The Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) at the University of Iowa encourages scientists, physicians, and concerned citizens to collaborate in unique ways to turn discoveries into effective treatments that benefit Iowans and people worldwide. The following story is one example of how the University of Iowa is building bridges on a global scale to translate knowledge into practice.
Advancements in clinical and translational research rely heavily upon the cultivation of successful collaborative efforts by an ever-growing community of interdisciplinary scientists. J.L. Cohen, Interim Vice President for Research at The University of Iowa, refers to the convergence of interdisciplinary teams charged with attacking extremely complex problems as "a very integrative concept." Cohen emphasizes collaboration, because it enhances professional training while allowing students to broaden and strengthen their experience base and familiarize themselves with knowledge outside of their focused disciplines. Therefore, the act of seeking collaboration between skills sets is advantageous for both research and training purposes.
The Biomedical Informatics Key Function's ultimate goal is to establish and maintain an integrated informatics infrastructure that effectively supports clinical and translational research at the University of Iowa and across the national consortium. We offer useful and accessible knowledge resources for researchers in the form of a federated infrastructure (a broad selection of local and national databases combined into a single virtual framework). These interconnected resources are fully capable of capturing, archiving, and managing all the various technological forms and mediums involved with conducting biomedical research.
This space links researchers to our collaborative tools. Current tools are Research Profiles, the ICTS wiki and the ICTS calendar.
Loki: Research Profiles is a research networking tool. It allows researchers to share their research interests, keywords, MeSH headings and their publications with other researchers to discover new collaboration opportunities.
In an ongoing effort to remove barriers to clinical and translational research, stimulate new interactions, and encourage innovative multidisciplinary research and training programs, The Institute for Clinical and Translational Science provides investigators with a number of research resources. These resources are available by clicking on the links located on the left side of your screen or by accessing the descriptive links provided below. If you can't find what you're looking for you may simply use the search box located to the right side of your screen or contact us.
