University Of Illinois At Chicago
Center for Clinical and Translational Science
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) seeks to catalyze translational research, locally and nationally, as part of a national network to improve individual and population health. Since our initial funding by the NIH in 2009, the CCTS has been a catalyst for mobilizing institutional support and resources to enhance clinical translational research and expand multidisciplinary training programs to increase workforce diversity and promote team science. The overarching goal—and driving focus—of the CCTS is to improve population health, particularly among minorities and underserved populations. Our high-quality multidisciplinary clinical and translational research, spanning T1-T4 and paired with strengths in community engagement and implementation science and appreciation for the social determinants of health, help to accelerate discoveries into practice and policy.
The Biomedical Informatics Research Specialist contributes to the conceptualization, design, development, and delivery of biomedical informatics research projects, addressing all areas of clinical and translational science for the Center for Clinical & Translational Science (CCTS). Through a customer-focused approach, this position advises investigators on how to best leverage clinical data from
- University Of Illinois At Chicago
Chicago is one of the only major cities without a 2-1-1 helpline to address social service needs (Kreuter et al., 2020) and therefore the NAMI-Chicago helpline was the most accessible resource in the Chicago region to address the dramatic increase in mental health concerns during COVID. This study examined patterns in helpline call data as the COVID-19 pandemic evolved including the impact of stay
June 06, 2022Episode Summary Early in the pandemic, Claire Decoteau, Iván Arenas their robust team of interdisciplinary researchers began to interview Black, Latinx, and white residents of three Chicago neighborhoods in order to explore how the pandemic has impacted different communities. Drawing on over 150 interviews with residents and policy makers, the team found that while COVID-19 has been treated as a
-Northwestern University At ChicagoThe 2022 EQuaTR conference offers the opportunity for clinical research staff to learn from leaders in the field, gaining practical knowledge on current trends and issues in clinical research. EQuaTR is presented by the NUCATS Institute, The Institute for Translational Medicine, and the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
March 22, 2022Episode Summary Fitness tracking devices, like FitBit and Apple watch, first hit the market around 2015. As a practicing psychiatrist and neuroscientist, Dr. Alex Leow was fascinated by this new technology and began to ask herself- if we can make data trackers for the human body, why not the human brain? Leow, longtime collaborator of former pilot awardee and CCTS clinical research support unit
February 21, 2022University of Illinois Chicago researchers have developed a compound that may one day offer hope for pancreatic cancer treatment. A pre-clinical study of the experimental compound shows that it more than doubles the average survival time for mice with pancreatic cancer, and that survival time was extended further when combined with immunotherapy. Led by Ajay Rana, professor of surgery at the UIC
February 17, 2022Episode Summary Physical activity can prove particularly challenging for frail older adults. And while there are many effective interventions to promote physical activity in this population, few end up translating from the research setting to the general public on a large scale. In this episode, former CCTS pilot awardees Drs. Jessie Chin, Kelly Quinn, David Marquez and Naoko Muramatsu discuss
January 14, 2022Episode Summary Dr. Amy Lasek studies the biological foundation of alcohol and drug addiction, including the neurobiological differences between men and women as they pertain to alcohol use disorder. Dr. Lasek spoke about her efforts to understand the mechanisms of binge drinking behaviors in women, as well as the important role her drug discovery collaborators play in bringing the basic science
October 25, 2021Episode Summary: Dr. Tara Mehta and her partners at Urban Initiatives talk about their efforts to improve children’s mental health by teaching recreational staff how to promote social-emotional learning during recess. Featured Researchers & Partners: Tara Mehta, PhD Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology Department of Psychiatry, UIC College of Medicine Consultant, CCTS Community Engagement &
June 29, 2021Amy Lasek, a former UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science pilot grant awardee (2018-2020) and researcher at UIC’s Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. The study, “Transcriptomics identifies STAT3 as a key regulator of hippocampal gene expression and anhedonia during withdrawal from chronic alcohol exposure,” builds on her
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The Research Associate II, Clinical Research Center may assist with all studies supported through the Clinical Research Center. The Clinical Research Center (CRC) provides the UIC research community with a core of clinical research professionals. These individuals possess specialized training to provide a full array of clinical research services including, but not limited to: initial planning and
March 25, 2021Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have identified a potent new antiviral compound that can effectively block viral replication in human cells. The discovery, spearheaded by the UICentre for Drug Discovery, could lead to the development of a new therapy to treat patients infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The researchers say it could be a powerful new weapon in
March 23, 2021In the hours after we die, certain cells in the human brain are still active. Some cells even increase their activity and grow to gargantuan proportions, according to new research from the University of Illinois Chicago. In a newly published study in the journal Scientific Reports, the UIC researchers analyzed gene expression in fresh brain tissue — which was collected during routine brain surgery
March 02, 2021Several University of Illinois Chicago faculty members have addressed the issue of how to ethically conduct research with Black populations. In their paper “Ethics of Research at the Intersection of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter: A Call to Action,” authors Natasha Crooks, an assistant professor, Phoenix Matthews, a professor, both of the UIC College of Nursing, and Geri Donenberg, director of
February 25, 2021The SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus behind the current pandemic, infects humans by binding its surface-exposed spike proteins to ACE2 receptors exposed on the cell membranes. Upon a vaccination or a real infection, it takes several weeks before the immunity develops antibodies that can selectively bind to these spike proteins. Such antibody-labeled viruses are neutralized by the natural killer and
February 22, 2021Manipulating the production of new neurons can improve cognition in animal models of the disease, raising the possibility that figuring out a way for humans to make more neurons could make a difference for people with dementia. Abby Olena, The Scientist Charlie Arber, a stem cell biologist at University College London, works with induced pluripotent stem cell models of inherited forms of dementia-
February 17, 2021The good news for women with HIV is that they appear to be no more vulnerable to menopause-related cognitive declines compared with other women.
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Biomedical Informatics Senior Research Specialist UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science The Biomedical Informatics Senior Research Specialist contributes to the conceptualization, design, development and delivery of biomedical informatics research projects, addressing all areas of clinical and translational science for the Center for Clinical & Translational Science (CCTS). This
Eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic gastritis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, and eosinophilic colitis are disorders in which a type of immune cell (called eosinophils) builds up in the digestive tract, causing gastrointestinal tissue damage. These disorders are painful, lifelong, and make it hard or impossible for people to eat many or all foods. The Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal
The Brain Vascular Malformation Consortium (BVMC) focuses on three rare brain conditions: familial cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM), Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS), and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). These disorders are poorly understood, costly to manage, and can cause serious complications such as hemorrhages, seizures, and problems with spinal cord, nerve or brain function. Over
October 06, 2020Story Transcript “It was not my intent to be involved at all, ever.” Bonnie Blue is Chicago’s first COVID-19 vaccine participant and one of more than 25,000 people who have volunteered for the Moderna vaccine trial so far. She didn’t intend to volunteer, but the rising death toll and an opportunity to save lives changed her mind. Blue says, “My people typically are not very trustful, but what I’m
University Of Illinois At ChicagoAbout the Program
The popular CIRTification program is now available for implementation at the institutional level. CIRTification is a free, web-based human research protections training program tailored specifically to the needs and roles of community research partners.
August 24, 2020Today, a handful of Chicago residents will be the first in the city to participate in a national clinical trial to test a potential vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The vaccine is an mRNA vaccine developed by Moderna, a Massachusetts-based biotech company. It is one of many vaccines in development but so far is one of the leading candidates being developed in the U.S- July 25, 2020Story courtesy of CBS News Black Americans already face health disparities, but added pressure from the pandemic and social unrest is compounding stress for many. Dr. Olu Ajilore, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Clinical Research Center director for UIC's Center for Clinical and Translational Science, joins CBSN’s Lana Zak to talk
July 21, 2020One of the first synergy papers supported by the CLIC and CTSA consortium was published in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. Abstract: A primary barrier to translation of clinical research discoveries into care delivery and population health is the lack of sustainable infrastructure bringing researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and communities together to reduce silos in
July 02, 2020The University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Clinical and Translational Science has released a free online version of its popular human research protection training program for community partners, CIRTification.
A leading cause of illness and death worldwide is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a group of lung diseases that make it difficult to breath. The COPD Outcomes-based Network for Clinical Effectiveness & Research Translation (CONCERT) is a consortium of six Clinical Centers and a Data Coordinating Center whose mission is to pool their expertise to ease the suffering caused by COPD. The
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With an emphasis on educational issues and a goal of sharing resources, best practices and facilitating collaboration, members of the Midwest Consortium (MC) partner to strengthen clinical research education programs, mentoring, and career development opportunities for scholars. The Midwest Consortium for education and research collaboration began in 2006 with three Roadmap K12 institutions
University Of Illinois At ChicagoUICentre is a campus-wide small molecule drug discovery initiative at the University of Illinois at Chicago associated with the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CTSA). Using established core instrumentation and with modest annual support, UICentre was conceived to utilize existing resources to leverage the expertise of scientist and clinicians teams across campus in collaborative