Announcing the CU Anschutz Office of Clinical Trials, 5-19-2026

Colleagues,

Today, CU Anschutz is launching a new clinical trials office to strengthen and accelerate our ability to bring cutting-edge treatments to patients, expand faculty investigator opportunities, and position the campus as a world-class destination for clinical trials.

The new CU Anschutz Office of Clinical Trials will be led by Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research for the CU Anschutz School of Medicine Office of Research and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Clinical Trials for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. 

Strategic oversight will be provided by an executive board composed of John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, Dean of the CU Anschutz School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs; Thomas Gronow, EdD, MHA, President and CEO of UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital; and Thomas Flaig, MD, CU Anschutz Vice Chancellor for Research.

The CU Anschutz Office of Clinical Trials will consolidate and coordinate clinical trials infrastructure across campus, health system and industry partnerships to create a predictable and transparent administrative and financial structure to accelerate clinical trials implementation and ensure long-term growth and sustainability. A primary goal is exceptional startup timelines and high participant enrollment in clinical trials.

As clinical trials at CU Anschutz have grown substantially in scale, complexity and impact, so too has the need for a more coordinated approach that supports investigators; improves efficiency; and strengthens our ability to deliver high-quality, compliant and timely clinical research. This coordinated model is intended to improve alignment across campus and health system partners, and to reduce redundancy and administrative burden where possible. In addition, the model is designed to clarify roles, pathways and escalation points across the clinical trials continuum. This approach will enhance our ability to compete for and successfully execute complex, multi-site and industry-sponsored trials. 

The CU Anschutz Office of Clinical Trials builds on existing partnerships within and beyond our campus: 

• The new office brings together clinical trials operations in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the School of Medicine Office of Research in partnership with UCHealth Research Administration, led by Jean Kutner, MD, MSPH, UCHealth Chief Academic Officer, and Laurie Blumberg-Romero, Vice President of Research Administration, to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical trials execution at CU Anschutz and UCHealth. 
• Child-health clinical trials will continue under the ongoing CU Anschutz partnership with Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO) through the Colorado Child Health Research Institute (CCHRI), led by Ronald Sokol, MD, Chief Scientific Officer – Child Health and Associate Dean for Child Health Research, and Jenae Neiman, CHCO Vice President for Research Operations. 
• In addition, the office will partner to help advance clinical trials at Denver Health, in collaboration with Yael Schenker, MD, MAS, Chief Academic Officer.
• With core partners including CPC Clinical Research, overseen by Marc Bonaca, MD, in the Department of Medicine, and CU Anschutz Innovations, led by Kimberly Muller, Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Biotechnology, the CU Anschutz Office of Clinical Trials will also build the infrastructure to lead large, multi-site trials across the adult and child-health spectrum. 

Faculty and staff can find additional details, including frequently asked questions, on the Office of Clinical Trials webpage.

We look forward to the bright future that the Office of Clinical Trials will deliver for CU Anschutz, the patients who depend on us to provide innovative care options, and our partners and sponsors seeking greater alignment and coordination in bringing discoveries to our communities. This is a key step toward our goal of becoming Top 10 in 10.

Sincerely,

Don Elliman
Chancellor