June 2025, Issue 2 | CTSC Newsletter

To ensure you're always viewing the entire newsletter, check at the bottom of the email to see if the newsletter has been "clipped" and, if so, click "view entire message". You can also view the full newsletter on the News and Announcements page of our website.

Meet the CTSC Team |

Anna Thornton Matos, MPH

Clinical & Translational

Research Pilot Navigator,

Clinical and Translational

Science Collaborative of Northern Ohio

Anna joined the CTSC team in March 2025 as the Administrative Lead of the CTSC Research Pilot Programs. She holds a Master's of Public Health from New York University and was lucky enough to study under Dr. Marion Nestle and Dr. Sally Guttmacher while there. With over fifteen years of professional experience in New York City and Cleveland, Ohio, including a decade as a Case Western Reserve University employee, Anna possesses the combination of institutional knowledge and long-term collaborative work relationships that uniquely suit her in her current role leading the pilot funding programs at the CTSC.

In her previous roles at CWRU, Anna worked with the Prevention Research Center for Health Neighborhoods (PRCHN) on community-engaged public health research projects and programs in Cleveland. Most recently, she worked with the Office of Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Education and Research (IPE), overseeing external and internal academic/community partner engagement for three large-scale initiatives, including a multi-school graduate-level course for over 300 students and over 60 community partners each year.

A native Clevelander, Anna was fortunate to return to her hometown to raise her four children with her husband Victor. She loves living in a walkable neighborhood in an affordable city surrounded by friends and family. She has a daughter graduating from DePaul University this month, and her twin sons, Rye and Guthrie, are entering CWRU as freshmen in the fall of 2025, studying Civil Engineering and Neuroscience! And, last, but not by any means least, she has a six year old starting first grade this fall. Outside of work, Anna enjoys planning and dreaming about travel, and she tries to get to Mexico every year. Apart from travel, being outdoors, food, and family, she happily fills the rest of her time.

Fun fact: While Mexico is by far Anna’s favorite country, she also loves seeking out remote or lesser-known islands to visit. Current favorites include: Isla Holbox, Little Corn Island, and Sardinia!

Last Call: 2025 Clinical & Translational Science (CTS) Research Program

The CTS Research Program seeks applications for 2-3 year pilot projects. The specific goal of the CTS Research Program is to support projects promoting overall health and reducing the burden of chronic illness through innovative technology.

Projects must involve multiple CTSC partners and address mid- to late-stage clinical research with measurable health outcomes. Funding ranges from $125,000 to $175,000 per year.

Watch the CTSC 2025 Research Project RFA Informational Webinar

Letter of Intent Deadline: June 30, 2025

Review the full 2025 CTS Program RFA

NIH Temporary Extension for Mentored Career Development Award Eligibility

NIH has issued a temporary exception allowing individuals whose mentored career development awards ended prematurely on or after January 1, 2025, to reapply for future awards. This policy is effective immediately through July 31, 2026. Applicants must meet all other NIH eligibility requirements and justify additional mentored training.

Read the full notice (NOT-OD-25-115)

Other Funding Opportunities:

Autism Data Science Initiative (ADSI) – This initiative will support integration and analysis of diverse autism data resources, data generation to fill research gaps, and independent validation of findings, all with rigorous privacy protections.
Due date: June 27, 2025 (OTA-25-006)

Pilot Projects Investigating Understudied Proteins Associated with Rare Diseases - This opportunity supports pilot projects to study the role of eligible understudied proteins in rare diseases. Awards provide up to $100,000 in direct costs for one year to generate preliminary data or develop research tools, with the goal of accelerating research on druggable protein targets linked to rare conditions.
Due date: July 16, 2025 (PAR-25-122)

Explore More NCATS and CTSC Related Funding Opportunities

Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Translational Fellows!

Each year, the Case Coulter Translational Research Partnerships Translational Fellows Program (TFP) — supported by the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative — immerses fellows in entrepreneurship and the translation of research into commercial ventures. The 2024-2025 TFP Final Presentations celebrated this year’s accomplishments and demonstrated the ongoing commitment to advancing translational research and innovation in our community.

Shape the Future of Innovation: 2025-2026 Translational Fellows Program Applications Open

Advance your biomedical innovation with the Translational Fellows Program (TFP). This 9–12 month fellowship provides 20% protected time, commercialization training, mentorship, and travel funds. Open to later-stage doctoral students, postdocs, and staff at CTSC institutions.

Application Deadline: July 11, 2025

Apply for the 2025-2026 Translational Fellows Program

Turn Ideas Into Impact: 2025 Cleveland

I-Corps Program Opportunity

Advance your life sciences innovation with the 8-week Cleveland I-Corps@NCATS Program. Teams will learn Lean Startup methods, conduct customer interviews, and develop commercialization plans. Learn more about the I-Corps Program.

Application Deadline: September 15, 2025

Apply for the 2025 I-Corp Program

Strengthening Community Engaged Research

The CTSC, in partnership with its Community Advisory Board (CAB), recently hosted a two-day design workshop aimed at building capacity for Community-Engaged Research (CER). Held at the new Midtown Collaboration Center, the event brought together community leaders and researchers to co-develop a CER training rooted in trust, mutual respect, and shared learning. Insights and ideas gathered during the workshop will help shape a program that benefits both community and academic partners, strengthening collaborative research across Northern Ohio.

Explore key takeaways from our Community-Engaged Research Workshop

NIH Automatic Extension of Early Stage Investigator (ESI) Status

NIH is automatically extending ESI eligibility for those impacted by grant delays between January 1, 2025, and May 31, 2025. No action is required—updated ESI end dates will appear in eRA Commons profiles by June 8, 2025.

To determine if you are eligible for the extension, please review the details in the full NIH notice.

New CTSC Funded Research on Child Asthma Presented at PAS Meeting

Dr. Sarah Ronis, CTSC investigator, recently presented new research at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting on chronic school absenteeism among Medicaid-insured children with asthma in Northeast Ohio. Her team found that over two-thirds of these children miss at least 10% of school days each year, with rates even higher among those with behavioral health issues or tobacco exposure. These findings highlight the need for interventions that address not only asthma, but also behavioral health and community support.

Discover Dr. Ronis’ latest findings—view the poster

TriNetX Enables New Findings on Testosterone Therapy in Heart Failure

CTSC module leads Dr. David Kaelber (MetroHealth) and Dr. Wilson Tang (Cleveland Clinic) conducted a large-scale analysis using TriNetX, revealing that testosterone therapy in patients with heart failure and protein-calorie malnutrition was associated with lower mortality and fewer cardiovascular events—but an increased risk of venous thromboembolism. This study underscores the power of TriNetX in enabling real-world clinical research at scale.

See how TriNetX revealed key insights on testosterone treatment and risk

CTSC Scholars Highlighted as Academic Influencers

A new study co-authored by CTSC Evaluation Director Clara Pelfrey, explores how clinical and translational science scholars are influencing both academia and the public sphere. The research highlights the rising importance of “academic influencers” in advancing science and boosting public engagement—perfectly aligned with the CTSC’s mission to transform research into real-world health improvements.

Read Dr. Clara Pelfrey's full article on academic influencers

CTSC Event

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 | 12:00PM - 1:00PM | Virtual Via Zoom

CTSC Big Data Webinar:

TriNetX Database Beginner

Join the CTSC for an introductory webinar on the TriNetX Database! Attendees will learn how to access and log in, explore the data dictionary, and perform simple queries. Perfect for beginners interested in leveraging big data for research.

CTSC Partner Event

Thursday, June 26, 2025 | 12:00PM - 1:00PM | Virtual Via Zoom

Discover with UH: Surgery Research Awareness

Join the UH Clinical Research Center for an engaging panel discussion on the latest in surgery research and innovation at University Hospitals. This session will explore the current state of surgical research, highlight advances that are improving patient care, and share the personal journeys of our featured panelists into clinical research. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and connect with leaders in the field!

CTSC Event

Thursday, June 26, 2025 | 12:00PM - 1:00PM | Virtual Via Zoom

CTSC Distinguished Speaker Series -

Health Information & Data Science

Philip Payne, PhD, FACMI, Associate Dean for Health Information and Data Science and Chief Data Scientist at Washington University School of Medicine, will share insights from his extensive career in clinical research informatics and translational bioinformatics. Dr. Payne will discuss the evolving role of data science in advancing clinical and translational research and strategies for leveraging informatics to improve health outcomes for all communities.

CTSC Event

Tuesday, July 8, 2025 | 11:00AM - 12:00PM | Virtual Via Zoom

CTSC Spotlight Series - Propensity Score Matching in Observational Clinical Research

Join us for this month’s CTSC Spotlight Series featuring Jennifer Murphy and Jared Durieux from University Hospitals. This session will provide an insightful overview of propensity score matching methods in observational clinical research, guidance on selecting covariates for estimation models, and a discussion on the impact of using propensity score matched samples.

CTSC Event

Thursday, July 10, 2025 | 12:00PM - 1:00PM | Virtual Via Zoom

REDCap Features Overview:

What is REDCap and what can it do?

Join us to learn about REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture), a secure, web-based application designed to streamline data collection and management for research studies. This session is perfect for new users or those looking to explore REDCap’s core features and capabilities.

Click on the images below to be directed to more information:

Click on the images below to be directed to more information from the CTSC and our colleagues:

ACTS Membership for Community Members

CTSC community partners are eligible to become members of the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS). Community members are able to access ACTS' member benefits, including: