Since 2010, the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) at UCI, a young public university that vigorously supports translational science, has transformed clinical research across our healthcare enterprise. We did so by breaking down traditional academic silos at our university, building robust partnerships in our diverse community, and engendering innovative projects throughout the CTSA Network. Strategies for the next phase of ICTS address significant challenges and unmet needs in healthcare regionally and nationally. Our plans, built on a strong record of accomplishment, include: 1. Workforce Development. We will launch a range of training opportunities that highlight diversity and accessibility, and create pathways to excellence and certification for all ICTS faculty, staff, partners, and trainees. Informatics and quality improvement through continuous learning will be embedded in all training activities. 2. Collaboration and engagement. We will implement training in team science, providing skills to incorporate the perspectives of key stakeholders in clinical research planning. Working with the NCATS Trial Innovation Network, we pilot-tested a Community Engagement Studio training module and will disseminate the program across the network. 3. Integration. To improve the reach of our clinical trials, we will activate UCI teams experienced in recruiting special populations, such as the homeless, babies and children, veterans, the elderly, and the Latino and Asian American communities in our region. Aided by a State of California $30 million infrastructure grant to improve access to health care for underserved children, we engaged national experts in learning health systems research (LHS). We will launch LHS projects on a) improving care for children with chronic diseases and complex conditions, and b) mitigating abuse in the elderly. 4. Methods and processes. We coalesced statistical personnel from across the university and will provide easily accessible consultation for both routine and complex study designs. Stemming from our funded CTSA collaboration innovation award, we will pilot test machine-language analytics for flow cytometry in clinical research and disseminate these approaches across the network. Building on UCI expertise, we will use the Optional Functions to: a) accelerate the use of robotics in rehabilitation for a wide range of diseases and injuries, and b) harness the unrealized potential of school-based physical fitness testing to advance health across the lifespan. 5. Informatics. Our informatics leaders will build research and training programs for a new Clinical Informatics Fellowship and develop clinical research tools for our recently deployed Epic EHR. 6. Diversity. In concert with UCI?s commitment to inclusion excellence, ICTS will build new pipeline programs to enhance learning, collaboration, and career opportunities in CTS for a diverse cohort of trainees. In summary, a major goal of our 3rd funding cycle is to partner with the 3.5 million people in our engaged and diverse communities. We will be a laboratory for translational science, integrating data gathering and evaluation to ?develop, demonstrate, and disseminate? novel research tools across the network.
Accelerating the pace of biomedical discovery and ensuring its application to improve human health is the main focus of ICTS. The goal of our center is to create teams of researchers, clinicians, patients, and community stakeholders poised to identify critical healthcare areas in need of innovation. We will transform clinical research in our region with novel training in collaborative team science; support for early phase basic and applied research; and by catalyzing partnerships with community and industry. We will link the creative energy of investigators at our Hub with the national network of CTSAs. As a result, potential advances in health will be studied in an environment of exceptional safety and quality, and reach the public as rapidly as possible.
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