Goal #2: Promote partnerships and collaborations

Advance your expertise in implementing healthcare innovations with the Wake Forest University School of Professional Studies’ 3-day in-person institute, April 14-16, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Designed for academic faculty, clinician-researchers, and health system leaders, this program bridges implementation science theory and realworld practice.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/announcements/2025/12/implementation-in-a-learning-health-system-wfu-professional-studies-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Register by March 31</a> to secure your spot!

Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute

People listening to a lecture in an auditorium 

medium_fizh9qelq0ijgsan8t624hbcn_RR Photos2.png

small_fizh9qelq0ijgsan8t624hbcn_RR Photos2.png

thumbnail_fizh9qelq0ijgsan8t624hbcn_RR Photos2.png

fizh9qelq0ijgsan8t624hbcn_RR Photos2.png

Wake Forest University Health Services

The Implementation in a Learning Health System Institute is an event designed for academic faculty, clinician-researchers, and healthcare leaders focused on implementation science in healthcare. The institute aims to equip attendees with practical knowledge and skills to propose, design, implement, and evaluate healthcare innovations within learning health systems. Key topics include implementation theories, models, frameworks, protocol development, evaluation methods, and leadership strategies for navigating complex health systems. For additional details such as topics, schedule, accommodations, pricing, and contact information, attendees are encouraged to consult the FAQs section provided on the <a href="https://ctsi.wakehealth.edu/announcements/2025/12/implementation-in-a-learning-health-system-wfu-professional-studies-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">event page</a>.

Register Now for Implementation in a Learning Health System Program

- Any -

Goal #1: Advance clinical and translational science

With a mission to improve health outcomes, Grace Gombolay, M.D., M.S., Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory, and Pediatric Neurologist at Children’s, is leading national collaborations to advance care for children and adults with rare neuroinflammatory diseases. Her work focuses on conditions where the immune system attacks the brain—such as autoimmune encephalitis, Rasmussen’s encephalitis, and new-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE)—which can cause significant neurological and cognitive challenges for patients and their families.Through her formation and leadership of the CONNECT (Conquering Inflammation and Epilepsies ConsorTium) registry and now the NIH-funded&nbsp;<a href="https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11173108" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ARISEN (Autoimmunity, Rasmussen’s, Inflammation &amp; Status Epilepticus research Network)</a>, Dr. Gombolay is transforming how these rare conditions are studied, diagnosed, and treated. Both initiatives bring together institutions across the country to better understand these disorders, identify new biomarkers, and move the field toward clinical trial readiness.How Georgia CTSA Training Fueled Her GrowthDr. Gombolay attributes much of her research foundation to her experience as a Georgia CTSA KL2 Scholar and Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) graduate. The two programs provided complementary skills that shaped her into a confident and methodical investigator.“The&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiactsa.org/training/ms-clinical-research.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MSCR program</a>&nbsp;gave me the research foundation I needed—statistics, methodology, leadership, and clinical trials training,” Gombolay explains. “Those skills have been instrumental in how I think about science and how I approach my patients.” Additionally, the&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiactsa.org/training/kl2.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KL2 program</a>&nbsp;further strengthened her grant writing, study design, and collaborative approach. “The grant writing course was transformative. It made me a better scientist, writer, and reviewer. I still use what I learned every time I prepare a proposal.”She also emphasizes the power of mentorship and peer connection within Georgia CTSA. “Having colleagues who were navigating similar challenges made a huge difference. That community inspired me to stay focused, push through setbacks, and keep building collaborations.”From Training to Leadership and Lasting ImpactThe skills and support Dr. Gombolay gained through Georgia CTSA helped her move from an early-career investigator to a nationally recognized leader in rare disease research. Her KL2 project on biomarkers in autoimmune encephalitis evolved into CONNECT—the first multi-center pediatric registry of its kind in the U.S.—which now includes data and biospecimens from over 19 centers.Building on that success, along with Dr. Kristy Murray (Professor of Pediatrics, Vice Chair of Research at Emory, and Chief Research Officer at Children’s), Dr. Gombolay now co-leads ARISEN, a five-year NIH U54 grant through the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network. When preparing the ARISEN proposal, she again partnered with Georgia CTSA to strengthen the mentoring and training components for junior investigators—an element she credits as pivotal to securing the award.“I received a letter of support from Georgia CTSA for the U54 grant,” she remarks. “That collaboration helped us show our commitment to training and career development for early-stage investigators—a key reason we were funded.”Advice for Future Georgia CTSA ScholarsReflecting on her experience, Dr. Gombolay encourages current and future KL2 and MSCR scholars to stay persistent and make the most of the opportunities the programs provide.“My advice is to keep applying, keep learning, and keep building relationships. Research is challenging, but programs like Georgia CTSA give you the structure, mentorship, and community to succeed. The training you gain here continues to influence every step of your career.”The impact of that training extends far beyond her own research. Through CONNECT and ARISEN, Dr. Gombolay has created opportunities for more than 30 investigators to collaborate, publish, and secure their own funding. “Georgia CTSA and NIH support don’t just impact one researcher,” she reflects. “They create a ripple effect—fueling careers, collaborations, and discoveries that will ultimately benefit patients and families for years to come.”

Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance

Photo of Dr. Gombolay in front of a computer

medium_btexys0zv0vhnv8rf8ea6ogqn_Gombolay.jpg

small_btexys0zv0vhnv8rf8ea6ogqn_Gombolay.jpg

thumbnail_btexys0zv0vhnv8rf8ea6ogqn_Gombolay.jpg

btexys0zv0vhnv8rf8ea6ogqn_Gombolay.jpg

Emory University

Grace Gombolay, M.D., M.S., an Emory Professor, Pediatric Neurologist at Children’s and former Georgia CTSA KL2 Scholar, leads national collaborations through the CONNECT registry and the NIH-funded ARISEN network to advance diagnosis and treatment of rare neuroinflammatory diseases. She credits Georgia CTSA training and mentorship for equipping her with the research, grant-writing, and collaborative skills that enabled her transition to a nationally recognized leader whose work is creating lasting impact for patients and investigators alike.

Former Georgia CTSA KL2 Scholar Leads Registry to Improve Treatments for Rare Diseases

X-logo-teal_80x66.png

ri_linkedin_fill_408497d4b5_96748f4451.png

Goal #3: Address health needs of populations

As an Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Systems Science and Director of the Program in Digital Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School, Dr. Apurv Soni stands out as a physician-scientist reshaping the future of healthcare. By harnessing mobile technology, predictive analytics, and implementation science, Dr. Soni’s work aims to improve patient outcomes and reduce disparities, bringing high-quality care beyond the boundaries of traditional clinical settings.&nbsp; As a young investigator, Dr. Soni was supported by a TL1 Trainee award (2016-2017, TL1TR001454) which provided the opportunity to enhance his skills as a translational physician-scientist resulting in an NIH award (F30HD091975) to investigate health disparities among children through clinical practice in underserved regions, community-based research, and evidence-based advocacy.&nbsp;Dr. Soni’s research has transformed the way care is delivered, especially for patients who benefit most from remote clinical monitoring and intervention. Since joining UMass Chan in 2021, he has been at the forefront of decentralized, siteless clinical trials—leading studies that recruit and follow participants from home using digital consent, telehealth visits, remote sampling, wearable devices, and automated data capture. This learning health systems approach allows for rapid innovation and evaluation of digital technologies in real-world settings.&nbsp;A foundational aspect of Dr. Soni’s impact is the development and validation of digital and mobile health platforms for both acute and chronic conditions. He played a pivotal role in shaping UMass Memorial Health’s highly praised Hospital at Home program, creating the technical infrastructure and robust analytical frameworks that influence clinical decision-making and policy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Soni led the team that used electronic medical record-based analytics for risk stratification and triage, safeguarding over 2,500 patients during critical surges.&nbsp;His collaborative approach extends across disciplines, with projects like COMMODE-seat (Correlating Outcomes with Mobile Monitoring using Digital sEnsors in a seat), which leverages passive data from novel sensor-embedded toilet seats to identify early changes in patients’ health. Other initiatives include virtual lactation consultation for maternal health and remote patient monitoring plus virtual pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) through the “Healthy at Home for COPD” program (<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40641609/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PMID: 40641609</a>).&nbsp;Dr. Soni’s commitment to care for all is reflected in his pragmatic clinical trials and community-based research. He has authored studies examining the direct-to-consumer distribution of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, the efficacy of digital interventions for COPD, and large-scale home-based test-to-treat programs for infectious disease. His mentorship fosters innovation in the next generation, as he supports several TL1 trainees (TL1TR001454) focused on optimizing home-based diagnostics and studying health disparities (<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38911947/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PMID: 38911947</a>).&nbsp;Thanks to Dr. Soni’s visionary leadership and collaborative spirit, digital medicine and remote clinical care at UMass Chan continue to grow, bridging gaps in access and setting new standards for patient-centered, technology-driven healthcare.&nbsp;Some parts of this article were created with the assistance of OpenAI GPT, utilizing content from publicly available news stories on the internet, including stories produced by UMass Chan Communications.

University of Massachusetts Center for Clinical and Translational Science

thumbnail_Soni.png

Soni.png

University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester

Dr. Apurv Soni, Assistant Professor and Director of the Program in Digital Medicine at UMass Chan, is transforming healthcare through mobile technology, predictive analytics, and decentralized clinical trials. Supported early by a TL1 award and later an NIH F30, his work advances remote patient monitoring, digital platforms, and real-world evaluation of innovative tools. He helped build UMass Memorial’s Hospital at Home program and led EMR-based risk-stratification efforts during COVID-19, protecting over 2,500 patients. His cross-disciplinary projects—from sensor-embedded toilet seats to virtual maternal and COPD care—address health disparities and expand access. Dr. Soni’s leadership and mentorship continue to shape the future of equitable, technology-enabled clinical care.

CTSA CCOS

Home

About

CTSA Groups and Meetings

Resources

News

Help

CTSA News

Register Now for Implementation in a Learning Health System Program

Summary

Article