Thomas Jefferson University is entering a new era for pursuing our mission of improving lives. It’s an ambitious and exciting strategic vision, emphasizing connection and collaboration, future-focused experiential learning and creative discovery.
A core objective is continuing to build transdisciplinary synergies in research, education and health care — bridging professions and disciplines spanning the research spectrum. Contemplating the plan’s goals from my vantage as Deputy Provost for Research, three things are especially exciting.
First: The strong foundation on which we’re building is evident in the impact of our long investment in the groundbreaking work of Jefferson’s scientists and scholars. You’ll glimpse the breadth of that impact in these pages. It ranges from a more universal and efficient method of creating personalized cancer therapies to a role for primary care clinics in reducing opioid addictions; and from preserving ocean biodiversity to clarifying consumers’ decision-making in online purchases.
Second: We’re working hard to expand the funding base that powers our researchers’ increasing impact. Over the past decade, Jefferson’s growing investments in creative and intellectually courageous investigators — and the state-of-the-art research technologies they need for their work — have catalyzed myriad discoveries and novel tools used worldwide. Today, we are earning new research funding from donors, foundations, corporations and agencies. At last count, Jefferson faculty submitted 353 grant applications this fiscal year and have received $91.3 million, an increase of $6 million over the same time last year. One stellar result is a $12 million NIH grant recently awarded to a multidisciplinary team of Jefferson researchers who are developing an innovative treatment strategy for asthma.
That award validates our faculty’s scientific excellence. It illustrates our growing capacity to tackle complex research challenges from multiple perspectives, applying the full range of available knowledge and expertise through “team science.” And it reflects Jefferson’s long-held commitment to removing barriers that traditionally separated basic and discovery researchers from those pursuing translational, clinical and applied research. In fact, this magazine’s cover story When Art Brings Calm (about the use of immersive art experiences to reduce patients’ stress and enhance their well-being) is a great example of how we are nurturing transdisciplinary collaborations across the research spectrum to find new ways to improve people’s lives.
Which leads to the third element that I find particularly exciting: the creation of the Clinical and Translational Sciences Center (CTSC) within Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Supported in part through a transformative gift from philanthropists Sidney and Caroline Kimmel, the CTSC will speed translation of scientific discoveries into life-changing treatments and healthcare innovations. The beauty of this initiative is that, beyond improving patients’ lives, it will deepen our ability to train excellent clinicians, create high-skill jobs in an array of industries and drive private sector investment.
I’m energized by what our Jefferson Research community is accomplishing today and by the prospect of what we’ll achieve in the future. Please read on to learn about those accomplishments and bright prospects.