Science in Translation

NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) programs connect investigators with communities as well as with each other, providing opportunities for investigators from different institutions to work together. Proof of such collaboration is the relationship between NUCATS Institute member Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MBA, MSc, and Monique Jindal, MD, MPH, a member of the University of Illinois Chicago School of Medicine's Center for Clinical and Translational Science. In this episode, they discuss their recent study on racial disparities in pediatric medicine, the challenges of researching social determinants of health, and the impact of relationships that go beyond institutional walls.

Since 2008, Northwestern University's Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities (ARCC) has been bridging the gap between medical research and local communities. In this episode, ARCC Director Jen Brown, MPH, and ARCC Associate Director Sherida Morrison, MS, MA, discuss the benefits of a community-engaged approach for both scientists and community members, key considerations for investigators who want to partner with communities, and the future of the field.

It has been 30 years since the NIH revitalization act was signed into law. This landmark legislation passed by Congress in 1993, required the inclusion of women and minorities in federally funded research. In this episode, Nicole Woitowich, PhD, Executive Director of NUCATS Institute talks about this milestone, how it has reshaped the landscape of women's health research and knowledge gaps that remain.

As the Chief AI Officer at NUCATS, Yuan Luo, PhD, is working to break down barriers by applying artificial intelligence (AI) methods to medical research and clinical practice. In this episode, he talks about his career path, the potential of AI in discovering disease mechanisms and making scientific discoveries, and how healthcare providers can start collaborating with AI experts through the NUCATS AI for Health Clinics initiative.

There are billions of dollars of funding available through government agencies such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA- H) for innovative research projects that could lead to new biomedical breakthroughs. In this episode, Northwestern Engineering's Jonathan Rivnay, PhD, explains how he helped build teams capable of securing such funding and how his $33 million DARPA and $45 million ARPA-H projects are progressing.

As a new faculty member and leader at NUCATS, Juan Espinoza, MD, is bringing a fresh perspective and expertise in the oversight of research informatics and analytics as applied to basic, translational, clinical, and population health sciences. In his roles as associate director of the Center for Biomendical Informatics and Data Science, which spans NUCATS and the Institute for Augmented Intelligence and Medicine at Northwestern University, and the inaugural chief research informatics officer for Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, he has big goals to improve the lives and health of people through their lifespan.

Translating evidence-based services and programs into clinical and community practice is a NUCATS priority. There has recently been a shift within NUCATS and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine to offer more access and new initiatives to help scientists gain knowledge in this field of study. In this episode, Sara Becker, PhD, director of the newly formed Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science within the Institute for Public Health and Medicine at Feinberg explains steps taken in recent months to make dissemination and implementation (D&I) training more accessible to investigators and to equitably and intentionally bridge the gap between public health and medical knowledge in terms of what we know and public health and medical practice in terms of what we do.

NUCATS and Chicago State University are joining forces on a joint mission to foster cross-institution biomedical collaborations in research, training, and education and to accelerate the development of a diverse and inclusive biomedical workforce. In this episode, Matthew Fete, PhD, Dean of Pharmaceutical Studies at Chicago State University College of Pharmacy, and Susanna McColley, MD, Director of the NUCATS Institute's TL1, Multidisciplinary Training Program in Child & Adolescent Health program, talk about the initiatives that are driving this mission and highlight successes.

There is an exciting new clinical trial about to launch at Northwestern Medicine that uses an Apple Watch and an iPhone app and could revolutionize the standard of care for many with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of heart arrhythmia in the nation. Rod Passman, MD, is leading the trial and details how the NUCATS Institute and the CTSA Trial Innovation Network helped his team secure a $37 million NIH grant to conduct this work.

NUCATS can help facilitate bringing your research to market by fostering biomedical ingenuity and entrepreneurial activities through its focus on translational innovation. In this episode, Satish Nadig, MD, PhD, discusses his experience collaborating with and starting biotechnology companies and the importance of institutional support when launching startups or exploring the commercialization of research.