CCTS met with its External Advisory Committee (EAC) last week, gathering for a day-long discussion in preparation for a May 2018 submission deadline. The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including informatics, translational training endeavors, community engagement, integration of special populations, methodologic rigor, genomic and precision medicine, drug discovery and device development, clinical research capacities, and multisite trials. UAB School of Medicine Dean Selwyn Vickers, MD, welcomed our EAC members

CCTS Director Dr. Robert Kimberly opened the meeting with a historical perspective on the development of the Partner Network, “the platform from which we’ve accomplished what we have over the past 26 months.” Kimberly was followed by welcomes from UAB Vice President of Research Christopher S. Brown, PhD, and UAB School of Medicine Dean Selwyn Vickers, MD. Both leaders gave CCTS high marks for its “extremely important and rigorous work” and for “moving the needle on science.” 

We wish to thank our six EAC members, listed below, as well as Vice President Brown, Dean Vickers, NCATS Program Officer Erica Rosemond, PhD, our Partner Network site leads, and our CCTS team leads and staff who helped make our annual EAC meeting a success. 

CCTS Executive Advisory Council 

• Daniel Ford, MD, MPH (CCTS Co-Chair)
• Mark K. Drezner, MD (CCTS Co-Chair)
• Paul Harris, PhD
• Katherine E. Hartmann, MD, PhD
• Patrick Heagerty, PhD
• Sundeep Khosla, MD