University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS)
The University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science builds on the University's strengths in genetics and bioinformatics to translate promising bench science into practices that improve human health. The Center serves as an academic home for clinical and translational research, developing innovative health services for the community and health researchers, and training a new generation of clinical and translational investigators. The Center and its partners will increase the visibility, volume, and quality of participatory research by connecting investigators at the University with other health care institutions, clinical practitioners, public health personnel, patients, and research participants. The Center also will formally link research activities across systems that together provide health care coverage to 80 percent of Utah's population as well as patients in surrounding states.
THE NEW CCTS OFFICE IS OPEN!
The CCTS administrative office has moved to the newly constructed
Garden Level (Room 22) of the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library.
FURTHeR News
The University of Utah Biomedical Informatics Core has developed a platform for real-time federation of health information from heterogeneous data sources. This platform supports syntactic and semantic data interoperability for clinical and translational research purposes.
The Federated Utah Research and Translational Health electronic Repository (FURTHeR) utilizes both real-time terminology and data model translation services, to map from a local instance of a clinical data record to a central, standardized terminology and data model. FURTHeR includes a query interface to search disparate data sources based on clinical research criteria and return subsets of interest. There are more than 160 users of this system at the University of Utah.
A separate installation of the FURTHeR infrastructure is currently being used to federate and integrate clinical data from six pediatric hospitals and augment the existing administrative database for performing comparative effectiveness research studies. In this mode, FURTHeR can create a database for generalized CER studies. FURTHeR is currently being enhanced to include bio-specimen data as well as making it compliant with Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership's (OMOP) common data model.
www.FURTHeR.Utah.Edu
MyRA is here!
MyRA (My Research Assistant) is a Utah statewide Web research portal that provides resources and tools for and about research. It gives information and guidance at every step of the research process. It supports collaboration among various participants in the research process (e.g., senior or junior researcher, clinician, student, patient, and interested public). MyRA will make it faster and easier to find the resources you are looking for.
Clinical Research and Methods (CRAM) sessions are now available for streaming and download here! Seminars are open to clinical investigators at any level in all departments and colleges. Additional information can be found at the link above.
 |
University of Utah and research institutions across the country have joined together to develop a secure and convenient nationwide research registry where people who would like to participate in research can be matched with research studies. ResearchMatch.org is a not-for-profit effort. Volunteers of any age, race, ethnicity or health status are invited to join. Please visit www.ResearchMatch.org to learn more! |
News and Announcements
Community Engagement Spotlight: CMMI & HEN | The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) was created as an entity to drive health care transformation as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In December of 2011, CMMI awarded Intermountain Healthcare a three-year contract to lead the way with partner health systems to improve safety and quality across the country. Dr. Lucy Savitz is the Principal Investigator of the Intermountain-led HEN. Dr. Savitz also serves as the Director of the Community Engagement Core for the Utah CCTS. The HEN and the Community Engagement Core are synergistic entities -- each helping the other to more successfully complete their goals and aims. Dr. Savitz credits the close collaboration between the HEN and the Community Engagement Core as one of the factors of the HEN proposal's success.
Acknowledgement for Citing CCTS Grant has changed | The transfer of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards from the National Center for Research Resources to the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences has led to questions about the acknowledgment language for publications, news releases, websites and other communications.
Dr. Michael Varner, CCTS Associate Director for Women's Health, Named Interim Director for Personalized Medicine | From Dr. Lorris Betz, Interim President of the University of Utah: "I'm pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Varner, professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has agreed to serve as interim director for the University's Program in Personalized Health Care.
T-CER Launched and Providing Funding Opportunities | The University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) and the Department of Pediatrics, are pleased to launch the Translational Comparative Effectiveness Research (T-CER) Scholars Program. This program is funded by the National Institutes of Health KM1 CA56723-01 translational comparative effectiveness research training award. Dr. Carrie Byington, H.A. and Edna Benning Presidential Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Program Director, Utah CCTS is the Principal Investigator for the grant award and Director for the T-CER Scholars Award Program.
Progress Made Against Genetic Killer of Infants and Toddlers by University of Utah Researchers | Project Cure SMA Clinical Trials Network is making headway with support of Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy