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Overview

Overview



Organizational Structure

Learn more about the UCLA CTSI organizational structure including the roles of the Directors, the Leadership Group and the Program Leaders.

CTSI Directors

CTSI Directors. Steven M. Dubinett, MD, is the director of the CTSI and has served as director since the CTSI’s inception in 2011. A translational scientist and academic leader, he is the UCLA Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and the Senior Associate Dean for Translational Research for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is jointly appointed as distinguished professor in three departments: medicine; pathology & laboratory medicine; and molecular & medical pharmacology. Building on original discoveries relevant to inflammation and immunity in the pathogenesis of lung cancer, he has developed a translational research program, which now utilizes these laboratory-based discoveries in the translational research and clinical environments. He has received uninterrupted peer-reviewed federal funding for translational lung cancer research for more than 25 years. A member of the TIN External CTSA Consultative Work Group and the CD2H PI Focus Group, he serves on the External Advisory Committees (EACs) for three CTSA hubs.

Arleen Brown, MD, PhD, is the director of the CTSI and has led the Community Engagement and Research Program since its inception. A leader in T3/T4 research, Dr. Brown is a general internist and health services investigator whose research has focused on the contribution of the individual, health care system and community characteristics to racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities for adults with chronic conditions. She serves on the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) Partners for the Advancement of Community-Engaged Research (PACER) and the national Community Engagement Disparities Workgroup. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science.

Role of the CTSI Directors. The CTSI Directors report to UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. The CTSI Directors chair the Leadership Group and are responsible for CTSI operations, budgets, planning and policy. In concert with the Leadership Group, the Directors prioritize activities, allocate resources, set decision-making policies and procedures and assist in conflict resolution. Additional responsibilities include the integration of our biomedical research infrastructure with other UC medical campuses through UC Biomedical Research Acceleration, Innovation and Development. Dr. Dubinett was one of the founding members of UC BRAID in 2010 and continues to serve on the BRAID Executive Committee. The Directors serve as the central liaison between the CTSI and its advisory boards as well as NCATS and the national CTSA network. 

CTSI Leadership Group

The CTSI Leadership Group includes the CTSI Directors; Senior Associate Directors, who are domain experts and site leaders; Associate Directors, who are associate site leaders; community stakeholder representatives; and the Administrative Director. The Leadership Group sets the Hub’s strategic direction, including training and educating young investigators, promoting multidisciplinary research, developing community partnerships and integrating large-scale research infrastructure programs across our partner institutions. Leadership Group members are institutional leaders and experts in their domains. The Leadership Group meets monthly.

Senior Associate Directors and Associate Directors
Senior Associate Directors and Associate Directors are clinical and translational science leaders from a range of fields. They bring a diversity of thought necessary to support successful multidisciplinary team science. Directors with primary responsibility for one of the partner institutions or for oversight of a key translational domain, including clinical research, community and collaboration, EDI, informatics and workforce development, have been named Senior Associate Directors consistent with their roles. Senior Associate Directors are involved in succession planning. Senior Associate Directors (domain experts and site leads) are chosen by the Directors in consultation with the Institutional Steering Committee.

Site Leaders and Associate Site Leaders
Cedars, Harbor and CDU are full partners in the CTSI and participate in all CTSI programs. Site Leaders and Associate Site Leaders are clinical and translational science leaders with primary responsibility for CTSI programs at their home institutions. Associate Site Leaders are new positions created in response to the expansive growth in CTSI operations over the past 10 years. Site Leaders are chosen by the CTSI Directors, in consultation with the ISC. Associate Site Leaders are chosen by the Directors, in consultation with Site Leaders. Site Leaders and Associate Site Leaders report in a matrix fashion to the CTSI Directors and the institutional leaders at their site.

Program Leaders

The CTSI has 12 programs and two training programs, the KL2 and the TL1. Each program has one or more leaders selected by the CTSI Directors in consultation with the Leadership Group as well as institutional leaders. Program Leaders are operational leaders with direct oversight of their programs. They coordinate program activities across our partner institutions to achieve program goals. Program leaders report to the Directors. Faculty from all four CTSI partner institutions participate in program leadership. Program Leaders meet weekly with the CTSI Directors, Site Leadership and training program Directors at the Program Area Leadership Meeting (PALM). The purpose of the PALM is to exchange information on program activities, identify opportunities for collaboration and integration, and report progress on program metrics and performance goals. 

Administration & Operations

CTSI leadership is assisted by an Administrative Unit, which provides day-to-day grants management, support for meetings, and communications. The unit includes the Grants Submission Unit (GSU), which supports team science by assisting teams of investigators in preparing large, multisite proposals. 

GSU tools and services may include provision of grant writing outlines and detailed checklists of required components, project management and multi-site coordination, review and editing of grant narrative for consistency, clarity and responsiveness to the FOA. 

The CTSI Finance team coordinates all aspects of pre- and post- award management of the CTSA, including administration of pilot and core voucher awards. The team works closely with the UCLA Office of Research Administration including the Office of Contracts and Grants Administration (OCGA), Extramural Fund Management (EFM), and Research Policy & Compliance (RPC). Our team acts as the point of contact with NIH for all fiscal matters pertaining to the CTSI grant awards.

The CTSI Communications Unit disseminates information about events, opportunities, and research to internal and external audiences, including investigators, community partners, patient advocates, the CTSA consortium, NCATS and institutional leadership.

The CTSI Evaluation Unit provides the evidence base for accelerating innovation and continuously improving operational effectiveness and efficiency of the CTSI. It collects and analyzes relevant data and provides transparent, timely evaluation to increase accountability.

The CTSI Hub established the Quality and Efficiency (Q&E) Council which leverages the heterogeneity of our institutions to test potential solutions in different research environments in our Hub. The Q&E Council meets quarterly. Our Hub partners work across our institutions as well as across UC BRAID and other CTSA sites in performing an analysis that compares trade-offs and efficiencies of different study activation approaches.


UCLA CTSI Organizational Structure