The past decade has witnessed remarkable advances in basic science research, genetics and informational technologies, but to date the potential of these breakthrough advances have not been translated into major innovations in health care. Consequently the NIH has issued the Clinical &Translational Science Award Program, which is seeking to re-engineer the national clinical research enterprise by challenging medical institutions to develop innovative, integrated programs that will engage the public, improve the speed and efficiency of clinical research and educate and train the next generation of clinical investigators. In the past 5 months, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine has launched a strategic plan of """"""""focused growth,"""""""" which will include the construction of a new translational research building, the hiring of 130 new faculty members, and the development of an Institute for Translational Research, Education and Advanced Therapeutics that will alter the research culture at Mount Sinai and greatly facilitate translational research at Mount Sinai. ? ? The major goal of this CTSA Planning Grant is to supplement the large institutional commitment to translational research and enable us to survey current resources and expertise, formulate the infrastructure, governance and oversight of the proposed Institute, identify and initiate institutional changes necessary to facilitate translational research, establish a postgraduate training program in clinical and translational research that will attract, educate, mentor, and retain clinical investigators of the future, and integrate the clinical research enterprise with our partnering institutions and the local community. This will be accomplished by: 1) structuring the governance and administration of the Institute to enhance integration, eliminate administrative redundancies, and provide appropriate oversight and review within the Institute, Mount Sinai, Pace University, Lehman and Hunter Colleges and our affiliated institutions; 2) defining the infrastructure and governance for a Center for Clinical Research, which will provide facilities, supportive personnel, regulatory and trial management support, and community outreach programs to facilitate involvement and satisfaction with clinical research and to disseminate results; 3) establish a structured multi-disciplinary, doctoral degree-granting program in clinical and translational research with a robust mentoring and review system; and 4) defining the optimal resources, faculty members recruits, infrastructure, governance and technology transfer for generating the emerging technologies and therapeutics of the future. This Institute will provide access to breakthrough technologies and supportive resources and personnel to expedite translational research. ? ? ?
