The National Institutes of Health have awarded Wayne State University a grant to support the strategic planning process for a clinical translational science award.

The CTSA program is a key initiative of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. The program's strategic goal is to reshape clinical research to accelerate medical discovery and improve people's health.

"This University-wide initiative is a first milestone in successful competition for a full CTSA award, which is a goal of the Wayne State University strategic plan as well as the School of Medicine 's 'Vision 2011,'" wrote Dean Robert M. Mentzer in a letter to the WSU community earlier this week.

WSU is well positioned to fulfill the NIH's mandate that CTSA institutions engage the broad community that they serve. WSU will continue to collaborate with its key partners, including the Detroit Medical Center , Henry Ford Health System, John D. Dingell V.A. Medical Center, Karmanos Cancer Institute and the hospitals of the Southeast Michigan Center for Medical Education.

Michael Diamond, M.D., director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, is the grant's principal investigator and is leading the effort to plan for the CTSA application. Dr. Diamond will brief the School of Medicine community on ongoing efforts in coming months. For more information, please watch for news in Prognosis.