Bruce Cronstein, M.D.

Due to a successful biomedical research effort great strides have been made in understanding pathologic processes and developing new therapies for once untreatable diseases. Nonetheless, there are speed bumps on the road to more efficient and productive research. Increased specialization with less effective and robust lines of communication among researchers in different disciplines, the educational and career development pathways for aspiring researchers are not well delineated and collaborative research has not been recognized or encouraged by current funding approaches or internal promotion committees.

To transform the way that research is carried out at NYU and to enhance the quality and productivity of the research effort a partnership between New York University and New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation has been establish in the creation of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) that will have the following aims:

1. To increase collaboration among clinical, translational and basic scientists across the colleges and schools of NYU to better determine the relevance and applicability of scientific advances to clinical problems;
2. To provide the leadership, infrastructure and resources to support novel science and the rapid, efficient and safe application of scientific discoveries to the community;
3. To support the education, training and development of researchers who can carry on the investigations necessary to bring scientific advances to the public;
4. To enhance the ties between the research establishment at NYU and the community so as to more rapidly identify health problems, investigate their scientific basis, apply the knowledge gained and promote utilization of new developments and evidence based medicine by the community.

The CTSI will link NYU, “a private university in public service,” with Health and Hospitals Corporation, a public agency devoted to outstanding care for all individuals in New York City, in a new venture designed to bring their resources to bear on the health problems facing New York and the nation in the 21st Century.