Team Science-Guided Integrated Clinical and Research Ensembles
Despite tremendous recent advances in our nation’s biomedical research capability and the significant knowledge that has resulted, its optimal potential to impact patient care and ultimately the health of our communities has not yet been fully realized. Although not completely understood, this shortcoming can be explained in part by the effect of impediments resulting from the current siloed organization of research enterprises, health systems, and the communities we serve. The Team Science-Guided Integrated Clinical and Research Ensembles Function (Ensemble Program) provides a translational science approach that helps breaks down these siloes and facilitates multidisciplinary collaboration.
Each team in this research program is called an “Ensemble,” because the team structure is likened to a musical Ensemble, in which different instruments (e.g., scientific disciplines), come together to make music (e.g., multidisciplinary collaborative research), that could not otherwise be accomplished by their individual performance. In 2015, the Ensemble concept was introduced as part of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program 3.0 grant to the Medical College of Wisconsin. The specific aims in the award are the following:
- Organize and operationalize adaptable Integrated Clinical and Research Ensembles and Clusters, comprised of appropriate basic/clinical and translational investigators, clinicians, patients, community stakeholders and health system experts to provide solutions to unmet health needs emanating from clinic, community, and the laboratory.
- Define and establish appropriate mechanisms to determine and characterize the impact of the Ensembles and Clusters on the translational workforce, health and research enterprises, and the community.
- Share the results, experiences, and root causes of success and failure with the CTSA consortium.
