The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has been awarded a five-year, $20 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health. This competitive grant renewal will fund the work of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeastern Wisconsin (CTSI), a consortium of eight regional organizations whose mission is to advance the health of the community through research and discovery.
The CTSI was founded in 2010. Its eight members include BloodCenter of Wisconsin, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Clement Zablocki VA Medical Center, Froedtert Hospital, Marquette University, MCW, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Concordia University is an affiliate of CTSI. The makeup of the CTSI is unique nationally because of the engagement of academic institutions not affiliated with MCW.
Using innovative mechanisms, CTSI members work to translate research discoveries more quickly into preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for patients. Consortium members share resources, technology, knowledge and expertise to work towards those goals. The CTSI research portfolio includes more than 185 studies, with more than 47 collaborative research studies underway
“In its initial years, CTSI has created a framework for collaboration that leverages the collective knowledge and resources of the region’s most powerful biomedical research entities,” said Reza Shaker, MD, CTSI director and the Joseph P. Geenen Professor of Gastroenterology at MCW. “From our translational research units to our data warehouses and well-established training programs, CTSI now is uniquely positioned to advance new technologies and treatments for patients and to improve health outcomes across Wisconsin and beyond.”
Fewer than half of all U.S. medical schools have received a CTSA award since the program’s inception in 2003.
“This extremely competitive award reflects MCW’s role as a national leader in building academic and research partnerships to address the community’s greatest health needs,” said Joseph E. Kerschner, MD, Executive Vice President of MCW and Dean of the School of Medicine. “The collaborations and partnerships fostered through the CTSI already have paid off in innovation and translation of new technologies and advancements.”
Some of the new programs and advancements include:
Development of new technologies for patient care and wellness, including a new DNA test for organ transplant rejection and an Avatar program for virtual medical offices;
Formation of the Clinical Research Data Warehouse, which includes in excess of 1.3 million patients and allows us to participate in national outcomes research initiatives;
Research in special populations, including more than 15 research projects focused on veterans and housed in a translational research unit at the Clement Zablocki VA Medical Center; and
Creation of monthly CTSI radio program that demonstrates the value and the collective power of the CTSI.
“As a community, the CTSI partners have learned a great deal about our unique strengths and how to work together effectively to combine them,” said Shaker. “With this strong foundation, combined with the renewed resources from the CTSA grant, we can set our aim on even bigger goals.”
NIH Funding Acknowledgment:Important Reminder – Please acknowledge the NIH when publishing papers, patents, projects, and presentations resulting from the use of CTSI resources by including the NIH Funding Acknowledgement.
