The Great Plains IDeA Clinical Translational Research (CTR) Network
Spotlight on Research at COPH – In the fall of 2016, the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program through the National Institute of General Medical Studies awarded UNMC and eight institutional affiliates a five-year research grant from the National Institutes of Health totaling nearly $20 million. The grant was to create The Great Plains IDeA Clinical Translational Research (CTR) Network with the University of Nebraska Medical Center serving as the network hub.
Network institutions in Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Kansas collaborate to advance the NIH mission to improve the health of Americans across their lifespan through innovative research, high-quality patient care, outreach to underserved populations, and premier educational programs in the areas of mind, brain, and body health. The Great Plains IDeA-CTR Network includes research resources, cores, and programs that contribute to the overarching goal to develop regional capacity for clinical and translational research that spans work in the areas of translating basic science into health improving approaches for humans through investigating the impact of evidence-based practice and policies on public health outcomes.
The network is facilitated by an administrative core of the principle investigator, Dr. Matt Rizzo, and co-Directors Drs. Howard Fox and Paul Estabrooks. The leadership of the GP IDeA-CTR Network also includes Key Component Areas (KCAs) focused on Community Engagement and Outreach, Clinical Research Design, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics, Biomedical Informatics and Cyberinfrastructure, Professional Development, Tracking and Evaluation, and a Pilot Grants program. The college of public health plays a significant role in the Network with Drs. Fang Yu and Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway co-directing the Clinical Research Design, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics KCA and Dr. Risto Rautiainen directing the Community Engagement and Outreach KCA.
The strategic activities of the KCA’s are to unite institutions across the region to promote their maturation from a collaborative to a sustainable, resilient, productive, synergistic and distributed commons. The goal is to develop a cadre of successful CTR investigators with a comprehensive professional development program, pilot grants, KCAs, and expertise, who are prepared to develop and implement innovative tools and approaches and lead CTR teams.
The mission of the Great Plains IDeA-CTR is to leverage existing strengths in regional education, training, and mentor programs and to build a comprehensive and integrated portfolio aimed at developing successful clinical translational research investigators. Scholars and other early career faculty are highly encouraged to take advantage of the many training and education opportunities offered by the Great Plains IDeA-CTR. As well, experienced researchers can also benefit from these continuing education activities as techniques and approaches evolve.
Learn more about The Great Plains IDeA Clinical Translational Research (CTR) Network https://gpctr.unmc.edu/index.html