Recent advances in imaging, genomics, proteomics, and in other biomedical technologies have greatly enhanced our understanding of health and disease. If we are to meet the promise of improvements in health care that our knowledge allows, however, we must reconfigure research-based institutions to emphasize an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to clinical and translational research. Investigators at Dartmouth Medical School have begun to transform their approach to clinical and translational research. Inline with the goals of the RFA RM-06-011, entitled """"""""Planning Grants for Institutional Science Awards (CTSA)"""""""", we seek to initiate a planning process to design a CTSA at Dartmouth. This planning process will capitalize on our recent accomplishments and lead toward a re-engineering of our administrative structures, our educational programs, and our research activities in order to optimize clinical and translational science at Dartmouth. We will focus our efforts toward: elucidating disease pathophysiology; developing novel interventions and innovative approaches to clinical trials; evaluating interventions in clinical practice; and assuring maximum impact of clinical and translational science on health and health care delivery. Through the planning process, we will optimize utilization of current resources, define organizational, educational, and research needs, and work toward establishing Dartmouth as a major national site for clinical and translational science. ? ? Our Specific Aims for this planning grant are: (1) to organize a rigorous, multi-level planning process to create the partnerships, organizational structure, and resources to transform the way we teach, conduct and integrate clinical and translational research at Dartmouth; and (2) to be prepared, by the end of this planning process to submit an application to the NIH for a mature Dartmouth CTSA. ? ? ?
