Message from the Senior Vice Chancellor

Arthure Levine, MD

Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences
Dean, School of Medicine

The University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE) has grown into one of the premier clinical and translational research training programs in the nation. Beginning with an active master’s degree program and now offering more than 15 academic and career development programs,the ICRE provides excellent education and training in clinical and translational science. The ICRE is a manifestation of our strong commitment to addressing a national shortage of physician and clinical investigators, a group often described as an “endangered species.”

The strength of the ICRE is indicated by the National Institutes of Health’s 5-year renewal of the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) in 2011. The CTSI was designed to accelerate the movement of basic science discoveries from the researcher’s bench to the patient’s bedside and into the community. Ultimately, its goal is to speed the application of scientific discoveries to the prevention and treatment of illness and injury. The ICRE’s core mission, which is to educate and nurture the nation’s future physician-scientists, is an integral part of this effort.

I believe that progress toward improving the health and well-being of the nation’s citizens can be achieved most efficiently through the translation of basic research findings into the clinical arena, with ongoing follow-up and rigorous evaluation of outcomes. It is clear that the ICRE plays a vital role in the “basic training” of the investigators who will take on this challenge.

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