum of translational research from bench to bedside (T1), to clinical practices (T2), and to our communities (T3); 2) To increase the number of investigators participating in clinical research through innovative programs within the CTSI; 3) To develop, align, and coordinate infrastructure across institutions to provide our scientists with the resources required for Clinical and Translational research; and 4) To engage clinical practices and the community in research h that enhances public health. Our Community Engagement program is an MCW strength. We will build on an existing network of the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program (HWPP) and expertise and resources of our partners in medical, biomedical engineering, dentistry, nursing, social sciences and allied health disciplines to implement novel community based (T3) research programs. We believe our CTSA model is transferable to other similarly-sized academic research communities across the country.
Better preventive measures, more accurate diagnostics, and more effective therapies are badly needed to improve the health of our citizens. This application provides a novel and comprehensive mechanism to address these needs through research and education. It creates a borderless, collaborative environment in SE Wisconsin for biomedical researchers, healthcare providers, educators, citizens, and industry to work together synergistically and translate the fundamental discoveries into better health for our citizens.
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