About SCCTER

You can also obtain boilerplate text intended to be copied for proposals and "other support" summaries. We have general descriptions of SCCTER and a description of the patient interaction resources (GCRC/CTRU).

Mission

The core mission of Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Education and Research is to transform the research and educational enterprise at Stanford University in order to optimally support clinical and translational research (CTR). The Center uses the outstanding and diversified interdisciplinary resources of the University to streamline, accelerate, and promote the translation of basic discoveries into practical solutions that improve human health in the community, and to educate the next generation of CTR leaders to ensure more effective translation in the future. These goals are being achieved through a series of coordinated and transformative changes in our educational and mentoring programs, institutional governance structure, research support infrastructure, and the institutional culture overall.

History

NIH has supported clinical and translational research through multiple separate programs including the General Clinical Research Centers. In recognizing the important linkages between these resources and the need for interdisciplinary training beyond that provided by traditional academic structures, NIH created the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) to give new opportunities to institutions and their affiliates to be truly innovative in proposals that transform their programs and resources to foster clinical and translational science.

In 2006, the SoM conducted a detailed survey of the faculty to identify major challenges both to our mission and to meeting the intent of the CTSA. We also initiated an intense series of discussions and committee meetings, involving a diverse cross-section of Stanford and the surrounding community, to identify areas in need of improvement or that required full-scale transformation. This culminated in the formation of SCCTER, a new Independent Academic Center to accelerate the application of scientific discoveries to patient care and improvements in human health.

Overview

Twelve highly coordinated Program Functions, each led by a dedicated senior investigator and educator, emphasize three critical components of Stanford’s CTR effort: innovation, education, and implementation. These Program Functions are listed on the SCCTER Programs and Support Services pages with links to individual descriptions.