The University has launched a new institute to accelerate the transformation of scientific discoveries into benefits for patients.
The Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute announced its opening earlier this month. The Institute, which will serve as a hub for interdisciplinary research and collaboration, will work to accelerate the application of scientific discoveries into health benefits for patients and communities.
“The CTSI will create an ecosystem for research and education efforts across Duke Health, our campus and our community," said Dr. A. Eugene Washington—president and CEO of the Duke University Health System—in a press release from the Institute. "By fostering collaborations throughout Duke as well as with our patients and our broader community, I am confident the CTSI will speed the pace at which we move discoveries to public benefit.”
The Institute will connect very different schools at Duke, ranging from the Duke Clinical Research Institute to the Fuqua School of Business, said Dr. Ebony Boulware, vice dean for translational sciences. Boulware will also serve as the institute's new director.
"The CTSI will reach to multiple schools including the schools of nursing, engineering, business, law and arts and sciences," she said. "CTSI will also work to create strong partnerships outside of Duke, including with other academic institutions and our local and regional community."
The Institute is supported in large part by Duke’s Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health, worth roughly $40 million, Boulware said.
“The [award] funds institutional training, pilot programs and infrastructure to accelerate the pace at which scientists make new discoveries and translate those discoveries to yield health improvements,” Boulware noted.
The CTSI is expected to move Duke Health forward by providing the resources necessary to link cross-campus and health system programs.
“We hope to establish a model that will lay a solid foundation for the next generation of exciting research discoveries at Duke and beyond,” Boulware said.
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