Wright Regional Center for Clinical and Translational Science

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Abstract of NCATS-Funded UM1 Project The C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) elevates clinical and translational science by strengthening community engagement efforts, promoting the development and implementation of clinical and scientific research and

advances, and expanding scientific workforce capacity as well as researcher and patient population diversity. In 2022, the CCTR established a new collaboration with universities in central and southeastern Virginia including Old Dominion University, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Virginia State University. This

partnership is known as the Wright Regional Center for Clinical and Translational Science (Wright Regional Center) and has its origins in the CTSA-funded research hub at VCU founded in 2010 and directed by F. Gerard Moeller, MD since 2015. The CCTR, with its $32 million endowment, supports the formation and growth

of the Wright Regional Center as it works toward recruiting and retaining diverse faculty for its member institutions and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The goals of the CCTR and the Wright Regional Center will be accomplished jointly with the CTSA Network and applied at the local, regional, and national levels. All member

institutions have common core values that emphasize diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, community engagement, and STEM-oriented advancement. These values will serve as an instrumental foundation as the Wright Regional Center realizes the following objectives: Overall Aim 1. Promote translational research workforce development with experience-based training in

informatics, team science, biostatistics, research design, and regulatory science, sharing and collaborating with the CTSA Network in best educational practices to develop the next generation of CTR scientists. Overall Aim 2. Mobilize existing strengths in community engagement and team science to engage stakeholder

communities at every translational phase to become research partners and form collaborative clinical translational science teams. Overall Aim 3. Integrate all phases of clinical and translational research across the lifespan and in special populations by increasing hub and network research capacity and connecting with relevant providers, patients,

caregivers, and other stakeholders to guide research, care, and recruitment. Overall Aim 4. Advance clinical and translational research methods and processes to speed translation, build collaborations, and optimize resources within VCU and with the CTSA Network. Overall Aim 5. Implement informatics systems to integrate multiple types of data to gain insight into diseases

and mechanisms, to enhance training, to collect metrics to improve performance and gauge impact, and to bridge research to clinical practice across the CCTR and the CTSA Network. If awarded, Dr. Taylor will be able to firmly establish herself as an independent investigator, advance her career, and further her experience and contribution to clinical and translational science with the numerous,

available resources within the Wright Regional Center. These resources include coursework, networking opportunities, and direct applied experiences in community engagement, grant development, and translational science. Her project, which centers on investigating intervention opportunities to improve perinatal outcomes in

pregnant and postpartum populations with substance use disorders, aligns well with the Parent UM1 grant and aims of the Wright Regional Center. Furthermore, Dr. Taylor has previously established relationships with three of the four Wright Regional Center institutions as well as worked closely with CCTR internal collaborators,

including Dr. Chapman (Interim Director of the VCU Center on Society and Health).