CTSA K12 Program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

CTSA K12 Program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston: Project Summary / Abstract The COVID pandemic has dramatically highlighted the need for a well-trained and highly adaptable clinical and translational science workforce; especially one that is capable of rapid design and deployment of clinical trials

and key capabilities that accelerate research translation. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTH-H), UT MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) and their partner institutions across Texas, have collective capabilities and relationships that allow us to meet these profound and diverse career development

needs. The K12 emphasizes T2-T4 science, and is based at McGovern Medical School and also serves our Schools of Public Health, Biomedical informatics, Nursing, and Dentistry, MDACC, and our Partners: UT Rio Grande Valley, UT Tyler and Texas Tech El Paso. We propose to fund 5 Scholars per year, with one slot at

MDACC and one at a Partner site. To maximize the number and achievements of investigators we train, we will leverage CTSA funding to enhance our program, developing skilled C&T investigators in the Texas Medical Center TMC) (9,200 beds; 10 million encounters per year) and the 3 diverse medical centers that comprise our

partners. Our Program includes: 1) the Clinical and Translational (C&T) Research Curriculum (11 required courses/workshops, provided in-person or by video training to each institution); 2) MS Courses & Degree in Clinical Research (optional for Scholars and tailored to an individualized career development plan; and 3) our central

focus: the Intensive Mentorship Program, that has been highly successful in helping prior KL2 and other mentees secure major grants, publish in high impact journals, and become institutional and national academic leaders. Special strengths include our Scholars' research success involving multidisciplinary teams and other CTSA hubs;

improving the delivery, safety, and effectiveness of healthcare for women, children, and disadvantaged patients of any age; advancing research methods using n-of-1 trials, Bayesian methods, hybrid implementation effectiveness designs and economic analyses; and showing reduced health system costs to secure clinical

reimbursements that sustain and expand improved approaches to health care. Next cycle innovations will augment these strengths, specifically train the NCATS-identified translational science competencies, and promote learning health care (LHC) through an expanded LHC consultation service emphasizing comparative

effectiveness and dissemination/implementation, studies, a continuous community engagement program, and IRB leadership to facilitate and advance exemplary comparative effectiveness research, trials of emergency therapies, and implementation/de-implementation research. These and other Core features will promote the

career development of Scholars within a LHC system to most rapidly advance clinical care and the health of diverse populations. Integration with the UM1, the T32s and the R25 is strong. With these innovations and our track record, infrastructure, and institutional support, CTSA funding will predictably produce a large return by

developing innovative, collaborative, rigorous, and productive leaders in C&T science.