Washington University Center for Diabetes Translation Research

项目总结

Project Summary The mission of the Washington University Center for Diabetes Translation Research (WU-CDTR) is to eliminate disparities in diabetes by translating, disseminating, implementing, and sustaining evidence-based research findings into real-world settings. The WU-CDTR is located at an outstanding institution that continues as the intellectual home to an exceptional group of investigators conducting rigorous translational research focused around two interacting scientific themes: (1) the root causes of diabetes disparities, and (2) the prevention of obesity as a major contributing cause of Type 2 diabetes. The WU-CDTR has evolved to become a ‘network of networks’, with investigators affiliated through a regional resource core with the University of Missouri at Columbia, and two health disparity population cores with the National Congress of American Indians, and the African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network. The WU-CDTR fosters transdisciplinary collaborations, catalyzes new ideas, and supports investigators through six research cores led by national experts in their respective fields that provide distinctive but complementary scientific expertise to inform research with populations at risk for disparities, including: (1) the Dissemination and Implementation in Diabetes Research Core, which advances the study of dissemination and implementation science in diabetes research; (2) the Policy and Systems Science Analysis in Diabetes Research Core, which advances the study of policy- and system-level interventions in diabetes research; (3) the Health Communication and Health Literacy Core, which advances the study of health communication science to test strategies for addressing health disparities in diabetes research; (4) the Health Informatics in Diabetes Research Core, which advances the development and application of healthcare informatics in translational diabetes research; (5) the Research Partnerships with American Indian/Alaska Native Communities Core, which increases the capacity of researchers to engage in translational research with American Indian and Alaska Native communities; and (6) the Solutions to Diabetes in Black Americans Core, which provides methodological and content expertise to support research with the Black population. The WU-CDTR supports a vibrant Pilot and Feasibility Program designed to attract and retain new investigators as well as established investigators new to the field; and it also supports an Enrichment Program that promotes transdisciplinary research, learning opportunities, and mentorship for young investigators. Evidence that the WU-CDTR has been successful in pursuing the mission includes a record of outstanding productivity reflected by publications and funding in diabetes and related research. Success is also measured by the growth of our research base of established and new diabetes investigators, and underrepresented racial minority investigators. The WU-CDTR is positioned as the nexus for transdisciplinary team science and transformative diabetes research addressing multiple dimensions of diabetes disparities.