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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received a $61
million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant that will help speed
up how scientific discoveries directly benefit patients in communities
across North Carolina.
UNC is among 14 academic health centers in 11 states to join the
ranks of the NIH’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA)
consortium. By creating a network of medical research institutions
across the nation, the consortium aims to reduce the time it takes for
laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients, engage
communities in clinical research efforts, and help train the next
generation of clinical and translational researchers. The consortium is
led by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the
NIH.
The five-year grant will partially fund efforts by the
University’s new North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences
(TraCS) Institute to engage communities across North Carolina in a
continuous cycle of knowledge, discovery and dissemination of new ideas
for delivering health care.
“This institute will transform the
way research is performed in our state,” said Dr. William L. Roper,
dean of the School of Medicine, vice chancellor for medical affairs and
chief executive officer of UNC Health Care. “The initiative will bridge
science and clinical practice and speed up the movement of innovations
from the laboratory bench to the bedside and the community.”
This
initiative is campuswide, drawing on the diverse expertise of doctors
and clinicians, biomedical researchers, and a broad spectrum of experts
from public health, the social sciences, information technology and
other fields.
An example of a project the grant will make
possible is the establishment and operation of community research
units, one of which is already successfully operating in Greensboro,
N.C. Local physicians will be able to refer patients to these units,
giving the patients access to new treatments and therapeutic programs,
while also allowing researchers opportunities to better evaluate their
effectiveness.
Other proposed projects include:
- Developing
a pediatric research network with community-based research units
initially in Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Wilmington and Charlotte.
- Establishing a statewide registry of children with chronic disease.
- Continuing
a collaborative project with North Carolina Central University that
involves writing and performing plays as innovative vehicles to educate
people about diseases. This pilot project will also include dialogue
that explains the nature and importance of clinical trials.
“This is a true partnership in which communities across the state are
encouraged and empowered to help advance medical science and improve
the health care for all Carolinians,” said Dr. Paul B. Watkins, the
grant’s principal investigator. Watkins is also Verne S. Caviness
Distinguished Professor of Medicine in UNC’s School of Medicine and
director of the Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute.
Along
with NCCU, other UNC system campuses are playing roles: North Carolina
A&T State, North Carolina State and East Carolina universities, as
well as UNC Charlotte. Other organizations such as RTI International
and the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) program
will also be involved.
“We have established partnerships with
these institutions to enhance outreach to underserved populations,
local community and advocacy organizations and health-care providers,”
said Tony Waldrop, Ph.D., professor of cell and molecular physiology
and vice chancellor for research and economic development. “Our new
grant will draw on the University’s established tradition of community
engagement and invigorate a culture of community-based discovery and
outreach.”
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School of Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu.
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