MPIs, Dr. Jennifer Croker and Dr. Timiya NolanThis program will be collaboratively led by MPIs Dr. Jennifer Croker, Associate Professor of Medicine and Senior Administrative Director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), and Dr. Timiya Nolan, Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. Set to take place June 9-10, 2025, in New Orleans, Breaking the Boundaries: Reimagining Health Research and Clinical Practice for a Healthier Tomorrow is a two-day symposium uniting community advocates, academic researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore bold new pathways toward improved health outcomes. This highly anticipated symposium is one of only 18 selected nationwide by a coalition of leading health research funders known as the Collective to Strengthen Pathways for Health Research. The Breaking the Boundaries Symposium will focus on the urgent health challenges facing communities in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and beyond, serving as a model for collaborative, community-engaged solutions to improve health in the Deep South.
Collaborative Opportunities Enabled through this Symposium
- Shape the Future of Health Research: Contribute to the development of actionable strategies, funding priorities, and policies that address chronic diseases.
- Collaborate Across Sectors: Engage with a broad network of representatives from academy, community, government, and industry.
- Build Meaningful Partnerships: Discover opportunities for collaborative research, community-led interventions, and innovative healthcare solutions.
- Elevate Your Voice: Share experiences and insights to help create a roadmap for transforming health outcomes in the Deep South and beyond.
“This symposium is more than an event; it’s a call to action,” said Dr. Croker. “We are bringing together people who are passionate about accelerating the translation of research insights to impact health — from community members and advocates to researchers, clinical providers and policymakers. Together, we will chart a course toward improved health for all.”
Sindy Escobar Alvarez, Program Director of the Medical Research Program at the Doris Duke Foundation, adds, “The impact of biomedical discovery over the past 75 years has been breathtaking, but our national health research funding paradigm is incomplete. The Strengthening Pathways Collective and symposia endeavor to advance innovation in health research by bringing people together to think through what we’ll need to improve the societal benefits of research.”
Join the Conversation
Be part of this vital national dialogue that seeks to realign research with the most pressing health priorities of our time. Register now or sign up for updates at go.uab.edu/bbsymposium or email ccts@uab.edu.About Strengthening Pathways
Strengthening Pathways is a national conversation focused on identifying opportunities to better translate innovations from prevention and care research to maximize societal benefits, comprised of 18 symposia occurring across the country in the spring and summer of 2025. Supported by a collective of leading funders of health research in the U.S., these symposia will illuminate strategies to connect societal health priorities with research ideas, funding models, policies and commercial incentives to improve health outcomes. The aim is to create a blueprint for action that can shape new funding models, policy changes and industry investments to promote health innovations that prevent disease and improve outcomes of clinical care.About the Collective to Strengthen Pathways for Health Research
The Doris Duke Foundation, together with American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Dana Foundation, Donaghue Foundation, Prebys Foundation, Robertson Foundation, Susan G. Komen, and additional philanthropic partners are the Collective to Strengthen Pathways for Health Research. The Collective is seeking to bring greater attention and resources for breakthrough health research to improve how we prevent and address disease. Our current activities are focused on elevating voices and ideas to help define an actionable blueprint for progress.About the Center for Clinical and Translational Science
To speed the translation of research into improved health, the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) is committed to increasing research capacity, accelerating research processes, engaging communities in trusting, productive teams, developing and supporting excellence in the research workforce and providing creative, innovative approaches to major health and health care delivery challenges. The vision of the CCTS is to reduce chronic diseases within the Deep South as we accelerate discovery to improve health. The Center has assembled a robust Partner Network–spanning Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana–to ensure that research and training efforts serve the region while maximizing collaborative synergies in translational science to advance fundamental and clinical discovery through to application.About the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
One of the nation’s leading cancer research and treatment centers, the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at The University of Alabama at Birmingham is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center located in a four-state area that includes Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. From bench to bedside, the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB is at the forefront of improving cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and researchers here have pioneered advances in chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and nutrition. The Office of Community Outreach & Engagement collaborates with health care providers, administrators, policymakers and community-based nonprofit agencies to reach specific audiences within our catchment area. The office supports researchers at the local, state and national levels who seek to recruit participants for various studies including clinical trials, observation studies and non-therapeutic trials. The office further supports O’Neal Cancer Center researchers by facilitating community partnerships, soliciting stakeholder input and presenting research findings.Media Contact: Brian C. Moon, Communications Director, Center for Clinical and Translational Science