Goal #1: Advance clinical and translational science

We are excited to announce that <a href="https://airtable.com/appXKhOBkj4j13VTy/pagwtz9Jheqpo8DeL/form" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">registration is open</a> for Tufts CTSI’s virtual&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tuftsctsi.org/events/translational-science-day-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2026&nbsp;Translational Science Day Symposium</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;Friday, April&nbsp;10!&nbsp;The theme of this year’s symposium is Using AI to Advance Translational Science: Methods, Tools, and Ethics. Featuring&nbsp;a keynote address from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chai.org/about/leadership" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Brian Anderson, M.D.</a>, Chief Executive Officer of&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chai.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Coalition for Health AI</a>, the event will&nbsp;spotlight recent research in health and AI from the Tufts CTSI community&nbsp;and include opportunities to explore the methods, challenges,&nbsp;tools, and ethical issues&nbsp;around AI research through interactive breakout sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp; The symposium is free to attend, and is intended for:<ul><li>Clinical and translational scientists interested in learning more about what kinds of research questions lend themselves to using AI tools</li><li>Data scientists who want to learn more about applications of AI in health research</li><li>Research team members interested in learning more about how AI is being used in CTS — no AI expertise required</li><li>Anyone interested in engaging around the challenges, ethics, and responsible use of AI tools and methods in health research</li><li>Members of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tuftsctsi.org/about-us-2/our-partners/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tufts CTSI's partners and collaborators</a>&nbsp;looking to make connections with others interested in AI and CTS</li></ul>&nbsp;

Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute

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Tufts University Boston

We are excited to announce that registration is open for Tufts CTSI’s virtual 2026 Translational Science Day Symposium on Friday, April 10! The theme of this year’s symposium is Using AI to Advance Translational Science: Methods, Tools, and Ethics.

Dr. Brian Anderson, CEO of the Coalition for Health AI, to Deliver Keynote Address at Tufts CTSI’s Translational Science Day 2026 on Friday, April 10

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Dr. Jill Urban’s path to impactful research began with an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and internships at facilities like Frito-Lay and Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant. While these roles were valuable, they&nbsp;didn’t&nbsp;ignite her passion. That spark came when Dr. Urban joined a summer internship at Wake Forest studying car crash injuries, where she first explored injury biomechanics—the application of engineering principles to the human body. This experience inspired her to pursue a PhD in biomedical engineering, focusing on translating biomechanics data into real-world safety improvements for athletes. &nbsp;<h4 style="margin-left:0px;">Building Research Foundations with CTSI</h4>The foundation of Dr. Urban’s independent research career was laid through the&nbsp;<a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/education-and-training/k12-career-development">CTSI KL2 program (now known as the K12 program).</a>&nbsp;This program provided critical protected time, mentorship, and opportunities for networking and skill development, including participation in the&nbsp;<a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/education-and-training/translational-research-academy">Translational Research Academy</a>. Importantly, the KL2 program opened doors for Dr. Urban to earn a Master of Public Health and introduced her to the principles of public health intervention and community engagement—key elements that now define her work.Following her KL2 experience, Dr. Urban collaborated with Drs. Kristie&nbsp;Foley,&nbsp;Justin Moore,&nbsp;and her mentorship team to secure&nbsp;additional&nbsp;NIH funding via the K25 Career Development Award. Recognizing the need for further data, she applied for the&nbsp;<a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/funding-opportunities/ignition-funds">Ignition Fund</a>, which provided resources to collect neurocognitive data on youth football athletes. This $5,000 grant played a pivotal role, supplying preliminary data that supported both a PhD student’s F31 application and Dr. Urban’s own R01 grant submission.&nbsp;These strategic uses of CTSI funding demonstrate how targeted support can catalyze research momentum and long-term success.Securing an R01 grant is a milestone for any researcher, and Dr. Urban credits CTSI’s writing resources and mentorship for her success. She&nbsp;participated&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/education-and-training/kr-writers-series">K&amp;R Writers Series</a>&nbsp;and received expert editing from&nbsp;<a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/service/scientific-editing-services">CTSI’s writing support specialists</a>—which helped her refine grant proposals and improve communication. In addition, Dr. Urban utilized&nbsp;<a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/service/research-studios">CTSI’s research studios</a>&nbsp;for early-stage grant planning,&nbsp;benefiting&nbsp;from feedback outside her immediate collaborators. These resources proved invaluable, especially during challenging moments when persistence and strategic refinement led to successful funding after multiple submissions. &nbsp;<h4 style="margin-left:0px;">The Power of Community-Engaged and Implementation Science</h4>Dr. Urban’s research evolved from observational&nbsp;studies to true community-engaged science, collaborating directly with youth football organizations to co-develop interventions that are both&nbsp;feasible&nbsp;and&nbsp;effective.&nbsp;CTSI’s&nbsp;<a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/program-in-community-engaged-research">Community and Stakeholder Research Engagement Program</a>helped plant the seed for this&nbsp;shift&nbsp;by introducing&nbsp;the idea of working with&nbsp;community partners.&nbsp;Dr. Urban’s research progressed with&nbsp;CTSI's&nbsp;formal&nbsp;and informal guidance, including encouragement to foster and lean into the relationships she had built over many years working with the community in observational research studies.&nbsp;Now, her work focuses on collaboration to achieve safer sports settings and stronger community partnerships.Implementation science principles, championed by&nbsp;<a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/about-ctsi/ctsa-programs/dissemination-implementation-and-continuous-quality-improvement">CTSI’s Dissemination, Implementation, and Quality Improvement program&nbsp;(DICQI</a>), also inform Dr. Urban’s approach.&nbsp;By systematically assessing organizational readiness and adapting interventions to local contexts, her COACH program (Communities Aligned to Reduce Concussion and Head Impact Exposure) is improving coaching quality and athlete safety, while fostering relationships across high school and youth football communities. &nbsp;<h4 style="margin-left:0px;">Research Outputs and Recognition: Publishing with CTSI Support</h4>With&nbsp;nearly 80&nbsp;publications to her name—including 15–20 stemming from K awards—Dr. Urban’s research impact is clear. She highlights&nbsp;papers&nbsp;demonstrating&nbsp;the influence of&nbsp;practice activities on head impact exposure, foundational to the COACH framework, as some of her most influential works.&nbsp;She brings implementation science and community-engaged principles to her engineering research team, expanding the translational impact of their biomechanics research, and&nbsp;enriching the skillset of the biomechanics and neuroscience&nbsp;PhD and MS students&nbsp;she mentors.&nbsp;Professional write-ups have further elevated her&nbsp;and her team’s&nbsp;visibility in the CTSI newsroom and newsletters. CTSI’s writing support, networking opportunities,&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;science support,&nbsp;and community engagement programs have all contributed to this robust publication record.Read&nbsp;additional&nbsp;articles about Dr. Urban’s research here:<a href="https://school.wakehealth.edu/features/research/keeping-youth-athletes-safe-on-the-field">Keeping Youth Athletes Safe</a><a href="https://school.wakehealth.edu/features/awards-and-recognition-results/dr-jill-urban-and-team-provide-youth-football-safety-event-for-community">Dr. Jill Urban and Team Provide Youth Football Safety Event for Community</a><h4 style="margin-left:0px;"> CTSI: Empowering Researchers for Lasting Impact</h4>Dr. Urban’s story exemplifies “pipeline success”—a journey marked by resilience, mentorship, and embracing new perspectives. She encourages early-career researchers to use CTSI resources, seek interdisciplinary collaboration, and persist through setbacks.&nbsp;“You just have tofind a way to communicate your research the way you feel is best,” she notes, crediting mentors and CTSI’s writing experts for helping her communicate her science effectively.Dr. Urban’s future goals include expanding the COACH framework to other sports and regions,&nbsp;leveraging&nbsp;relationships and networks built through CTSI programs. Scaling up will rely less on traditional advertising and more on community partnership and adaptation—principles at the heart of community-engaged and&nbsp;implementation&nbsp;science.Her motivation&nbsp;remains&nbsp;rooted in the relationships built with the youth football community and a commitment to supporting&nbsp;young&nbsp;athletes. CTSI’s resources and services have been&nbsp;instrumental in&nbsp;every step of the way, from&nbsp;initial&nbsp;research planning to grant writing, data collection, publication, and beyond.Dr. Jill Urban’s journey&nbsp;demonstrates&nbsp;the transformative power of CTSI’s resources and services for investigators at all stages. Whether through career development awards, pilot funding, writing support, research studios, or&nbsp;other&nbsp;programs, CTSI provides the foundation for innovative research that translates knowledge into real-world improvements.For researchers looking to make a difference, CTSI offers a collaborative environment and a wealth of tools to help turn ideas into impactful science—just as it has for Dr. Urban.________________________________If&nbsp;you are interested in collaborating with the Wake Forest CTSI, please review and request our services <a href="https://redcap.wakehealth.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=HN37MPMNJ8EYLH3W">here</a>. If you are considering our pilot program and wish to apply for funding, please find the details <a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/about-ctsi/ctsa-programs/clinical-and-translational-science-pilot-program">here</a>.

Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute

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Wake Forest University Health Services

Dr. Jill Urban transformed her passion for sports injury prevention into impactful research, aided by the Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Through their mentorship, training, and funding, she shifted from engineering studies to developing community-focused interventions that improve athlete safety. With nearly 80 publications, Dr. Urban’s work was made possible by Wake Forest CTSI resources, including research support, grant guidance, and collaborative opportunities. Her career demonstrates how their researchers turn scientific interests into real-world change.

Driving Innovation in Injury Prevention: Dr. Jill Urban’s Journey with Wake Forest CTSI Resources

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Goal #3: Address health needs of populations

Popular ideas about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are often reduced to stereotypes, such as excessive handwashing or neatness. But this treatable condition can also involve unreported symptoms that include intrusive fears of harming others or unwanted sexual or religious thoughts. Stigma and misunderstanding lead some individuals to conceal these symptoms from their doctors and family. An international review reveals that these misconceptions about symptoms often delay or block access to proper OCD treatment.&nbsp;“OCD is frequently diagnosed late or treated inadequately, although effective therapies are available,” said Adam Frank, M.D., Ph.D., lead author and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC). The scoping review of past research, which is a research method to map existing evidence before engaging in further review, was supported by the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) and appeared in the Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.&nbsp;“The delays in help are driven by a mix of stigma, a misunderstanding of symptoms, and gaps in health care systems that make specialized treatment hard to access,” Frank added. The review originated during Frank’s participation in the three-year KL2 Mentored Career Development award, supported by SC CTSI. With the award, Frank and his team were able to protect research time and focus on designing, conducting, and analyzing the clinical review. OCD affects about two percent of people over their lifetimes and can severely disrupt daily life – interfering with work, school, and relationships. However, the authors note that evidence-based treatments can reduce symptoms.&nbsp;Examples of treatments include exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, which is often combined with medication. Together, these treatments have proven effective. ERP is a therapist-guided process that helps people confront thoughts and situations that bring on anxiety and obsessions. Over time, they “retrain” their thoughts to respond more calmly. The problem is that many people never receive ERP treatment or only receive it after years of suffering.&nbsp;Another issue is that patients, families, and health care providers often fail to recognize potential OCD, particularly when symptoms don’t match common stereotypes. Intrusive fears about harming others, sexual thoughts, or religious obsessions can be embarrassing for people to disclose.&nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote>“Individuals with OCD can have difficulty recognizing the difference between a thought and a real occurrence in the world,” said Frank. “They have thoughts that come up that they focus on, causing real distress.”</blockquote>&nbsp;People with OCD may fear being judged if they talk about their symptoms or seek psychiatric care. They often don’t realize their symptoms are part of a treatable disorder or don’t know where to turn for help. Their families may also worry about stigma.Family beliefs can impair or promote effective care. Loved ones often try to reduce the distress of OCD sufferers by helping them avoid situations they fear. But “accommodation” of fears can unintentionally reinforce OCD and make treatment less effective. When families are educated about ERP and aligned with treatment goals, they can instead become a critical source of support.&nbsp;<blockquote>“A large factor in treatment outcomes for OCD is involvement by family,” Frank added.</blockquote>&nbsp;The scoping review also addresses systemic issues in health care. Many ERP-trained therapists work in private practice and do not accept insurance, primarily because of low reimbursement rates. As a result, people who recognize they need help may not be able to afford it.&nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote>“There are often differences in coverage rates for mental health care versus physical health care,” said Frank. “Addressing that could go a long way towards improving access to and outcomes from treatment.”</blockquote>&nbsp;Health systems should expand ERP training and availability and better prepare primary care providers, who are often the first point of contact.&nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote>“There needs to be more training for frontline clinicians to recognize the disorder and greater availability of evidence-based treatments,” Frank said.</blockquote>&nbsp;Drawing on findings from countries around the world, the researchers identified global patterns, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. The team screened about 4,400 studies, reviewed the full text of 186 studies and ultimately extracted data from 51 studies.&nbsp;<blockquote>“A scoping review like this allows you to look at different studies of different designs across a broad range of potential outcome measures and topics, and integrate them,” said Frank.</blockquote>&nbsp;In addition to issues with identifying OCD and the stigma associated with it, structural barriers can also prevent treatment. “Delays in people getting care are too long, as are delays in having that care be sufficiently helpful,” said Kaeo Wongbusarakum. The study’s first author is a 2024 graduate of USC and former research assistant in the Frank Lab at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. The importance of access to affordable care was a consistent theme of the review. This, combined with better awareness of OCD, less stigma, and stronger family support, could help people get treatment sooner and avoid years of unnecessary suffering.

Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute

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University of Southern California

Misconceptions about obsessive-compulsive disorder cause some people to forgo effective treatment, despite existing therapies that can dramatically reduce suffering.

SC CTSI-funded review finds stigma and stereotypes delay OCD treatment worldwide

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Dr. Brian Anderson, CEO of the Coalition for Health AI, to Deliver Keynote Address at Tufts CTSI’s Translational Science Day 2026 on Friday, April 10

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