University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UMN CTSI) - Clinical and translational science (CTS) is at the crossroads of major technology advances requiring strong academia–community partnerships anchored in trust for the effective and rapid deployment of best practices. The UMN CTSA Hub will build on proven commitments to accelerate impactful CTS. Aim 1 will provide novel infrastructure to reduce research barriers and accelerate translation to practice via a new Office of Clinical Research and Community Affairs. This office will augment CTSI’s capacity to respond to and facilitate robust and sustainable community relationships that extend beyond single investigator projects. Aim 2 will deliver highquality and efficient research services and resources through the Clinical Research Support Center (85 staff) that will lessen trial barriers and support all aspects of study design, biostatistics, bioinformatics, regulatory compliance, contracting, and more. Expanding representation in clinical studies will strengthen connections to the state’s broad population. A learning health system (LHS) and continuous quality improvement program will expedite the implementation of novel enhancements. Aim 3 will cultivate and train a capable and well-prepared CTS workforce with new tools and programs; develop and test novel trial processes and participant satisfaction; and disseminate and implement learnings locally and nationally. Tailored enhancements will personalize CTS training for community, academic, and workforce professionals, including improved informed consent processes, an investigator primer, a research career development series, and more. CTSI’s Rural Health Program offers a postdoctoral fellowship in health policy and leadership and a year-long training program for community leaders. Training with community health workers (CHWs) will strengthen engagement with Minnesota’s communities. Aim 4 will foster leadership, team science, and data sharing to support collaborations through leadership programs, professional coaching, vertically integrated retreats, team function seminars, Innovative Team Science programs adapted for early career faculty, and incentives to gain CTSI leadership skills. Health Informatics will support advanced data management and analytic infrastructures integrated with electronic health record and LHS systems. Aim 5 will address barriers to health access by deploying evidence-based and improved research practices to train CHWs and Hub Partners for broad community input and decision-making. We will build a national, population-level geo-database of quantifiable measures using novel Multidimensional Measures of health and the environment in a Healthy Communities Data Portal. This portal will link health and clinical data to define national impacts on access to care, study enrollment, data collection, and more with validation projects on telehealth and education and early childhood cognitive function after prenatal methamphetamine exposure. Impact. With a robust infrastructure, the next generation of research leaders, and a well-trained workforce, our Hub and regional community will co-develop and implement CTS advancements to improve health.
