It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we share that CCTST Director, Jim E. Heubi, MD, passed away on August 5, 2021.  Dr. Heubi was a compassionate Gastroenterology physician who dedicated his career to bench-to-bedside research focused on transforming the lives of children.

Dr. Heubi was an accomplished and celebrated researcher. Throughout his career he authored hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and abstracts, was a member of dozens of academic and professional committees, and was honored with more than 25 professional achievements and awards.  In a nomination letter for a faculty award in 2016, which Dr. Heubi received with his colleague Dr. Ken Setchell, Dr. Arnold Strauss noted that among Dr. Heubi’s many accomplishments, he partnered with Dr. Setchell to fulfill their dream that patients with orphan diseases affecting bile acid metabolism would have access to life-saving therapies. They developed, in collaboration with Asklepion Pharmaceuticals LLC and Retrophin, a cholic acid treatment (CholbamR).  As Dr. Strauss wrote, “They were instrumental in discovering new causes of liver disease in children and in launching a new commercial venture that has licensed a drug that will change the lives of children affected with enzymatic defects in the bile acid synthetic pathway. These efforts included a combination of groundbreaking, discovery research and business development that have had substantial impact in the lives of children in our region, state, nationally, and internationally.”

Dr. Heubi has been a tireless champion of pediatric research. He served as director of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center General Clinical Research Center (GCRC), now the Schubert Research Center, and in that capacity he has supported and fostered research by faculty and fellows and promoted patient-oriented research in all pediatric subspecialties. His can-do, facilitating attitude as Schubert Research Center director has touched virtually all in academic medicine in Cincinnati and led to his appointments as Associate Dean for Clinical Research at the University of Cincinnati and as Associate Chair of Pediatrics for Clinical Research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

When the NIH changed the way it supported infrastructure for clinical research and created an over-arching university based system through the Clinical Translational Science Award, Dr. Heubi led the way with the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST). Spearheading the CCTST’s first successful CTSA application with Joel Tsevat in 2009, Dr. Heubi led our center through 16 successful years of programming, culminating in the most recent renewal of the CCTST grant in 2020. As PI of our CTSA for greater than decade, he has been an unsung hero with the goal of one-stop shopping to support clinical researchers. His vision was that the CCTST could amplify research across the Academic Health Center to dramatically improve patient outcomes. He has sought to improve the way biomedical research is conducted across the country, reduce the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients, engage communities in clinical research efforts, and train the next generation of clinical and translational researchers.  

In later years he became equally passionate about reducing health disparities and engaging the community in our research. He was tireless in his efforts to harness the resources of the CCTST to improve the health of our community. In May 2021, Dr. Heubi was a recipient of the CCTST Health Transformation Award. Each year, this is awarded by the CCTST Community Engagement Core and our Community Partner Council to individuals who have contributed to the transformation of health in Cincinnati through service, leadership, and scholarship. He championed community engagement initiatives, never shied away from hard questions, and always supported the Community Engagement Core because he believed in the impact of community engaged research. He was steadfastly dedicated to improving our relationship with, and research within, our community. After receiving the award, he said the community partners have taught him a lot and it has been a wonderful experience to learn from them. “I’m just doing my job,” said Dr. Heubi. “I’m just trying to be as effective a leader as I can, and I really do believe we have to think about the community in terms of how we think about healthcare and how we think about diversity, equity, and inclusion – and all of these areas are important as we move forward.” 

Dr. Heubi was an incredibly encouraging mentor and research leader. His passion was contagious, and he held a genuine confidence in those he led.  He generously shared experience and wisdom that propelled others forward. When reflecting on Dr. Heubi’s great impact and mentorship, Jessica Kahn, MD, shared, “Dr. Heubi was the quintessential sponsor. He was one of the two most important sponsors to me in my career. He saw promise in me that I didn’t recognize, and gave me opportunities to lead in the CCTST that I never would have had without him. When he gave me those opportunities, it was largely his confidence in me that gave me the courage to accept them; I remember being incredulous about his confidence in me when I would tell him I was doubtful that I was ready for the next step. This is the kind of support that is critical for women to succeed in an AHC, and I feel so blessed to have known him and benefitted from his mentorship, support and friendship.”

Dr. Heubi’s colleague and dear friend, Jareen Meinzen-Derr, PhD, shares, “There are no words to express the shock and grief we are currently experiencing. Jim was a lifeforce that has no comparison. To me, he was not only a mentor, but he played a heartfelt role in who I have become today. He was a man who held such strong curiosity that he was willing to grow in ways that I admired. He was a personal friend to me, and he welcomed me into his life. Jim was always hugely supportive of us, regardless of stage or state in which we found ourselves.”

His CCTST partner and Co-Director, Brett Kissela, MD, also shares his reflection, “Many researchers, including myself, benefited from Jim's kindness and wisdom along with the many opportunities provided through programs like the CCTST. He was a good friend and colleague and will be deeply missed.”