The UCI Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) is designed to identify, test and implement innovative ways to break down barriers that impede biomedical discovery. The overarching vision of the ICTS is to: 1) Nurture novel collaborations by building multidisciplinary research teams such as chemists and clinicians exploring breath biomarkers in the human “ventilome.” ICTS experts in the science of team science will work with investigators to identify and remove obstacles to successful collaboration. 2) Create new research tools by assessing new technologies for clinical investigators including: iophotonics and microdevices; ubiquitous computing for field research; approaches for qualitative and comparative effectiveness research; and metrics of human performance that link genomic information with dynamic disease phenotypes. 3) Share information by bringing together clinicians, hospital IT staff and UCI scholars in the Center for Biomedical Informatics. Infrastructure for clinical data interoperability is embedded in the data warehouse; 4) Engage our community by championing new approaches such as PEER (Participant Experience Enhancement in Research), a program that views research volunteers as partners in the process of discovery. Research outreach and dissemination activities are targeted to a variety of timely healthcare issues, such as mitigating elder abuse and preventing sudden death in pediatric athletes. 5) Training clinical and translational researchers by sponsoring Crossing Boundaries, a set of degree and certificate programs along with mentorship interaction that tackles key issues in translational science.
