Einstein-Montefiore Clinical and Translational Science Award Hub

The Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center serves as the home of our CTSA program. The vision of the ICTR is to improve the health of the Bronx, and other communities that disproportionately and unjustly suffer from poor heath and premature death, by accelerating the translation of biomedical discoveries into effective and sustainable disease prevention and treatment strategies. Created in 2007, the ICTR has transformed clinical and translational research (CTR) throughout Einstein and Montefiore by creating a robust research environment; re- engineering CTR processes; integrating research and healthcare; and developing strong community relationships. The ICTR theme of “Building Bridges in the Bronx and Beyond” underscores the importance of bridging gaps between our researchers, health system leaders, clinicians, patients, communities, and CTSA partners to advance translational science and health equity. The specific aims of the ICTR are to: (1) Catalyze innovations that will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of translational research. We will support and fund studies with high potential to overcome major CTR roadblocks and health inequities; create methodological and informatics translational science innovations; improve CTR operations, and enhance dissemination and implementation strategies. (2) Engage communities, patients, and other partners early and throughout the translational process. Our new Community and Stakeholder Engagement Research module will transform our learning health system into a “learning health research community”; promote active and continuous bidirectional communication with communities, patients and other partners; facilitate research to identify and mitigate social determinants of health, and enhance uptake of evidence-based programs by target populations. (3) Develop and implement state-of-the-art clinical research and informatics resources and services to improve the rigor, safety, efficiency, effectiveness, and generalizability of CTR. (4) Train, develop, and maintain a skilled, multidisciplinary, and diverse translational workforce to support and lead high quality research with new training and pathway programs to ensure members of historically excluded groups engage in CTR and become research leaders. (5) Partner with other CTSA hubs and the CTSA consortium to accelerate CTR and rapidly respond to urgent public health needs. Our aims are aligned with the new CTSA program goals and will enable the ICTR to maximally contribute to the collective efforts of the national collaborative CTSA consortium to deliver more treatments to more patients more quickly in the Bronx and beyond.