Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute

The Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) is submitting this
revision for a third cycle of Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) funding at a time of
dramatic growth and opportunity at our hub. The SC CTSI encompasses the University of
Southern California (USC) and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA), in close partnership
with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Our vision is to be a leader in
clinical and translational research to benefit all populations within our local communities. Our
approach builds on past success, acknowledging the changing landscape of clinical and
translational research (CTR), the priorities of the CTSA program, and the evolving needs of our
researchers, trainees, patients and communities. Our scope leverages strengths in clinical,
health system, and community research, education and training, within the overarching theme
of mitigation of disease burden. We approach this theme working with our local communities,
different health systems, and multiple scientific disciplines to improve health care and outcomes.
Our impact encompasses academic productivity as well as benefit to our workforce, health
systems, patients, and communities. To pursue our vision in the context of our scope and
themes, we propose six specific aims: (1) Workforce Development: Train a highly skilled
workforce with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to conduct rigorous and reproducible research
focused on the evolving health needs of local communities. (2) Collaboration and Engagement:
Create a culture in which team-based research, engaging all stakeholders and following sound
principles of team science, is the standard approach to addressing complex challenges in health
and research. (3) Integration: Engage our local communities to establish clinical research
priorities; identify barriers to research; and develop, demonstrate and disseminate innovative
approaches to assure fully partnered clinical research across communities and the lifespan. (4)
Methods and Process: Apply principles of quality and process improvement to clinical and
translational research to develop and share novel approaches to enhance efficiency, quality and
impact. (5) Informatics: Provide an agile information ecosystem that encompasses research,
clinical care, communities and their environment, providing a holistic view of health and disease
and serving as the engine for discovery, innovation and insight. (6) CTSA Hub: Participate in
CTSA network activities, conduct multi-site studies, adopt successful models from peers, and
develop, demonstrate and disseminate innovative approaches. Achieving these aims will advance
the discipline of CTR directed at improving health in diverse and underserved communities.

Grant Number: 5UL1TR001855-09
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Thomas Buchanan