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Jennifer Larsen, M.D. |
The center, which was approved late last year by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, was called for in the UNMC strategic plan as part of the effort to increase the medical center’s CTR capabilities. It will help UNMC streamline and improve its efforts in this area.
“Clinical and translational research is the direction biomedical research is heading,” said Dr. Larsen, who is the center’s director. “The push is on for scientists to make their research apply to clinical and community settings and it’s vital that UNMC fall in with this trend. This center will help us do that.”
The center will allow UNMC to:
- Evaluate the clinical and translational research resources it has and how or if they need to be improved;
- Consolidate those resources and establish a clear path of access so they are more transparent to investigators across the campus;
- Improve communication with and between scientists about clinical and translational resources, research opportunities and potential collaborators who can enhance the development of new interdisciplinary teams; and
- Develop new educational programs for students, staff and faculty to enhance their clinical and translational research capabilities.
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CTSAs — which only will be awarded to 60 medical centers nationwide — are meant to create a network of institutions focused on clinical and translational research.
To be eligible for a CTSA, institutions must have a centralized structure and governance for support of clinical and translational research, which NIH officials feel will make the translation of research from bench to bedside to community more efficient.
Acquiring a CTSA is a highly-competitive process and institutions looking to gain such an award must fulfill several requirements.
Aside from establishing a clinical and translational research center, UNMC also is working to forge partnerships with other institutions in the region and is identifying research areas that can be emphasized in order to conduct the high-impact, far-reaching research that is favored in the competition for CTSAs.
The seminar will be recorded and available for investigators who cannot attend. The seminar also will be televised at the following sites:
- College of Dentistry in Lincoln, Room 7;
- College of Nursing in Lincoln, Room 307;
- College of Nursing in Scottsbluff, Panhandle Station Room 203;
- College of Nursing in Kearney, CMCT 216; and
- College of Nursing in Omaha, Room 4078.
If you have any questions about the seminars or a desire to present at a future seminar, contact Brian Shotwell at bshotwell@unmc.edu or Dr. Larsen at jlarsen@unmc.edu.