Members and staff from the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) of Northern Ohio recently participated in the Translational Science 2025 conference, hosted by the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS), held April 14–17 in Washington, D.C. This year’s theme, "Translational Science 2025: Integrating Data to Power Translation," brought together thought leaders and practitioners from across the country to explore new approaches to accelerating research impact.
The presence of the CTSC included participation across poster presentations, panel discussions, and strategic sessions.
Notable Highlights and Contributions:
- Jerry Tribout, CTSC Manager of Research Participant Recruitment, presented the spotlight poster "Modernizing Clinical Research: An Administrative Approach to Unlocking the Potential of Decentralized Clinical Trials", which ranked 4th out of 602 entries. Tribout shared key takeaways on rural outreach, participant recruitment, informatics, and the importance of effectively communicating research impact: “Taking extra time to ensure messaging is concise and succinct will help relay the impact [of the CTSC] outside the research community and attract new investigators.”
- Jeri Jewett-Tennant, Assistant Director of Research Concierge Services, emphasized the importance of streamlining access to translational research for investigators. “The 2025 ACTS meeting was a great opportunity to hear how the work of translational science and translational research across the country is continuing to make a huge difference in the health of individuals and collectively in communities everywhere.” Reflecting on sessions like Dr. Dan Hartman’s DAC (Design, Analyze, Communicate) framework from the Gates Foundation, she stated: “Advancing our CTSC as a ‘crosswalk’—helping investigators efficiently move across the translational research spectrum—is vital to making a meaningful impact.”
- Sue Marasco, Assistant Director of Research Programs and Proposal Development, participated in two academic-community panels. She discussed leveraging the unique composition of those living in Northern Ohio to enhance clinical trial engagement, and how CTSA hubs can address disconnects between academic institutions and community needs. “We’re exploring inventive team science approaches to better reach the populations we serve and connect research to the markets that need it.”
- Shannon Swiatkowski, Executive Director, underscored the CTSC’s broad representation at the conference: “We had 3 posters, 2 panels, 1 spotlight poster, 1 Three-Minute Thesis competitor, a Distinguished Faculty Award and a Clinical Research Forum Top 10 Award.” She highlighted a session on CTSA advocacy from the federal landscape through the that stressed the importance of public engagement and strategic storytelling: “Nearly 50% of people don’t know where research happens. We must connect the dots between the work we do and the public we serve—through stories, relationships, and shared values.”
- Clara Pelfrey, Director of Evaluation was a panel speaker, poster presenter, 3MT judge and discussion facilitator during the conference. Her panel session titled 'Integrating Data Collection Processes and Platforms to Manage Large NIH CTSA/CTR Grants and advance Translational Science and Research' included CWRU collaborator, Jeremy Fondran, Applications Developer from UTech. She plans to begin "integrating an open repository for all researchers to make scientific outputs of all kinds citable, shareable and discoverable for the long term."
- Jeremy Fondran, Applications Developer, CWRU UTech was a panel and poster presenter at the ACTS conference. His poster, "MyCTSC: An open-source solution to harmonizing multiple data sources to improve managing, evaluating, and marketing the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) of Northern Ohio" has a potential to be made available to the larger CTSA community, similar to REDCap or SPARCRequest. "Perhaps next year...we can present our latest findings and seek additional collaborators from other CTSAs."
Other CTSC collaborators in attendance: Jacqueline Dolata (MetroHealth); Dr. Lynette Hammond Gerido (CWRU); Dr. Ye Fan Glavin (CWRU); Chesley Cheatham (University Hospitals); and Latia Phillips-Bey (HEAL Theory).
ACTS Distinguished Investigator Award
The CTSC also celebrated the recognition of Dr. Umut Gurkan, who was selected as the recipient of the 2025 ACTS Distinguished Investigator Award for Translation from Proof of Concept to Widespread Clinical Practice. Dr. Gurkan, is the faculty co-director of Translational Fellows Program (TFP) in the CWRU School of Medicine and the CTSC. He is also the Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) Annual Pilot Award Program Lead at the CTSC.
Dr. Gurkan, the Wilbert J. Austin Professor of Engineering at CWRU, has been celebrated for his groundbreaking work in developing Gazelle, a portable, affordable diagnostic tool that has transformed sickle cell disease screening and management worldwide. Congratulations on this well deserved honor! Read more about .
Top 10 Recognition
The CTSC is a proud member of the (CRF) to align its efforts with national leaders in clinical and translational research, advancing human health and well-being. The CRF’s mission to promote collaboration, advocacy, and best practices resonates with the goal of fostering innovation and transformative research at the CTSC. This year, they honored one Cleveland Clinic Investigator with a 2025 Top Ten clinical Research Achievement Award at TS25 - Dr. Keith McCrae.
Keith McCrae, MD, Staff and Professor of Molecular Medicine, at our partner institution; Cleveland Clinic, was honored for the exceptional work of he and his team on .
Congratulations to your exemplary work and for shining light on research in Northern Ohio! Read more about the .
Looking Ahead
CTSC attendees left the conference energized and aligned on key themes: clearer communication of research impact, support for investigator engagement, and advocacy for translational science. Collectively, their contributions reflected CTSC of Northern Ohio’s leadership in advancing data-driven, community-connected research that improves health outcomes locally and beyond.
