UTMB CTSA: Greater Gulf Coast Translational Science Alliance - The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) has held a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) since 2009, which has driven UTMB’s leadership in multidisciplinary team science, community engagement, and clinical and translational research. To expand its impact in its fourth CTSA cycle, UTMB will bring three new partners into its translation efforts and emphasize generalizable research to address translational science barriers. Houston Methodist is a private hospital and clinic system with translational science training programs and a major clinical trials network spanning the Houston area. Texas Southern University is an R2-ranked public university known for its pharmacy sciences and research centers with strong community outreach. The University of Houston-Clear Lake is a public university with robust programs in teacher training, mental healthcare, and social sciences. Each of these GGCTSA partners contributes critical components and connections within the biomedical ecosystem of the Houston-Galveston area. Together, the partners and collaborators of the GGCTSA will improve health outcomes across the region. The Strategic Management Module (Aim 1), with leaders from each partner institution, will oversee trust-based governance to unite education systems, community groups, and public and private health science centers. Strategic Management will also integrate team science, research ethics, and entrepreneurship principles throughout GGCTSA initiatives. The Workforce Development Module (Aim 2) will create seamless transitions from classroom to careers in translational science, especially for newcomers, via multi-institutional training and mentoring programs for students, faculty, and staff. The Community and Stakeholder Engagement Module (Aim 3) will grow trust-based relationships among alliance leadership and communities through established and novel modes of engagement. The Resources and Services Module (Aim 4) will promote innovation in multi-institutional clinical and translational science by integrating GGCTSA research resources and providing multidisciplinary consultation services. The Pilots Module (Aim 5) will support innovative translational science through three pilot funding programs–mentored pilots, alliance pilots, and community pilots–guided by a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional review committee. The Health Informatics Module (Aim 6), will advance clinical research through accessible multi-institutional datasets and tools, natural language processing of clinical notes, and informatics training programs. Finally, the Clinical and Translational Science Research Program (Aim 7) will identify barriers and facilitators to the uptake of biomedical innovations through needs assessments, testing of new patient decision aids, and creation of a generalizable toolbox of best practices and resources. All initiatives will undergo rigorous self -assessment and quality improvement via evaluation focused on health outcomes, and lessons learned will be disseminated locally and nationally.
