CCTS Director of Administration and Fiscal Affairs Dr. Jennifer Croker presented findings from a study on the engagement of consortium administrators in CTSA leadership groups.

Our CCTS team represented at the Fall CTSA Program meeting held in Arlington, VA, October 22-23, 2018. From leading discussion on ways to further tap administrative talent to showcasing our innovation and impact at the poster session, CCTS was fully engaged and engaging throughout the two-day meeting.

CCTS Director of Administration and Fiscal Affairs Dr. Jennifer Croker presented results of a CTSA-wide survey on the potential value of administrators to the consortium, starting with a basic understanding of current roles, skills, expertise. The survey also measured administrative engagement on CTSA leadership groups.

Along with her copresenter, Dr. Carmela Lomonaco of UCSF, Croker led the audience in a discussion of ways to further tap key administrators’ talent in service to the CTSA mission. Topics included projects NCATS might identify that are well-suited to administrators taking the lead and becoming more integrally involved in strategy, planning, and communication efforts.

NCATS CTSA Director Dr. Michael Kurilla spotlighted CCTS Investigator Dr. Courtney Peterson as a KL2 Scholar exemplar.

“Like CTSA Directors, administrators usually have their finger on the pulse of everything happening in their Centers or Institutes and are uniquely able to identify potential synergies,” Croker said. She highlighted a quote from the survey that said, “CTSA Administrators are the linchpin that keep their respective programs informed and functioning…like the Notice of Award, if you don’t have one, you don’t have a grant!”

Other highlights from the meeting included a special spotlight shone on CCTS Investigator Dr. Courtney Peterson by NCATS CTSA Program Director Dr. Michael Kurilla. He profiled Peterson as one of two KL2 scholars whose translational research careers reflect the NCATS ideal, promising to rapidly and profoundly make a meaningful difference to national health outcomes with her studies on early time-restricted feeding and human circadian rhythms. (To learn more about Dr. Peterson’s experience as a KL2 scholar, read “Sharpen Your Research Skills, Boost Your Career with a Mini-sabbatical.”)

CCTS contributed to discussions in every session, including those on Common Metrics, SMART IRB, the ACT Network, Integration of Clinical Care and Research, Preclinical Innovation, Hub Engagement with CD2H, and the Trial Innovation Network.

Our team also presented a poster on “CCTS Innovation and Impact,” which underscored the integral role local, regional, and national partnerships play in CCTS’ ability to enhance research capacity, foster transdisciplinary investigation, grow a skilled and knowledgeable translational workforce, engage communities in all stages of the scientific process and develop innovative approaches to major health and health care delivery challenges.

Next up? Join us at Translational Science 2019, which will take place in Washington, DC, March 5-8. Register by January 18 to save on the year’s premiere scientific event.