CCTST Awarded $37M Clinical and Translational Science Award

Achala Vagal, MD, MS, Jareen Meinzen-Derr, PhD, MPH, Jeffrey Strawn, MD

The Center for Clinical & Translational Science & Training (CCTST), a partnership between the University of Cincinnati College (UC) of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s, has received a seven-year, $37.2 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health.

This award combines federal and non-federal institutional support from UC and Cincinnati Children’s to advance translational science with regional and national impact—totaling over $65 million in funding for the CCTST.

Established in 2005 to support the future of science across the Academic Health Center, the CCTST has successfully secured funding since 2009. Since its inception, the CCTST has supported more than 8,000 investigators and trainees, serving as a central hub for accelerating clinical and translational science and research throughout the Cincinnati region and beyond.

“The renewal of the CCTST is a powerful affirmation of the collaborative research enterprise between the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s,” says Gregory C. Postel, MD, dean of the UC College of Medicine, Christian R. Holmes professor, executive vice president for health affairs at UC and chair of the UC Health Board of Directors. “The CCTST continues to serve as the central engine driving translational science across our Academic Health Center. This renewed award empowers us to advance our mission, deepen our community partnerships and strengthen our ability to respond to urgent public health needs.”

During the next seven years, the CCTST will transform into an integrated Clinical and Translational Learning System (CTLS), accelerating the discovery, dissemination and implementation of innovative research that improves health across the lifespan.

“Both Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Cincinnati have benefited from the scientific cooperation supported by the CCTST,” says Tina Cheng, MD, MPH, chief medical officer and chair of Pediatrics for Cincinnati Children’s and director of the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation. “These funds provide crucial support to the behind-the-scenes infrastructure that makes high-level medical research possible. That research in turn continues to produce better outcomes for children and adults in need. We are grateful to continue this important work.”

The CCTST is led by co-directors Jareen Meinzen-Derr, PhD, MPH, professor in the Cincinnati Children’s Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Achala Vagal, MD, MS, professor and chair of the UC Department of Radiology, and Jeffrey Strawn, MD, professor in the UC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, who spearheaded the successful grant submission. This effort also involved work from more than 40 faculty and staff across UC and Cincinnati Children’s.

The new award will enable the CCTST to speed the pathway from scientific discovery to better health outcomes. Its goals include improving the way research is conducted, strengthening partnerships among scientists and communities and ensuring that innovations reach people more quickly. The program will also include expanded training for the next generation of researchers, promoting precision health approaches to tackle urgent public health needs, and building stronger systems that make clinical research more efficient, safe and effective.

“The CCTST provides the infrastructure, training and collaborative environment needed to turn foundational discoveries into real-world solutions,” says Brett Kissela, MD, MS, executive vice dean and senior associate dean of clinical research for the UC College of Medicine, professor in the UC College of Medicine Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, chief of research services at UC Health, and director of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute. “This renewal underscores the national leadership of our investigators and the transformative role of the CCTST.”

The CCTST co-directors express their deep gratitude for the opportunity to build upon two decades of dedicated, collaborative work across the Academic Health Center, the local community, and beyond. Guided by their vision to build an integrated clinical and translational learning system—one that brings together scientists, clinicians, trainees, and community partners—the co-directors aim to unite strengths to accelerate the translation of discoveries from the lab to patients and communities faster, ensuring that innovation truly improves lives.