News
CTSA Program Communications Guidance Document
Learn about the different avenues for sharing, submitting and amplifying CTSA Program-related communications by both NCATS and CLIC
Submit a CTSA Program WOW! Factor Story to NCATS
Share impactful stories that illustrate how the CTSA Program is successful in improving the translational science process and public health
CTSA Program Twitter Channel
Keep up-to-date on what is happening in the consortium
March 02, 2021Researchers like Susan Mohammed study the formation and functioning of teams, a field called team science. Team science is essential because understanding team dynamics strengthens team member unity. The application of team science tools and techniques builds strong team foundations for success. Mohammed, a professor of psychology, provides team science consultations to Penn State research teams
March 02, 2021Several University of Illinois Chicago faculty members have addressed the issue of how to ethically conduct research with Black populations. In their paper “Ethics of Research at the Intersection of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter: A Call to Action,” authors Natasha Crooks, an assistant professor, Phoenix Matthews, a professor, both of the UIC College of Nursing, and Geri Donenberg, director of
March 01, 2021The Cohort Exploration Dashboard is now available on the home page of the N3C website. This easy access dashboard displays high-level information from the N3C Data Enclave to showcase harmonized metrics from electronic health records of institutions across the country. You can view geographical locations of contributing sites and distributions across age and sex, race and ethnicity, and
March 01, 2021Look for the big gold “Ask N3C” button on the far right-hand side of the N3C homepage for full support of all your questions and requests. N3C provides support for ALL types of questions, including account issues, Data Use Request (DUR) status, synthetic data questions, publication submissions, meeting changes, Domain Team support, and so much more! Please submit a ticket for the most expedient
March 01, 2021Virginia Commonwealth University Wright Center Translational Scholar Caitlin Martin, M.D., MPH, joined one of her patients, Nichole Hollie, for a conversation about addiction treatment and recovery in February. Hollie sought care at VCU Health’s OB MOTIVATE Clinic, designed for women to address substance use disorders before, during and after pregnancy. Martin was her provider. “The care I
February 26, 2021Oanh Meyer, assistant professor of neurology at UC Davis School of Medicine, has a long history of working with the Asian American communities in Sacramento on mental health and Alzheimer’s disease issues. With her team in the Diversity and Disparities Lab, she engages in community outreach efforts to better understand and fight health disparities. In her line of work, she has seen a great need in
February 26, 2021The CTRFP is the largest internal grant funding program of the ICTS. Applicants are required to submit proposals for projects that promote the translation of scientific discoveries into improvements in human health. For 2021, awards were considered across three project categories: clinical/translational, community-engaged research, and biostatistics, epidemiology, and research design.
February 25, 2021Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute released the latest episode of its Engage Podcast featuring research into the use of saliva to diagnose medical conditions. Dr. Steve Hicks, an associate professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, discusses his work into the use of saliva to diagnose concussion, autism, and COVID-19 severity in children. These tests provide an
February 25, 2021The SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus behind the current pandemic, infects humans by binding its surface-exposed spike proteins to ACE2 receptors exposed on the cell membranes. Upon a vaccination or a real infection, it takes several weeks before the immunity develops antibodies that can selectively bind to these spike proteins. Such antibody-labeled viruses are neutralized by the natural killer and
February 22, 2021“The only way forward is to control this by vaccination.” — William Powderly, MD, Director, Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences
February 22, 2021They say necessity is the mother of invention. In terms of healthcare, one of the most remarkable inventions begat by the pandemic is something called the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C). The vision of the scientists and researchers behind the N3C is to turn massive amounts of already available data into new knowledge urgently needed to study COVID-19 and identify potential treatments
February 22, 2021Manipulating the production of new neurons can improve cognition in animal models of the disease, raising the possibility that figuring out a way for humans to make more neurons could make a difference for people with dementia. Abby Olena, The Scientist Charlie Arber, a stem cell biologist at University College London, works with induced pluripotent stem cell models of inherited forms of dementia
February 19, 2021Maybe you wrote it off as a buzzword when you first saw it. But Team Science has guided and shaped cutting edge research at Virginia Commonwealth University from behind the scenes for years. Understanding it and its value, in fact, has informed the research of some of VCU’s best scientists and physicians. “Early in my career, I had this misconception that research involved a scientist, a clinician-
February 17, 2021The good news for women with HIV is that they appear to be no more vulnerable to menopause-related cognitive declines compared with other women.
February 16, 2021Terrance Afer-Anderson wants to create an army of ambassadors. The Norfolk native and prostate cancer survivor wrote, produced and directed a movie, “The Black Walnut,” to bring attention to inequities in screening and mortality rates for prostate cancer in the Black community. “I tell men scared of the invasiveness of a prostate cancer screening, ‘You have to toughen up,’” Afer-Anderson said on
February 12, 2021The proverbial saying ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ is frequently used to explain how great innovations are made during times of urgent need. Never has the need been direr than when the COVID pandemic hit in March 2020 and health care providers were struggling to find treatments for patients fighting this new and deadly disease. It was during this time, ICTS investigator Eric Lenze, MD
February 12, 2021One of the most vexing aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is doctors’ inability to predict which newly hospitalized patients will go on to develop severe disease, including complications that require the insertion of a breathing tube, kidney dialysis or other intensive care. Knowledge of a patient’s age and underlying medical conditions can help predict such outcomes, but there are still surprises
February 11, 2021NCATS has provided the FDA with access to the N3C Data Enclave. FDA investigators interested in accessing N3C COVID-19 data must complete appropriate human subjects and NIH security training, review and abide by NCATS technology transfer requirements, and submit a Data Use Request (DUR) detailing their proposed project and use of N3C data. For details on how FDA investigators can access the N3C
February 11, 2021Our C/T Research Academy trainee discusses the role of precision medicine in his work to create personalized treatments as part of neurocritical care and research. Haitham Alabsi, DO, is an attending physician in the Division of Neurocritical Care at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2020, he began our two-year Clinical and Translational (C/T) Research Academy, an advanced training program that
February 09, 2021This story was initially published as a feature in the spring issue of the MCV Foundation's NEXT magazine and is excerpted on its website. Arun Sanyal, M.D., describes the early part of 2020 like seeing, without any defenses in place, an army advance around the globe toward Richmond. “As we were watching COVID-19 march through China, through Singapore, and then through Europe, we knew it was only
February 09, 2021It’s hard to imagine what 2020 would have looked like without the arrival of COVID-19. As we begin the new year, millions of people across the world have been directly affected by the virus. That’s why an interdisciplinary team of researchers from across the University of Michigan, including the Institute for Social Research and the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR), have
February 08, 2021Where can a leader turn when their teams are not functioning as well as they should? How can a team be built for success? How can teams develop unity when they’re built with diversity in mind? How do scientists from different disciplines get on the same page when their vocabularies may sound the same but have different meanings? A new resource from Penn State Clinical and Translational Science-
February 05, 2021Researchers have been anxious to learn what variables describe the COVID-19 patient cohort. Using the harmonized data in the N3C Data Enclave from 39 institutions’ electronic health records around the country, collaborators were able to distill this information in the manuscript titled The National COVID Cohort Collaborative: Clinical Characterization and Early Severity Prediction and is now
February 05, 2021The workshop series delivers accurate and culturally tailored information to help members of the Latinx community protect themselves and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. BY PAUL KARON — FEBRUARY 01, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic has caused illness widely throughout the United States, but some communities have been hit disproportionately hard, such as the Latinx community. To help slow the
February 05, 2021In a new study, the Evaluation and Continuous Improvement (ECI) team of the Georgia CTSA evaluated publications characterized as Big Splashes with immediate impact and publications with Ripple Effects over time, to understand how Georgia CTSA-supported research is ‘making waves’ that can accelerate translation. Previous systematic evaluations of the Georgia CTSA’s publication portfolio revealed a
-
February 04, 2021N3C held the first Enclave orientation sessions on February 2nd and 9th to engage users of all types with learning to use the N3C Data Enclave. The sessions were conducted by N3C Training Coordinator Shawn O’Neil and had over 100 participants for each session in attendance. This two-part training course will repeat on an ongoing basis, alternating week by week. To view training information and
February 02, 2021When the pandemic hit, clinical researchers jumped into action, starting up trials of COVID vaccines and treatments in record time. Without experienced and knowledgeable clinical research coordinators to run those trials, South Carolinians would not have had early access to these cutting-edge tools for fighting the virus. Those research professionals were at the ready, thanks to an initiative-
February 02, 2021Residents of Pennsylvania rural communities often face different health challenges than those who live in cities. Rural county physicians like Dr. George Garrow see the challenges first-hand. Garrow is the chief medical officer of The Primary Health Network, a federally qualified health center based in Mercer County. Federally qualified health centers are part of a program of the Health Resources
January 29, 2021Georgia CTSA Clinical Research Centers offer dedicated space, experienced staff, and resources to support research at a competitive cost. We assist investigators of all experience levels from Emory, Georgia Tech, Morehouse School of Medicine, UGA, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in serving adult and pediatric patient populations in Georgia. Watch this new video to learn more about how we help
January 28, 2021Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute released the latest episode of its Engage Podcast, discussing the importance of team science. In the podcast episode, Susan Mohammed, a professor of psychology, discusses how the study of team dynamics strengthens teams and the application of team science tools and techniques builds strong team foundations. She also discusses her research