Institute for Clinical and Translational Science

Our goal is to build the UCI CTSA Hub as an innovative, nimble, and dynamic virtual laboratory that can implement NCATS’s bold vision for translational science. Fueled by unprecedented growth in UCI’s research portfolio, new inpatient and outpatient capacity, and robust collaboration with community stakeholders, our Hub

is positioned to profoundly impact the science of translation and public health in our region and beyond. Two formative and synergistic themes guide our Hub’s strategy for the next funding cycle. The first, “From Lab to Life,” was developed by our community partners at the inaugural CTSA funding in 2010 and reflects the

seminal and ongoing NCATS’s focus on nurturing the kernels of translational science that can be found in virtually all clinical research. We will catalyze a wide range of basic and applied innovations enabled by unique UCI and community talent, such as: 1) transforming clinical trials in rare diseases, 2) reimagining cell-based

diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for a broad spectrum of health conditions, and 3) reconceptualizing the practice of neurorehabilitation through AI-based mechanistic use of haptic robotics. Our second theme, “From Hub to Health,” embraces NCATS’s and our Hub’s burgeoning focus and expertise on dissemination and

implementation, on diversity and inclusive excellence, and on harnessing the science of translation to mitigate health disparities and inequities. In preparing “From Hub to Health” objectives, we worked closely with the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA), our county public health department, which serves more than

3.2M people, a diverse population and a microcosm of healthcare needs, inequities, and disparities seen across the U.S. The Healthy School Restart Program pioneered data-driven policy guidance for community schools during the pandemic and blossomed into a formal Hub-OCHCA collaboration. “From Hub to Health”

projects for the next funding cycle are wide ranging and include: 1) the request from OCHCA for the Hub to serve as the translational science collaborator for the community-wide OC System of Care Think Tank to reduce health care disparities and inequities in our region, 2) expanding our Hub Medical Student Research

Program to achieve unprecedented gains in URM participation in translational science, 3) leading a novel, nationally funded program to train a community-based workforce in population-health informatics and data science, and 4) re-envisioning design of investigator-initiated clinical trials by developing, demonstrating, and

disseminating our program of Quality-by-Design Studios. Our partnerships with UCI-affiliated Children’s Hospital of Orange County and the Long Beach Veterans Administration ensure that these essential populations will be well represented in all Hub activities. The Hub will support these projects by careful

allocation of resource modules, training opportunities, and continuous quality improvement with a vigorous application of the translational science benefits model. In sum, we are positioned to promote “more treatments for all people more quickly,” the translational science goal that has guided our Hub since 2010.