Dear CCTSI Community,

The days may be getting shorter, but that hasn’t slowed down our busy research community! Earlier in the fall we held a Town Hall at CU-Anschutz on the topic of Colorado PROFILES, a web-based database of research information about every University of Colorado faculty member and post-Doc involved in biomedical research. Though we know the PROFILES website receives about 20,000 page views each month, we also understand that there are many who don’t know enough about all of its capabilities. So we held this Town Hall to demonstrate how PROFILES can be used by investigators, trainees and others, and were pleased with the turnout. Special thanks to our PROFILES czar Swan Ellert who fielded questions at the event and continues to advance our capabilities with this tool. 

In November, the CCTSI hosted its 10th Annual Research Ethics Conference. The event attracted 132 attendees who came to learn about The Tightrope of Sensitive Research: Keeping Your Balance When Stakes Are High. Keynote speaker James DuBois, PhD, DSc of Washington University lectured on “When Should We Treat Research Participants Differently? Reflections on Vulnerability, Exploitation and Sensitive Data in Research.”

Flash talks and panel discussions covered research with vulnerable populations, including the undocumented community, elders, transgender youth and victims of child abuse and neglect. Kudos to the Center for Bioethics in Humanities and Marilyn Coors, PhD for the excellent work they do developing these important conferences and providing bioethics consultation and advice for our CCTSI investigators. 

Looking ahead, we will be hosting our annual External Advisory Committee meeting on January 23 and 24, 2020. Our pillar program directors are preparing their annual reports and slide decks to share program news and outcomes. After listening to our presentations, the EAC will provide feedback to us about ways to make the CCTSI an even better institute, and they will write a report for NCATS/NIH.

Here at the CCTSI we are here for you, and we hope you continue to participate in our many offerings—from pilot grant opportunities to career development trainings and much more. You can find it all at our new and improved website at cuanschutz.edu/CCTSI.

All the best, 
Ron