Foreward

Dear friends,

This fall The University of Iowa learned that it was one of 12 academic health centers nationwide to receive a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The five-year, $33.8 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) award is the second-largest research grant in UI history.

The CTSA will support the University’s Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, which is intended to expand and enhance “bench-to-bedside” research—laboratory discoveries that lead to patient-based studies in clinical settings.

With support from the award, the Institute’s faculty members can develop new therapies based on cutting-edge research discoveries. Our goal is to make these therapies more readily available to Iowans through their local hospitals and physicians who are part of the statewide research network. To learn more about the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, see the story on page 8.

In the past few issues, you may have read about plans for the University of Iowa Institute for Biomedical Discovery (UIIBD). In September, the University held a groundbreaking ceremony and reception for the new structure, which will be built on the medical campus. The UIIBD’s state-of-the-art environment will allow life and basic science investigators to conduct high-risk, high- reward research in areas such as aging, neuroscience, regenerative medicine and cancer.

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of the Institute is that researchers from across disciplines will share space, providing an increased efficiency and added convenience to their work.

We’re thrilled that the UI Carver College of Medicine faculty members will be working in closer proximity to their colleagues from mathematics, computer science, engineering, physics and other sciences to accelerate biomedical discoveries and transform the way we approach disease. We want to move science and health care forward, and the UIIBD will help us to accomplish this goal.

The CTSA announcement, coupled with the groundbreaking for the UIIBD, has set a course for change and growth in the state of Iowa and at the University. These important steps allow us to continue to evolve as an academic health center and to improve the lives of Iowans by making new therapies and treatments available at the local level. Our future may hold some challenges, but we’re also sure to experience the joy that comes from accomplishment, as our faculty members make a lasting impact on patient care around the state.

Jean E. Robillard, MD ('74 F pediatrics)
Dean, UI Carver College of Medicine
UI Vice President for Medical Affairs