CTSC of Northern Ohio showcases impact and innovation at ACTS Translational Science 2026
At the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) 2026 conference, representatives from the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) of Northern Ohio presented research and led national discussions aligned with the theme “Building Trustworthy Translation: Rigor, Reproducibility and Real-World Impact.”
National leadership and operational excellence
The CTSC played a prominent role in sharing best practices in community-engaged research and informatics. Darcy Freedman, PhD, CTSC community-engaged research module co-lead, presented in the multi-institution session, “Building Stronger CABs: Strategies from Across the CTSA Consortium,” focusing on enhancing community advisory boards to ensure research remains responsive to community needs.
In informatics, CTSC informatics module co-lead David Kaelber, MD (MetroHealth), delivered “Connecting Communities and Accelerating Multi-Site Research: StudyFinder Meets Epic’s Cosmos Teleport.” He highlighted how integrating recruitment tools with large-scale data platforms can strengthen multi-site research nationwide. The session shared practical insights on reaching varying populations, reducing recruitment barriers and accelerating prospective study planning.
Evaluation and impact
Lora Parent and Lixin Zhang (CWRU CTSC) contributed to national dialogue on measuring research success. In collaboration with colleagues from the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) and The Pennsylvania State University CTSI, they led “From Data to Story: Using Evaluation to Amplify Translational Science Impact.” The session demonstrated how advanced evaluation approaches can transform data into compelling narratives that drive institutional and community change. Panelists shared examples from their CTSA hubs, including a video series featuring powerful personal stories and a structured reporting process that builds a robust, trackable database of story content adaptable across formats and audiences.
Research highlights and community engagement
The CTSC’s commitment to community-engaged research (CER) was further demonstrated through posters presented by Darerian Schueller (MetroHealth), Ivory J. Simms (CWRU) and Ranjini (Rini) Ghosh (CWRU CTSC). Their work showcased strategies for building research capacity, including:
- Amplifying community voices: Facilitator-led power sharing within CE studios to strengthen translational research
- Building capacity through co-design: Development of a community-engaged research 101 training program for stakeholders
- Tailored mentoring: A specialized approach to supporting early-stage investigators in conducting high-impact CER
Beyond these presentations, Lixin Zhang, PhD, also presented “Evaluation as a Core Service in CTSA
Hubs” at the pre-conference Evaluation Special Interest Group (SIG). The session emphasized national efforts to position evaluation as a foundational component of translational science infrastructure. The CTSC evaluation team shared its participatory, outcome-based model, integrating hub-wide evaluation, program assessment, and investigator support guided by CDC frameworks. This work generated strong national interest in scalable approaches that help CTSA hubs transition from fragmented evaluation practices to integrated, decision-driven ecosystems.
Looking ahead
Through these presentations and collaborations, the CTSC of Northern Ohio continues to lead efforts in advancing trustworthy translation and delivering real-world impact across the clinical research landscape.
