Congratulations to our six CCTS Partner Network Multidisciplinary Pilot Program Award winners for 2017. Their projects seek to address disparities in diseases disproportionately represented within the Deep South, including pediatric cystic fibrosis, cardiovascular disease, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, as well as neuroendocrine, prostate, and breast cancers.
Thirty-seven letters of intent were received from applicants representing nine partner institutions in response to the request for applications (RFA) launched in September 2016. Of these, 15 investigators were invited to submit full applications. During this phase, applicants met with a member of the CCTS Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD) group and other units (e.g., informatics, clinical services), as applicable, to ensure methodologic and scientific rigor in study design. Applicants also participated in a project review panel, arranged by the CCTS Research Commons, which assembles a team of peers with expertise tailored to the scientific content to further refine the scientific premise and to sharpen the presentation.
The CCTS supports a comprehensive process to assess the scientific aims and experimental design of pilot applications and to identify meritorious proposals, engaging reviewers internal to the Hub and internal to the CCTS Partner Network. The Center also supports external review enabled through the CTSA Consortium and community-based review in partnership with the CCTS One Great Community. The final group of awardees represent two CCTS partner institutions: UAB and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. This year’s awardees will each receive up to $60,000 to cover direct costs of their research for the period of May 1, 2017-April 30, 2018.
“The goal of the CCTS Multidisciplinary Pilot Program is to develop the future research workforce in a spirit that fosters collaboration, team science, and innovative discovery,” said Dr. Stuart Frank, CCTS Co-Director. Projects must address scientific questions consistent with the CCTS mission at any stage of the translational spectrum, from the biological basis of health and disease to interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public.
To learn more about the CCTS Multidisciplinary Pilot Program, contact the CCTS Research Commons (