For 10 years, CTSI has been accelerating discovery toward better health. To do this, CTSI is training the research workforce, streamlining methods and processes, engaging communities and stakeholders, and contributing unique UMN resources to the nationwide Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) network.
Researchers across UMN benefit from the breadth of the CTSI. Funding helps jump-start promising studies, while research education and training programs serve investigators, research support staff, trainees, and students. Plus, CTSI’s expert staff guide investigators and study teams on protocols, regulatory requirements, informatics, biostatistics, financial management, recruitment, and more—all to accelerate and improve clinical research at the U.
Life-changing impacts
CTSI has been a powerful force for positive change, as Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD, Dean of the Medical School and Vice President for Clinical Affairs explains:
“By building a cohesive research infrastructure, CTSI created a smoother path to breakthroughs, treatments, and real-world outcomes. This has catalyzed the success of many individual researchers and our institution as a whole. And the institute has touched countless lives, from the next generation of investigators trained through its scholar programs to the patients and communities who benefit from life-changing innovations.”
Celebrating a decade
Highlights of CTSI’s high-impact first decade include:
- 2010: The first community-engaged research grants are given in response to a request for applications.
- 2011: CTSI’s Office of Discovery and Translation (ODAT) is formed. They’ve supported more than 145 innovations, which has led to 10 start-ups as well as solutions that now help patients.
- 2011: CTSI begins advancing researcher careers; more than 345 scholars have been supported since then.
- 2013: CTSI debuts a clinical data repository, creating access to patient health records for research purposes (while being committed to protecting patients’ privacy).
- 2014: Established the Translational Workforce Development program, which provides clinical research training for UMN staff.
- 2018: Clinical Research Support Center (CRSC) opens. More than 2,000 studies supported from 2019 until April 2021.
- 2020: With OACA, established a rural health program that offers training for community leaders, a fellowship program, and more.
“Ten years ago, our ambitious vision for advancing research only existed on paper,” says Bruce Blazar, MD, the director of CTSI and PI of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). “And today we’re improving the lives of so many. I’m incredibly proud of who we’ve become.”
See all the highlights in this video capturing CTSI’s first 10 years: