Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute: UL1 Diversity KL2 Supplement

University Of Colorado Denver, Aurora CO

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Principal Investigator (Last, first, middle): Sokol, Ronald (Diversity Candidate: McNeal, Demetria, M) SUMMARY Abstract of NCATS-Funded UL1 Project Funded by NIH in 2008, 2013 and 2018 the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CUAMC) has transformed and improved the biomedical; research and training enterprise in the Colorado region and accelerated and catalyzed the translation of discoveries into improved patient care and public health. The CCTSI, a partnership of CUAMC, CU Boulder, Colorado State University, six hospitals and 20 community organizations, has established new infrastructure, streamlined processes and expanded existing resources and services for investigators and stakeholders; tripled the number of training and education programs supporting development of a translational workforce; promoted team science and interdisciplinary research; established an extensive community engagement program; created an academic home for clinical & translational scientists and trainees; and actively engaged in CTSA network activities. CCTSI has five overall strategic goals: Goal 1: Develop, educate and sustain a diverse translational science workforce to ensure the highest research innovation, quality and safety. Goal 2: Create a translational research environment in which team science and local and national collaboration are facilitated, supported and valued. Goal 3: Engage local and national communities and stakeholders in all phases of the translational research process. Goal 4: Create novel methodologies and resources to support and integrate research in special populations, including children, the elderly, the underserved and those with rare diseases. Goal 5: Further innovate and streamline our processes and enhance our informatics capacity for research start-up, implementation and oversight to promote quality, efficiency, & safety of our research and our active participation in the national CTSA Trial Innovation Network. Dr. McNeal's proposal capitalizes on CCTSI's goals one and four and their accompanying resources in the following ways. First, to support attainment of CCTSI goal 1, the CCTSI has established new programs and offers resources designed to support the development of early stage career faculty. Existing programs and resources create the ideal environment for Dr. McNeal, a junior and minority faculty member, to advance and thrive as an independent scholar. To prepare for this submission, Dr. McNeal has already participated in one CCTSI sponsored program (CCTSI Research Studio) in which a team of interdisciplinary senior scholars reviewed this project proposal and provided feedback to further refine the research question and methodology. Dr. McNeal has been competitively selected to participate in two research and career development programs: The National Institutes of Health Programs to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE) and the CCTSI-sponsored Clinical Faculty Scholars Program. Additionally, Dr. McNeal has completed two Atlas.ti courses to learn software management for qualitative data. To support learning opportunities identified in the Mentoring Plan (see figure 2), Dr. McNeal will have access to both coursework and hands on experiences over the course of the award period. Specific CCTSI training includes course work through the Clinical Sciences Graduate Program, the KL2 career in progress monthly meetings, the Pre-K grant review program and the Research Studio. Additional CCTSI trainings that Dr. McNeal will use include Regulatory Knowledge and Support, Protocol Submission and Recruiting Participants (see table 3). Second, in alignment with CCTSI goal 4, the study has an explicit focus on underserved populations. Dr. McNeal is investigating Black and Hispanic American populations. The project will identify underlying clinician and patient related factors that contribute to health disparities in outcomes and health inequities in care delivery among African American and Hispanic patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). This is an important and novel project that is the first step in addressing health disparities and fits very well within the Parent U1 grant and the functions of the CCTSI.