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 The University of Utah announces a new institute on campus: the , formerly known as the Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS). Continuously funded since 2008 as part of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) program, CTSI is a leader in its field.

The institute designation conveys the expanding role of CTSI within the state of Utah. In addition to strong collaborations across campus, CTSI has collaborative partnerships with Intermountain Healthcare, Utah Department of Health, VA Salt Lake City, Utah Department of Health, U of U Health Regional Affiliates, and Community Faces of Utah.

"When the center was first awarded funding in 2008, the focus was on the School of Medicine and the health sciences," said Rachel Hess, M.D., CTSI Co-Director with "More than a decade later, every college on campus can benefit from the CTSI infrastructure. Becoming an institute helps bring visibility to all that we have to offer."

The institute designation also recognizes CTSI as a key player on the national stage of clinical and translational science. CTSI works closely with the Consortium of Rural States—CTSA awardees across the country with large rural and frontier communities—to advance the understanding of health and disease in these underserved populations. CTSI is leading nationally in the areas of community engagement, informatics, and human genetics, and is gaining recognition for work in implementation science.

These robust relationships—both within the state of Utah and across the nation—help ensure that CTSI achieves its mission to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of discoveries to improve human health.

"When clinical research reveals a new or better way to treat a health condition, it can take up to 14 years to get that knowledge out to the masses," Hess said. "The CTSI helps ensure that the community has access to these discoveries sooner; to go beyond just saying ‘it works' and actually pushing it from the pre-clinical space to patient access and opportunities."

"The CTSI helps ensure that the community has access to discoveries sooner; to go beyond just saying it works and actually pushing it from the pre-clinical space to patient access and opportunities."- Rachel Hess, M.D.

CTSI provides infrastructure and collaboration for clinical and translational researchers throughout the region, empowering them to:

• Conduct innovative research across the translational spectrum
• Develop and test new methods and processes for translational science,
• Design and deliver innovative services to support the research community,
• Train the next generation of clinical and translational investigators and workforce,
• Increase the efficiency and effectiveness of researchers to support discoveries that improve human health, and
• Support research that is effective, efficient, reproducible, and compliant.

CTSI prides itself on increasing the visibility, volume, and quality of translational research through fostering multi-disciplinary research, academic research, clinical research, and community-based research. Its demonstrated impact in these areas is evident in the increased number of publications citing CTSI and the successes of its pilot program, including multiplicative growth in associated research funding.

Over the last two years, CTSI has collaborated with University of Utah's Office of the Vice President for Research and Department of Philosophy to add yet another area of expertise: research ethics. Through this partnership, the CTSI team works closely with a research ethicist, Professor Joyce Havstad, to help weave the practice and philosophy of ethics throughout the entire institute.