$25 Million NIH Grant Extends Research that Improves Patient Care

The Wake Forest School of Medicine received its second Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Institutes of Health, extending the school’s efforts to quickly translate research into better clinical care. 

The five-year, $25.4 million grant provides funding to: 

  • Train and build new skills within a translational research workforce. 
  • Engage community stakeholders across Wake Forest Baptist Health’s service geography to improve clinical processes. 
  • Develop an informatics system capable of managing huge data sets required across numerous, multisite locations. 
  • Enhance the speed, safety and quality of research that can be implemented into daily clinical care. 

“There are so many people living in our region who can benefit from the programs and research that will be funded through this CTSA grant,” said Julie Ann Freischlag, MD, FACS, FRCS, ED (Hon), DFSVS, chief executive officer of Wake Forest Baptist Health and dean of the School of Medicine. “That is why it is so important for us to find ways to reach and engage these populations in rural and isolated communities where health care options are limited.” 

Over the next five years, CTSA funding will help Wake Forest Baptist expand the reach of existing efforts from western North Carolina to southern Virginia, eastern Tennessee and South Carolina, where work will address health issues that affect rural populations.