Major Grant Includes UT Health Science Center at Tyler

TYLER — The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler has been awarded $37 million as a recipient of the Clinical and Translational Science Award. Officials say it’s the largest offering from the National Institutes of Health for research and education. The Tyler facility will partner with UT Health Houston, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT Rio Grande Valley, and Rice University. According to a news release, the five-year grant will enhance existing infrastructure to cultivate collaborative studies in various disciplines, including medical and healthcare delivery research among the institutions. In addition, the grant will fund the expansion of clinical research to recruit patients for the clinical trials performed to find better ways to treat a range of diseases.

According to the release, the grant provides funding for the training of a range of students from undergraduates to clinical faculty in how to conduct clinically oriented research projects. Moreover, the grant offers funding for clinicians to achieve a master’s degree in clinical research, enabling the conduction of high-impact trials. As quoted in the news release, Dr. Steven Idell, senior vice president for research at the Tyler facility, says, “Our institutions will be training the next wave of investigators. This is the future of medical research, taking place at UT Health Science Center at Tyler and affiliates within the region.”