FROM THE EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR
KU Medical Center Awarded Prestigious Grant
It is with great pride that we announce that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded KU Medical Center a nearly $20 million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). When the NIH launched the CTSA program in 2006, they said they were only going to award a total of 60 CTSA grants nationwide. KU Medical Center was among the last five institutions to get CTSA grants, and we feel very fortunate that we are now among this elite group of research giants.
KU Medical Center has a long track record of conducting pioneering clinical and translational research. It was nearly six years ago that our General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) opened, and since that time, our researchers, physicians, nurses and faculty members have been conducting safe, efficient and cost-effective clinical trials that are already benefiting patients in our region, state, country and world.
It is thanks to the dedication and perseverance of the CTSA grant's principal investigators, Richard Barohn, MD, chair of the Department of Neurology, and Lauren Aaronson, PhD, RN, professor in the School of Nursing and Department of Health Policy and Management, that we were successful in getting the award. With the grant, we will create a program called Frontiers, which will greatly expand the scope of our clinical and translational research program.
The CTSA grant is just the latest indication that KU Medical Center has become a national and international leader in advancing biomedical research and getting the benefits of research discoveries to patients faster.
We are very aware that much of the news coming out of KU Medical Center in the last couple of years has been focused on cancer and our quest for NCI designation. But the clinical and translational science being conducted by our talented researchers every day – in areas such as neurology, polycystic kidney disease, liver disease, reproductive sciences, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, public health and many others – is equally critical.
Yes, we are thrilled about the amount of the grant – one of the largest in our history. But more importantly, the CTSA grant is major validation of the overall research excellence at KU Medical Center.
You can read much more about the new CTSA grant here and on the new Frontiers website.
IN THE NEWS
KUMC hosts recent Governor's summit  Governor Sam Brownback held an economic summit on the KU Medical Center campus. More than 150 gathered to hear presentations and to join in discussions about how to bring Kansas to the global forefront in the life sciences.
CALL TO SERVE Become an alumni board member  Join the Allied Health, Nursing or Medical Alumni board and participate in shaping the future of KUMC. Members of the Boards of Directors must be members of the KUMC Alumni Association, be available for board meetings throughout the year, and be passionate about KUMC. Interested applicants should contact the Alumni & Community Relations office at alumni@kumc.edu for more information.
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