The Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST) was established by the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UC) in October 2005, under the direction and leadership of Dr. James Heubi, MD. The CCTST is currently directed by Jessica Kahn, MD, Jareen Meinzen-Derr, PhD, Jeffrey Strawn, MD, and Achala Vagal, MD, with support from the program directors and staff. The CCTST offices are centrally located on the 2nd floor of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) ‘S’ Building.

More about the CCTST:

• CCTST Leadership and Staff

• CCTST Director’s Council

• NIH Acknowledgement: Publications resulting from use of CCTST resources must credit the appropriate CCTST grant

• Organizational Chart: View CCTST governance

• NewsBrief: View the current and past issues of the CCTST monthly newsletters

• Zoom Meeting Request (CCTST directors and staff only)

The CCTST serves UC, its Academic Health Center partners, and community by:

• Providing consultation to investigators on research design and implementation through Research Central

• Providing support for young investigators (faculty and fellows) in clinical and translational research through help in preparing career development awards (e.g., K23)

• Assisting young faculty in careers in clinical and translational research

• Assisting faculty in preparing large multidisciplinary, multi-school, and multi-institutional grants

• Coordinating clinical and translational research

• Spearheading efforts to write institutional training grants

• Coordinating the MS in Clinical and Translational Research Training Program (Principal Investigator and Clinical Research Professionals tracks), Graduate Certificate in Clinical and Translational Research, and the Graduate Certificate in Community-Engaged Research for Health. Also offered is the KL2 Research Scholars mentored career development award program for highly qualified MD, PhD, or PharmD junior faculty pursuing careers in clinical and translational research.

The CCTST mission is to accelerate the development, dissemination, and implementation of innovative biomedical research discoveries that drive improvements in health and health care delivery. 

Our vision is for the CCTST to serve as a driving force for improved health and health care delivery in Greater Cincinnati. The CCTST inspires and empowers thought-leaders to discover, implement, and disseminate innovative clinical and translational research while cultivating a vibrant, interdisciplinary, and diverse translational workforce. 

The overarching goal of the CCTST is to maximize the impact of clinical and translational research to improve individual and population health locally and nationally. To effect this goal, it is the hope that the CCTST would be the “go to” place for support for clinical and translational research and training for the University of Cincinnati, UC Health, CCHMC and the greater Cincinnati community. 

The CCTST spearheaded the Academic Health Center’s application for a Clinical & Translational Science Award (CTSA) which was funded in April 2009, and renewed for 4 additional years in August 2015. The CTSA is an NIH Roadmap initiative to create an academic home for clinical and translational research at academic health centers across the country. The CTSA focus areas include:

1. Pilot translational and clinical studies (PTC)

2. Biomedical informatics

3. Biostatistics, epidemiology and research design (BERD)

4. Regulatory knowledge and support, research ethics

5. Participant and clinical interactions (Schubert Research Clinic)

6. Community engagement

7. Translational workforce development

8. Team science (Center for Improvement Science)

9. Lifespan Practice Research Consortium (optional module)

Learn more about how the CCTST collaborates with other CTSA institutions.

What is Translational Science?

Translational science is the discovery, development and disseminate of the next generation of science and technology to improve human health. Watch this video from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) to learn more about it and the role of translational scientists.