# Expanding Translational Science in Arkansas

> **NIH NIH UM1** · UNIV OF ARKANSAS FOR MED SCIS · 2024 · $3,877,947

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Arkansas is a small and rural state with significant health disparities. The Translational Research Institute (TRI)
at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has radically transformed our environment for clinical
and translational research (CTR) in Arkansas (AR). Our current Clinical and Translational Sciences Award
(CTSA) allowed us to develop team-based, practical solutions to the health challenges of rural and
underrepresented communities in AR. We have developed new cross-disciplinary teams that are incorporating
community-based research principles into their research, and we have expanded our geographic footprint
through the development of the UAMS Rural Research Network. In response to the evolving priorities of the
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), we will now pivot toward a greater emphasis on
translational science (TS) by integrating the scientific and operational principles of TS within the context of our
translational research. Our vision is to develop and test TS innovations that will drive real world solutions to
enhance health equity for rural and underrepresented populations. In collaboration with our participating and
collaborating partner institutions, we will develop and test translational science (TS) innovations to facilitate and
amplify our translational research (TR) approaches to address the considerable health challenges of rural and
underrepresented populations in AR. Over the next seven years, we will 1) Develop, demonstrate, and
disseminate innovations that cultivate TS at multiple stages of the clinical and translational research spectrum;
2) Launch and expand innovative research programs across institutions and communities that reduce health
disparities and promote health equity; 3) Accelerate workflows to support clinical research that is high priority
and/or meets urgent national needs; and 4) Ignite innovations in training a skillful, cross-disciplinary, and diverse
TS workforce. As a small state with significant health care disparities, we are confident that our collective efforts
with our partners, collaborators, stakeholders, and communities will produce new solutions for advancing the
health of rural and underrepresented populations in AR. We will share our innovations broadly with the CTSA
Consortium to support the dissemination of our TS innovations and to improve the health of individuals
throughout the US.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10840613
- **Project number:** 1UM1TR004909-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF ARKANSAS FOR MED SCIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Laura P James
- **Activity code:** UM1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $3,877,947
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2031-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10840613

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10840613, Expanding Translational Science in Arkansas (1UM1TR004909-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10840613. Licensed CC0.

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