UCSF Clinical & Translational Science Institute

We just wrapped up our 2024 UCSF Clinical & Translational Science Institute retreat, to celebrate two decades of work, and plan for the future. Since 2006, our mission has been to translate research from the lab into real-world health outcomes. Here are some of the wins we celebrated: 🚀 UCSF Chancellor Hawgood shared an inspiring story from early in his career about maternal mortality interventions taking over a decade to reach Central Valley community hospitals. Changing practice takes work, which is why CTSI's mission is so critical. 📊 In 2023, CTSI supported 220 research protocols and provided 550 new consultations. Our team of experts is always on call to assist UCSF researchers with biostatistics, ethics, equity, scientific writing, and leveraging AI for health research. (https://consult.ucsf.edu/) 🔬 We are proud to have supported numerous critical projects, including the FDA-approved use of Teplizumab for Type I diabetes, the COVID-RECOVER study on long-term impacts, monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19, and many more. 🔍 Clinical trials often fail due to insufficient participant recruitment. We've partnered with over 150 studies to find suitable candidates, managing the details so researchers can focus on their work. (https://recruit.ucsf.edu/) 🔗 When we launched, researchers sometimes didn’t realize that world experts were in the next building. That’s why we created UCSF Profiles, which had over 2 million visits in 2023, making it easy to find UCSF experts. (https://profiles.ucsf.edu/) 🤝 Building and sustaining strong community partnerships is vital. CTSI's community engagement team helps researchers be effective partners, respond to community priorities, and institutionalize best practices. (https://lnkd.in/ghP5aebn) 🔧 Many newer UCSF researchers now take for granted the ability to search de-identified medical records or add new RCT options to electronic health records, thanks to our seamless integration into the university’s infrastructure. 🛠️ To avoid duplicated processes, CTSI helped develop a new system that streamlines applying for and receiving internal grants at UCSF. Now, 26 agencies participate in this efficient system. (https://rap.ucsf.edu/) While it's important to celebrate our achievements, much of our retreat focused on the future, and setting a foundation for CTSI's third decade. Together, we brainstormed on clinical AI safety, multilingual recruitment workflows, policy translation, growing CRC pathways for diverse populations, and more. We are proud of our accomplishments but recognize there is much more to do. Some of our brainstormed ideas might shape future plans, while others might never take off. Thank you to the UCSF researchers, staff, students, and leaders who joined us for a day of celebrating, connecting, and dreaming big.

Exciting news! Dr Vanessa Jacoby is taking the helm as University of California, San Francisco's new Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical Research. She's directing the Clinical & Translational Science Institute (funded by NIH/NCATS), and overseeing the Office of Research clinical research programs. Dr. Jacoby was Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, and served as faculty director for CTSI Participant Recruitment Program. She's run multiple studies to improve care for people w/uterine fibroids, including minimally invasive therapies. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Dr. Jacoby worked with multidisciplinary teams to study the impacts of COVID-19 on reproductive health. Much of her focus has been on patient-centered outcomes, community partnerships, recruiting underrepresented study populations, and mentorship. Learn more about her work at: • https://lnkd.in/gq6bbqc6 •https://lnkd.in/gkzbbhVx