More than 80 representatives from across the CCTS Partner Network gathered at Tulane University (one of 11 collaborating institutions in the network) in New Orleans on Oct. 21 to continue to identify opportunities to “do together what we can’t do singly,” said CCTS Director Dr. Robert Kimberly, as well as to broaden current collaborations. The day began with “lightning summaries” of progress presented to the group as a whole, setting the stage for more targeted breakout working groups in the afternoon. 

Areas in which significant progress was made since the last face-to-face meeting of partners in June included research development; biostatistics, epidemiology, and research design (BERD); training efforts; multi-site studies and clinical trials; informatics; and community engagement. A lightning session focused on special populations as a mission-driven, cross-cutting theme. A special session on the Southeast Health Alliance for Research (SHARe) and the nascent Academic Drug Discovery and Device Development (AD4) effort drew the majority of participants back into Tulane’s Tidewater Auditorium.

Concurrent afternoon working groups explored new opportunities arranged around the following themes: Team Science, Innovation, and Commercialization; Clinical Informatics; Biomedical Informatics; Training Programs; and Community Engagement. All of the afternoon sessions shared the same overarching goal—how to take advantage of the “unparalleled opportunities” that exist for developing a regional research enterprise. 

Every partner institution in the CCTS network participated, including 62 actually face to face plus another 25 who were unable to attend in person but joined in via GoToMeeting. CCTS is grateful to its host, Tulane University, for providing an outstanding venue (the Tidewater Building) for the meeting.