The University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) unites clinicians, researchers, and communities to accelerate the translation of basic science discoveries to tangible improvements in health, with particular focus on Appalachia.
Founded in 2006, we've received two Clinical and Translational Science Awards from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science at the National Institutes of Health.
National and Regional Partnerships
The UK CCTS collaborates with CTSA institutions, academic medical centers, regional hospitals, and community partnership across the country and through Appalachia, including serving as a founding member of the Appalachian Translational Research Network (ATRN).
In Central Appalachia, we partner with academic medical centers in the ATRN as well as with hospital systems, the UK Markey Cancer Research Network, and numerous community organizations to address health disparities and promote wellbeing.
Impactful Funding & Awards
20:1
ROI for Pilot Funding Program
14.3:1ROI
on Pilot Grants Related to Substance Use Disorder
17.7:1ROI
on Pilot Grants from the Appalachian Translational Research Network
The UK CCTS Pilot Funding Program stimulates innovative science to accelerate improvements in health. Our funding prioritizes multidisciplinary research and projects that focus on health disparities, particularly in Appalachia.
Since our first CTSA funding in 2011, we have funded 300 pilot awards.
Engaging with Our Communities
41Participants
of the Community Leadership Institute of Kentucky
28
Appalachian Counties Impacted by the Community Leadership Institute of Kentucky
22:1
ROI on Appalachian Translational Research Network Grants
The CCTS Community Engagement and Enrichment Core empowers local solutions for health and brings research from campus to meet people where they are. We support community leaders as well as UK researchers with grants, training, and research services.
Community Seed Grant Recipient Uses Personal Health Journey to Motivate Others in Diabetes Prevention
After retiring as a teacher and learning she was pre-diabetic at age 57, Mary Beth Castle lost 81 pounds and began a new career as a Community Health Educator in Johnson County, Kentucky. A Community Seed Grant from the CCTS allowed her to continue and grow the "Fall into Fitness" diabetes education and prevention outreach events, where participants get their A1C levels checked and take a self-paced walk together. Anyone who is pre-diabetic gets a personal phone call from Mary Beth, inviting them to participate in a free, CDC-recognized diabetes prevention program.
Central to the CCTS mission is preparing the next generation of clinical and translational researchers and supporting faculty in career development. We offer a spectrum of education and training programsranging from professional to undergraduate levels.
Focus on Health Disparities & Special Populations
54%
of CCTS Service Requests Related to Health Disparities in 2019
42.8%
of CCTS Service Requests Related to Special Populations
29%
of CCTS Pilot Awards Related to Health Disparities or Special Populations
The metrics above are based on data extracted from CCTS Service Request Forms. Health disparities include cancer, diabetes/obesity, cardiovascular disease/stroke, and substance use disorder. Special populations include aging/elderly, pediatric, rural/Appalachia, under-represented minorities, disadvantaged backgrounds, and LGBTQ.
Impact of Publications
3,308Publications
147Researchers
39,453Citations
Influential Publications: Field-Weighted Citation Impact of 1.59
A notable finding in scholarship tracking emanated from the implementation of SciVal at the University of Kentucky, which was partially supported by the CCTS, and driven by the Tracking and Evaluation (T&E) Core in conjunction with the Office of the Vice President for Research. The T&E Core examination of bibliometric indicators for CCTS pilot program awardees between 2012 and 2017 indicated robust publication productivity among this group, and a Field-Weighted Citation Impact of 1.59, indicating that publication outputs have been cited 59% more often than expected, a robust indicator of influence. See selected recent publications here. »
High Quality Services
90%
of CCTS Users Would Recommend Us
1343
Average Annual Inpatient Visits
1,050+
Members of the UK CCTS
Empowering the Process of Discovery
The CCTS offers a broad spectrum of services and resources to support research from study design to study close-out.
