MORGANTOWN, W.Va., today announced that -- The Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center of West Virginia University has been awarded a $19.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will be used to address the health issues that most commonly affect West Virginians.
The grant to the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute (WVCTSI) is part of the NIH Institutional Development Award Program for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA-CTR). The federal program provides funding for the development of infrastructure and to enable scientists to become more competitive for NIH and other biomedical research funding opportunities over the next five years.
Clinical and translational research is defined as research intended to move quickly from the laboratory to the patient - commonly referred to as bench to bedside - that more directly and specifically affects patient care.
In addition to the NIH grant, other leading educational, health sciences and healthcare entities from across the state have committed to providing another $33.5 million to the WVCTSI, to make the total initiative worth an unprecedented $53.1 million over the next five years.
The partnership includes the West Virginia University Health Sciences Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health; WVU Healthcare and the West Virginia United Health System; Charleston Area Medical Center, CAMC Institute and WVU-Charleston; the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and more.
"This NIH grant serves to instantly propel WVU Health Sciences onto a higher level as a research institution," Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H., chancellor for WVU Health Sciences, said. "I consider this one of the greatest accomplishments to have occurred in the history of WVU Health Sciences. It will help us to transform lives and eliminate the health disparities in the state."
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