Temple University is a university research center with a strong institutional commitment for high quality basic science and patient-oriented clinical research. This commitment is evident through its ongoing support of education, training, and research. Temple University has the elements needed for a Center for Clinical Research and Translational Science. To enhance translational research, Temple University needs to build upon and interrelate its basic science strengths, its clinical strengths, and its educational programs with the unique urban patient population that Temple University serves having a high prevalence of low income, minority ethnic groups. ? ? The overall aims of the planning grant are threefold. First, to start several initiatives to further enhance and encourage multidisciplinary clinical and translational research at Temple University. Second, to formalize a new Temple University Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences. Third, to develop a competitive proposal from Temple University for a future NIH Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). During the period provided by this planning grant award, Temple University will: 1) Survey and organize our resources in graduate education, postdoctoral and fellowship training, research laboratory facilities, and investigator's areas of expertise; 2) Explore our immediate and future needs in basic science, clinical, and translational research; 3) Encourage investigators in clinical and translational research and collaborative multidisciplinary research by having conferences and starting a newsletter on clinical and translational research to further inform the faculty and investigators about ongoing research projects, shared research equipment, improvements to the research infrastructure and opportunities for collaborative translational research; 4)Conceptualize the physical and personnel infrastructure to create a Center for Clinical Research and Translational Sciences structured to encourage multidisciplinary research; 5) Establish the foundation for the CTSA application - developing a comprehensive plan for the content, governance, administration and evaluation of a CTSA and discussing the organizational and cultural changes needed for its implementation to advance education, training, and research in clinical and basic sciences. ? ? The Center will provide an academic home to enhance clinical and translational science, increase the efficiency of clinical research, train future clinical and translational scientists, and foster career development of clinical and translational scientists. This Center of Clinical Research and Translational Sciences will help to encourage the advances in biomedical sciences to be translated to patient-oriented research. The Center will provide the clinical research resources needed and take advantage of Temple University's location in an urban area serving a population with a high prevalence of minority ethnic groups, obesity, diabetes, pulmonary and cardiovascular disorders. ? ? ?
