Moving a discovery from the lab to patients is a lot like a relay race, with multiple handoffs along the way. One of the earliest transitions out of the lab is translational research, which advances the initial innovations to bring them closer to the clinic. The Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) supports team science to help catalyze this process.

Funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, the Miami CTSI takes a comprehensive approach, providing seed funding, supporting career development, improving research processes, developing tools and uniting multidisciplinary teams. The institute is reaching out in multiple directions, developing strong collaborations with academic, clinical and community partners.

“By its very nature, translational research requires different teams from various disciplines and backgrounds to work together,” said Olveen Carrasquillo, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine and public health sciences and CTSI co-director. “Through workforce development, community engagement and informatics systems, the Miami CTSI directly and indirectly supports team science.”

The institute works to identify barriers to translational science and quickly address them. One approach is the Research Compass, an online tool that helps researchers find crucial resources. There are also programs to help scientists apply for grants, design studies, work with data and recruit patients into clinical trials.

The Miami CTSI places a particularly high priority on community partnerships. Its research registry gives UHealth patients ample opportunities to participate in health research, from clinical trials to observational and behavioral studies to surveys and interviews. In essence, community members become essential partners to the scientific team.

“Moving the dial on complex public health problems requires collaboration, bringing together people from different backgrounds who have shared expertise on a topic to create movement in both knowledge and the application of that knowledge,” said Erin Kobetz, Ph.D., M.P.H., John K. and Judy H. Schulte Senior Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and CTSI co-director. “Ultimately, we have an obligation to conduct research that changes disease outcomes.”