Through its affiliation with the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama joins institutional partners across the Deep South as part of collaborative efforts to advance clinical and translational science.
The CCTS, based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been awarded four grants, totaling $82 million over seven years, from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Since its establishment in 2008, the CCTS’s mission has sought to capitalize on the unique research expertise and capacity to enhance the translation of fundamental and clinical discoveries into improvements for human health and healthcare delivery.
In 2015, to nurture research more broadly, the CCTS expanded to create the CCTS Partner Network – which engages 11 academic health centers, research institutes and universities in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi through strategic partnerships – as the foundation of the center’s local and regional collaborative efforts. The University of South Alabama is a member of this collaborative Partner Network, working together to advance research and improve health outcomes across the region.
“As part of the CCTS Partner Network, the University of South Alabama is excited to contribute to this transformative initiative,” said Mark Gillespie, Ph.D, professor of pharmacology and site principal investigator at the Whiddon College of Medicine. “These grants will not only advance our research capabilities but also strengthen our commitment to addressing health disparities in our communities.”
The CCTS’s UM1 grant, which will award $9.9 million each year for seven years, serves as the cornerstone of the partner network’s mission. The funding supports their efforts by further developing a well-trained workforce in translational science, by developing a highly integrated digital ecosystem encompassing clinical and biomedical informatics, by involving our communities in engaged partnership to identify challenges and create approaches to solutions, and by nurturing a vibrant and efficient research ecosystem.
In conjunction with the UM1 grant, three NIH training grants will be funded for five years.
These grants reinforce the CCTS and the Whiddon College of Medicine’s dedication to fostering the next generation of clinical and translational scientists, Gillespie said. Each program emphasizes a unique aspect of training – from nurturing early career researchers to integrating dissemination and implementation science – forming a comprehensive approach to addressing health disparities.
Learn more about the Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
