OSCTR Cores
Administrative Core
The Administration Core serves as the operational backbone of the OSCTR, ensuring effective management, strategic oversight, and seamless coordination of all center activities. Our core functions include stakeholder engagement, communication strategies, scientific writing assistance, and development of centralized resources. Through these efforts, we aim to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of our investigators and support community engagement in clinical and translational research (CTR).
Core Leadership
OUHSC Senior Vice Provost – Gary Raskob, PhD
OSCTR PI/Program Director – Judith James (MD, PhD),
OSCTR Program Coordinator/Associate Director – Tim VanWagoner (PhD)
Scientific Writing Unit (SWU)
Scientific Writing Unit (SWU) will help collect, develop, and maintain content for GRO and coordinate with the CEO Core to share research results with research participants, community partners, and communities of interest.
Read More
Pilot Projects Core
The OSCTR Pilot Projects Program is dedicated to enhancing our infrastructure and equipping investigators with the necessary tools to attract support for innovative and collaborative clinical and translational research. Our focus is on addressing the major health challenges affecting our state, partner IDeA states, and underserved communities.
Through early support in the form of leadership, grant funding, and mentorship, we aim to nurture a new generation of well-trained and funded investigators. These investigators will be better prepared to translate scientific discoveries into practical applications that improve public health.
We support groundbreaking research through the OSCTR Pilot Projects Program by soliciting and funding highly innovative grants that promote multidisciplinary and collaborative clinical and translational research. Our program offers mentoring to pilot project recipients to help them identify and secure resources needed to expand and complete their projects.
Core Leadership
Pilot Core Director – Tim Vanwagoner, PhD
Pilot Associate Core Director – Lurdes Quiemado, PhD
Pilot Associate Core Director – Anne Pereira, PhD
Professional Development Core
The Professional Development (ProfDev) Core provides clinical and translational research training opportunities to medical professional students, clinicians, and faculty members using a complementary platform of didactic courses, enrichment experiences, workshops, and faculty development. This comprehensive approach includes several established opportunities for Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) training within OSCTR institutions, as well as new programs currently under development.
During this grant period, the ProfDev Core continued building evidence-based mentoring functions, focusing on the combination of career development and psychosocial functions of mentoring. This approach has been compatible with the professional development and training needs for CTR. Using evidence-based mentor competencies, the Oklahoma Center for Mentoring Excellence (OCME) was created, conducting intramural research across the seven OUHSC colleges to identify faculty self-assessed competence and confidence regarding these competencies.
Core Leadership
Prof Dev Core Director – Valerie Williams, PhD
Senior Associate Core Director – Anne Pereira
Associate Core Director – Natasha Mickel, PhD
Associate Core Director – Sydney Martinez, PhD
Prof Dev Program Director (MS in CTS) – Sar Vesely, PhD
Prof Dev Program Director (TPIR) – Jennifer Peck, PhD
Prof Dev Program Director (OSCTR Scholars) – Carol Webb, PhD
BERD Core
Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design
The Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) core is built on the OUHSC Hudson College of Public Health's strengths (and partnerships) in genetic epidemiology (OMRF), bioinformatics (OMRF, OU-Tulsa) and geospatial/temporal analytics (OU-Norman) to provide unique consulting, training, and methodology development to OSCTR investigators. The BERD provides expertise, collaborative support, and training to students, trainees, faculty members, and health care professionals at all partnering institutions.
Core Leadership
BERD Core Director – Jennifer Peck, PhD
Core Associate Director – Tabitha Garwe, PhD
Novel Methodologies Unit
Director - Sixia Chen, PhD
Design and Computational Resources Unit
Director – Michael Anderson, PhD
Associate Director – Nasir Mushtaq, PhD
Consultative and Collaborative Unit
Director – Jennifer Peck, PhD
Clinical Resources Core
The Clinical Resources Core provides IRB/regulatory assistance, research registries and repositories, physical locations, and skilled personnel for clinical and translational research. These services enable investigators to pursue new lines of clinical and translational research while making the most efficient use of their resources. The core has several aims:
- Provide and expand access to high-quality, well-characterized sample collections and clinical data for research relevant to medical issues facing the populations of Oklahoma and other IDeA states
- Facilitate clinical recruiting through clinical service units and innovative partnerships
- Deliver regulatory assistance to OSCTR Scholars and other investigators from OSCTR partners and affiliated partner institutions, including assistance in working with the Indian Health Service and tribal IRBs to ensure the protection of both individual human subjects and tribal communities
These services are provided at many OSCTR partner sites, as well as on-site facilities at OUHSC and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF). These facilities house various sample and data registries and repositories, have long-standing collaborations with typically underserved populations, and actively participate in clinical trials.
Core Leadership
ClinRes Core Director – Hal Scofield, PhD
ClinRes Associate Core Director – Matlock Jefferies, MD
Read More
Community Engagement Core
The Community Engagement Core focuses on enhancing relationships and communication between researchers and clinicians, policymakers, and communities; developing a primary health care extension system through which innovations can be more effectively disseminated and implemented; strengthening practice and community-based research; encouraging the translation of potentially impactful discoveries into practical innovations; and helping other IDeA states develop similar programs and approaches.
Core Leadership
CEO Core Director – Paul Spicer, PhD
CEO Core Associate Core Director (Tribal Settings) – Lancer Stephens, PhD
CEO Core Senior Associate Core Director – Mark Doescher, MD, MSPH
CEO Core Associate Core Director (Healthcare Settings) – Zsolt Nagykaldi, PhD
OPHIC Associate Core Director – Zsolt Nagykaldi, PhD
Tribal Engagement Unit
The Tribal Engagement Unit (TEU), led by Dr. Lancer Stephens (Wichita/Creek), is a cornerstone of our initiative. The TEU focuses on building strong, collaborative relationships between researchers and tribal communities, addressing barriers to engagement, and supporting research efforts that are culturally respectful and impactful.
Unit Leadership
Dr. Lancer Stephens (Wichita/Creek)
Read More
Tracking and Evaluation Core
Evaluation of Key Component OSCTR Activities
Aims
Our evaluation team is committed to designing and implementing tracking and evaluation activities through a participatory approach that recognizes the meaningful use of evaluation findings.
Our core responsibilities include:
- Assessing all OSCTR research and educational activities.
- Monitoring the implementation of program activities, pilot projects, and junior faculty progress.
- Evaluating the development and sustainability of multidisciplinary research teams.
- Tracking budgetary implementation, resource allocation, and resource sharing.
Our team is also tasked with determining KCA needs related to a tracking structure to enhance their overall performance, promote synergy, and increase scientific productivity.
Core Leadership
Eval Core Director – Janis E. Campbell, PhD
Eval Associate Core Director - Motolani Adedeji, PharmD
Eval Associate Core Director - Amanda Janitz, PhD, MPH
Read More