Update on Clinical and Translational Research
Dear Colleagues,
Today, I am honored to be addressing you as the new Vice Dean for Clinical and Translational Research for the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. I have taken on this role at the request of Dr. Katrina Armstrong beginning in March of this year, as part of her ongoing efforts to strengthen the school and accelerate new research discoveries. Along with Dean Armstrong, the VP&S Office for Research, the VP&S Scientific Research Advisory Committee, and colleagues involved in the Dean’s strategic planning effort, I will be working to improve the clinical and translational research landscape at the medical center and to support the next generation of scientists trained at Columbia.
The Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, home to Columbia’s Clinical and Translational Science Award, has been supporting investigators and patient-orientated research at the medical center for more than 17 years. As director of this institute, I am naturally positioned to move into this expanded role, working with our administrative team in collaboration with Mike Shelanski, MD, PhD, and Jenn Williamson, MS, MPH, in the VP&S Office for Research, to streamline services for research. In this effort we have been evaluating the strengths and opportunities to support basic, clinical, and translational research. This combined team will begin a thoughtful and paced process in conjunction with VP&S leadership to identify priorities, set goals, and develop a structure for implementing initiatives and measuring impact. I look toward our school leadership for overall collaboration in leveraging and building upon the current work led by Daichi Shimbo, MD, Associate Dean of Research Career Development; Andy Lassman, MD, Associate Dean for Clinical Research Compliance; Jide Williams, MD, Vice Dean for Community Health; and our other partners at the school and medical center.
A priority emerging from our initial discussions is to enhance support for our early-career investigators and mid-career faculty, reducing the heightened challenges associated with active research compared to teaching and clinical responsibilities. In the coming months we will be reaching out to faculty, staff, and leadership to develop a five-year plan for improvements that establishes clear long-term goals. We will be identifying the critical resources, funding opportunities, and training needs that each of our investigators needs to thrive and will then work to make the services easily accessible and integrated into institutional frameworks. In one initial act aligned with the principles of Simple is Better, we plan to make meeting spaces available for free in the Irving Institute to support our early-career faculty and their teams so that they can meet in-person and build strong collaborations.
Within our long-term planning for clinical and translational research we have started to prioritize key domains for development:
- Mentoring and career development for all stages across the lifespan of research careers
- Clinical trials and clinical research infrastructure support and innovation
- Research computing and information technology enhancements and support
- Bi-directional translational research pipeline acceleration and implementation
- Community engagement and participatory research infrastructure and support
As Vice Dean, I am committed to amplifying diverse voices across our Columbia campuses and the greater Upper Manhattan community. We will need many perspectives and innovative ideas to break down silos in order to advance health equity in all phases of research and translation, building on Columbia’s outstanding record of clinical and translational research. As director of Columbia’s CTSA hub, I am poised to advance and align priorities in clinical and translational science across the school and the medical center in new ways. This is vital work essential to Dr. Armstrong’s vision for accelerating discoveries to benefit our patients and the communities we serve, and I look forward to joining with you to achieve these goals.
Thank you,
Muredach P. Reilly, MBBCh, MSCE
Vice Dean for Clinical and Translational Research
Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Medicine
Director, Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Director, Cardiometabolic Precision Medicine Program