About UR CTSI

The UR Clinical and Translational Science Intitute (CTSI), established in 2006, is a research engine that helps researchers connect, learn, and get what they need to improve and speed the development of interventions to improve health outcomes for all people. UR CTSI is one of the original 12 institutions funded by the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program, which fosters institutional collaborations to improve the efficiency, quality, and impact of the translational research process.

Our focus is on the intersection of translational science and health equity.

Institutional Values

• Integrity: The UR CTSI promotes research that is reproducible, community-engaged, and compliant with rules and regulations.
• Inclusion: The UR CTSI strives to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.
• Compassion: The UR CTSI demonstrates compassion through our goal of improving population health and reducing health disparities in our communities.
• Accountability: The UR CTSI is accountable to the University and funding agencies as well as local and global communities for whom we provide research and education programs. We are committed to developing metrics of accountability consistent with these values.
• Respect: The UR CTSI respects the differing values of the communities we serve: students, researchers, patients, and community members. We are committed to the value of team science, which includes fostering a culture of transdisciplinary respect and active engagement with scientists of every background and perspective.
• Excellence: The UR CTSI strives to be a national model for excellence in translational science and research education programs. We are dedicated to training and supporting researchers to enable them to achieve the highest quality of work in their fields and are committed to excellence in translational research at a national level by balancing efficiency, integrity, and timeliness.

Institutional Commitments

UR CTSI is committed to:

• Funding innovative, early-stage research
• Training the next generation of translational scientists and researchers
• Engaging the community throughout the research process
• Integrating underserved populations into health research
• Robustly supporting clinical trials at URMC
• Advancing the use of state-of-the-art technologies to handle clinical and research data
• Increasing the quality and efficiency of research through processes innovation
• Developing innovative translational science research

Institute Branches

The UR CTSI is composed of five operational branches: Informatics and Analytics, Population Health, Research Education and Career Development, Research Services, and Translational Science. Each branch is led by strategic and operational leaders who oversee the execution of the branch's assigned function and programming.

The UR CTSI is also home to three offices and two centers: the Office of Clinical Research, the Office of Regulatory Support, the Office of Research IT, the Clinical Research Center, and National Center for Deaf Health Research.

We View Translational Science Through a Health Equity Lens

The UR CTSI is dedicated to advancing translational science with a specific focus on improving health equity. We are committed to improving the processes that translate research discoveries into treatments and interventions that enable all people to achieve the best health possible.

Translational science creates research innovations to overcome challenges and barriers present in translational research, speeding the development of more effective treatments and health interventions.

Health equity means that all people can attain their best possible health. Achieving health equity requires addressing historical and contemporary injustices, overcoming economic and social barriers, and eliminating preventable health disparities.

Our understanding of health equity is informed by UR Medicine’s commitment to equity and community health.  Our programs are proactive in diversifying and educating the clinical research workforce, ensuring that research study subjects reflect the community, supporting community engagement at every stage of research, and educating researchers and community members about structural racism and population health. The Office of Health Equity Research was incubated at UR CTSI and has since grown into a key component of the Center for Community Health & Prevention.

Contributions to the Consortium

As one of the original dozen institutions in the CTSA Program, the UR CTSI has long been a leader in the field of clinical and translational science. It housed the CTSA Program coordinating center, then called the Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration, from 2017 to 2023 and remains an important player in the new Coordination, Communication & Operations Support Center.

Coordination, Communication & Operations Support Center

The UR CTSI holds a sub-contract of the Coordination, Communication & Operations Support Center, to coordinate and support team science activities across the consortium. Our team science and survey experts organize Collaborative Workshops and help CTSA program groups design, develop, and implement surveys and analyze results to harness some of the knowledge and experiences across the CTSA Program consortium.

Trial Innovation Network

The Trial Innovation Network is a collaborative initiative within the CTSA Program and is composed of three key partners: the CTSA Program Hubs, the Trial Innovation Centers, and the Recruitment Innovation Center. Carrie Dykes, PhD, director of Research Services for the UR CTSI, serves as a co-investigator on the Recruitment Innovation Center grant and manages a community of recruitment and retention experts who identify and share best practices for participant engagement.

Advisors and Oversight

The UR CTSI benefits from the leadership, advice, and oversight of three valuable advisory bodies.

External Advisory Committee

The External Advisory Committee (EAC) reviews UR CTSI progress on key goals and metrics and advises on overall strategy. It is comprised of members from across the CTSA consortium who serve two-to-three year terms. Members of the EAC are chosen for specific professional expertise in areas of strategic importance. The EAC meets on an annual basis.

Community Advisory Council

The Community Advisory Council provides URMC with community expertise and viewpoints and helps URMC leadership prioritize health-related initiatives and strategy to better serve the Rochester area and reduce health inequities. The UR CTSI benefits from consultation with this council, primarily in areas of study subject recruitment and identifying key research priorities.

Strategic Leadership Group

The faculty and administrative leaders of the Strategic Leadership Group (SLG) provide input on UR CTSI initiatives, programs, educational programs, and more, helping to shape how UR CTSI efforts interface with our audiences at URMC and in the community beyond.