Forging the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS).

Science encompass a broad spectrum of research, connecting basic discoveries that ultimately improve human health to community-based epidemiologic, and health services studies ( Figure 1 ). Th e relationships and fl ow of knowledge are reciprocal among the translational areas. Translational Science’s unifying hallmark theme is commitment to apply scientifi c methodologies effi ciently and to improve human health rapidly. Th erefore, Clinical and Translational Science encompass cross-cutting disciplines that embrace multiand interdisciplinary investigative teams from many professions and multiple subspecialty areas. Moreover, advances in Clinical and Translational Science commonly requires constructive partnerships with industry, granting agencies, public health, and regulatory agencies. Th us, many thousands of individuals in the United States are actively engaged in and support, clinical and translational research. Many organizations promote and support the full spectrum of translational research as well as training new generations of clinical and translational research scientists in the United States and globally. To increase their eff ectiveness in these missions, the Association for Patient Oriented Research (APOR), the Association for Clinical Research Training (ACRT), the Society for Clinical and Translational Science (SCTS), the American Federation for Medical Research (AFMR), and the Clinical Research Forum (CR Forum) now jointly conduct an annual meeting—Translational Science 2012. Th e evolving partnership has been in place since 2009 and continues to strengthen as the organizations see the rewards of working with each other. For example, APOR, ACRT, CR Forum, and SCTS formed a Joint Advocacy Committee (JAC) to champion clinical and translational science at the national level working with Congress and other policy decision makers. As we worked together, we realized that we could be more eff ective, more effi cient, and improve the value to our members, if our overlapping eff orts were coalesced into one organization. Aft er full frank discussions, with input from multiple members, three organizations (ACRT, APOR, and SCTS) have decided that now is the time to merge into a single new entity, the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS). ACTS will continue to work with CR Forum and the AFMR going forward with the intention to further strengthen our alliances. Organizations arise when particular needs, times, and circumstances warrant—the ACTS bylaws acknowledges and validates the needs and circumstances that gave rise to each component organization and will assure that each organization’s mission and purpose is embedded in the new governance structures. APOR was founded in 1998 as an international organization to champion patient oriented clinical research. It focuses attention on the centrality of the patient to the enterprise of medical research, and promotes patient-oriented research as a core discipline of the medical profession. APOR seeks to ensure the vitality of patient-oriented research in academic medical centers by strengthening the education of clinical investigators, increasing the recognition of patient-oriented investigators in their own institutions and in the scientifi c enterprise at large, and advocating support for the clinical research enterprise. ACRT was established in 2002 (in conjunction with the NIH Clinical Research Curriculum Awards) with a mission to expand and continually improve clinical research training. Training future clinical and translational scientists will increase the amount and quality of evidence based knowledge that can improve the health of the public. ACRT seeks to foster the training of clinical and translational investigators in the United States and abroad, provide a forum to discuss new developments in clinical and translational research training advancements, promote the academic discipline of research education, and advocate for federal support for clinical and translational research education and training programs. Partnering with APOR, SCTS, CR Forum, and AFMR, ACRT organizes the national annual meeting elements that focus on career development, skill building relevant to scholars, mentoring, and evaluation and management of translational and clinical research training programs. SCTS was created in 2008 with the mission to advance research and education in Clinical and Translational Science so as to improve human health. Th e creation of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) by the NIH in 2006 dramatically heightened awareness of the disciplines of Clinical and Translational Science in academic institutions, industry, and philanthropy, as well as among the broader public and governmental leaders at the local, state, and national levels. With its focus on creating, augmenting, and evaluating advanced degree-granting programs in clinical and translational science, the CTSA program provides encouragement and new resources to create imaginative educational experiences for individuals who seek careers in clinical and translational research. SCTS was formed to help create a cultural identity for the emerging disciplines of Clinical and Translational Science for all those who participate in or support the process. One of its fi rst actions was to partner with ACRT and APOR to promote the national meeting—SCTS leads the development of sessions that highlight the best that Clinical and Translational Science has to off er— attracting top investigators to share their work and vision of how their science is positively aff ecting lives of individual patients, communities, and the public. Th e evolving science of translational research requires that APOR, ACRT, and SCTS, with complementary missions, unify Forging the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS)