Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA)

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In October 2006, Duke received one of the first Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) from the National Institutes of Health.

The CTSA is the NIH’s largest single investment in biomedical research. The awards are given to institutions to create academic homes for translational research. The goal is to address the development and implementation of national standards and best practices for the full range of translational medicine – from discovery science through clinical research and community health.

In October 2013, the NIH renewed Duke’s CTSA, committing to $47 million over five years. In May 2018, the Duke CTSA was renewed again, for approximately $60 million over five years.

Duke uses the CTSA funds to provide resources such as biostatistical and regulatory expertise, funding to move ideas from the laboratory through early-phase clinical trials, project management support, data sharing and informatics tools, and education for current and future translational medicine researchers.

Three principal investigators lead Duke’s CTSA program:

  • Susanna Naggie, MD, MHS, Vice Dean for Clinical Research for the School of Medicine and interim director for the Duke Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

  • Jennifer Li, MD, MHS, chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology

  • James McNamara, MD, director of the Center for Translational Neuroscience

As a CTSA recipient, Duke is part of a consortium that includes more than sixty institutions across the country. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) oversees the work of this consortium.

By law, publications supported by the Duke CTSA must cite the CTSA number, UL1TR002553, and be submitted to PubMed Central. For instructions, review the NIH Public Access Policy.


For guidance about citing the Duke CTSA, please visit our Cite the CTSA page on this website.