Letter From the President

Here we are again… between the Thanksgiving break and the end of the year break. At this time, I get inspired to reflect on what I am grateful for. I am eternally grateful for my family, who supports me in all of my endeavors.  They are three loving daughters, two sons-in-law, five grandchildren and a wonderful husband of 46 years.  I am happy for the Smithbucklin Executive Director, Kim Wiatr, who supports ACTS. She is perspicacious, loyal to us and a positive force. I am thankful for the Executive Committee of ACTS—members who spend a lot of hours together over Zoom planning the activities of the ACTS; they are each fun to work with and inspirational. They have common sense and a sense of purpose. They are each members of our fantastic Board of Directors, who work tirelessly for the good of the organization. I am also appreciative of the leadership at HMC, Dane Christiansen, who is the Managing Partner and Lead of our CCTS for both CR Forum and ACTS. Dane and his team are busy each day spearheading initiatives and following the comings and goings of the Congress and he regularly reports back to us on how he can best support the scientific needs of our organizations. They also arrange the advocacy day with US Senators and Representatives on the Appropriations Committee, and others, where we advocate for clinical and translational science. At these meetings, we describe how CTSA hubs across the country provide integrated research support to many, how they contribute to translational research, and to the science of translational research, education, training and community outreach. As a member of a number of External Advisory Committees for different CTSAs, I know how important and impactful the work is that people are doing across the country and Congress needs to know. I am appreciative for the funding I have received from the NIH, and CDC. I am also appreciative of the funding the field receives from those agencies as well as AHRQ, PCORI and others.  We rely on taxpayers to inform their representatives of their wishes to keep the funding levels high. We inform Congress that if were to be cut, science would be significantly and negatively impacted—especially the science that affects the community, and the next generation of scientists.   

Each of us has a voice that needs to be heard. Whether you make a contribution to your science through publications, phone calls to staffers of our elected officials, or through community platforms, we each have a part to play to keeping our science going. We are key influencers! In the midst of influencing people locally, regionally and nationally, don’t forget to thank the people who keep you going!

Have a restful, reflective and healthy break.    

Register Now for Translational Science 2024

ACTS and our partners are excited to head to Las Vegas for the first time ever for Translational Science 2024! 

Taking place at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino April 3-5, with pre-meeting activities on April 2, TS24 will feature three days of informative scientific sessions and ample opportunities to network with an engaged community of trainees, junior faculty, and senior scientists. 

Register now to save your spot at the premier translational science and clinical research meeting, hosted for the first time in Las Vegas. Don’t miss the chance to bump shoulders with colleagues new and old. 

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition at Translational Science 2024

Let the competition begin! Back by popular demand, we're bringing the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) to Translational Science 2024. The 3MT is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia that cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. We are honored to bring this prestigious competition to our Translational Science meeting.

This friendly competition for trainees and scholars will consist of three categories:

• Predoctoral Trainee
• Postdoctoral Trainee
• Early Career Faculty Scholar

Nominations are now open! Please nominate one primary and one alternate trainee or scholar for each category to participate in the 3MT competition.  

Put your heads together with your fellow clinical researchers and translational scientists to select your teams to compete to see who can effectively explain their research to an audience of scientists and non-scientists in three minutes. Each CTSA Hub can submit their category representative submissions are due Wednesday, January 3. 

Please note, trainees and scholars are not required to have support from the TL1 or KL2 program to participate.

Submit here.

News from the Hill

Congress gave Americans a much-needed break from partisan gridlock and brinksmanship ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday by passing a clean, two-tiered Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government open and operating before the previous CR expired on November 17th. Four of the twelve annual appropriations bills; Transportation/Housing, Military Construction/Veterans, Agriculture/FDA, and Energy are funded until January 19th while the other eight bills (including Labor-HHS-Education) are funded until February 2nd.

Read more.

ACTS Special Interest Groups

ACTS offers its members the opportunity to participate in Special Interest Groups (SIGs) related to the field of clinical research and translational science. SIGs connect individuals who share similar goals and interests, providing a channel to network and participate in knowledge and resource sharing among peers.

Member Highlights

Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized for outstanding or groundbreaking work? Is your institution embarking on an exciting project? Send ACTS your story to be highlighted in future issues of the ACTS Connection.

Submit stories here.

Translational Science Today

Pharmacology and Cancer Biology: Writing the Next Chapter

Lee Zou, PhD, joined the Duke faculty in March 2023 as chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology in part because of the very collegial environment he found in Durham. He was previously professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and scientific co-director of Massachusetts General Cancer Center.

Read more.