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Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies

Learn more about Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies.

  • What's It All About

    GHUCCTS is pleased to announce the availability of support for pilot and collaborative studies.

    Our Mission

    The mission of GHUCCTS and the national Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA) programs includes promotion multidisplinary and inter-institutional teams and research that will translate basic findings into clinical applications and clinical research findings into community use in order to improve human health. Our Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies program (PTCS) has been a critical and effective stimulus for collaboration that has stimulated the development and implementation of new clinical and translational research (CTR) projects.

    The PTCS program is designed to bring about further advances that will contribute to improving the process of research throughout our CTSA hub and the national CTSA consortium. These contributions will draw upon a range of GHUCCTS capacities from community-based recruitment, to the use of high performance computing in the development of therapeutic agents.

  • Who is Responsible

    Director of PTCS Programs: Marjorie C. Gondré-Lewis, Ph.D

    Professor of Neuroscience 
    Director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research at Howard University College of Medicine.

    Dr. Gondré-Lewis is Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Anatomy at Howard University College of Medicine, where she directs the NeuroPsychoPharmacology Laboratory. She also serves as the Howard Principal Investigator for the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science, supported by an NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award.

    Her research investigates mechanisms of addiction in people with substance use disorder (SUD) and HIV, emphasizing both genetic and biological variations as well as non-clinical factors that shape health outcomes. Her work integrates machine learning into understanding features associated with mental health and addiction. She has maintained continuous federal funding and published extensively in primary research, reviews, and book chapters. In 2023, her work was highlighted in Neuron.

    As Dean for Faculty Development, Dr. Gondré-Lewis creates programs that foster personal and professional growth across academic medicine. She has an extensive record of mentoring undergraduate, graduate, medical, and dental students, as well as postdoctoral researchers, residents, and junior faculty in both clinical and basic sciences. She also serves as a peer mentor to mid-career and senior faculty. She is the immediate past co-Director of the GHUCCTS KL2 Faculty Scholars Program.

    Nationally, she has contributed to major initiatives, including the American Psychological Association’s SEEDS (Scholarships to Enhance and Empower Developing Scientists), the Inter-CFAR URM Strategic Planning Group, and BRAINS (Broadening Representation of Academic Investigators in Neuroscience). In her GHUCCTS leadership role, she advances the unique co-equal partnership between Howard University, a Historically Black Medical College, and Georgetown University, expanding the regional impact of the national CTSA program with a focus on embracing all populations.

    Dr. Gondré-Lewis has received numerous accolades for her research, teaching, mentorship, and community engagement.

  • Pilot Awards

    The PTCS program has funded pilot projects since 2015. 

    2024-2025

    Creating a Pathway to Transform Hospital Policies and Address Systemic Racism: A Mixed Method Pilot to Center Vulnerable Stakeholders in Design and Implementation
    Investigator: Erin Hall
    Institution: MHRI

    Developing a culturally targeted narrative video to promote skin cancer prevention among Hispanic outdoor workers
    Investigator: Alejandra Hurtado de Mendoza
    Institution: GU

    Investigating the Role of HNSCC  Cancer Cell Intrinsic cGAS-STING Pathway in Immune Evasion
    Investigator: Guiqin Xie
    Institution: HU

    The impact of virus-specific CD8 T cell recruitment to the sites of vascular inflammation and injury and its role in disease progression
    Investigator: Marta Catalfamo
    Institution: GU

    Concordance of obesity, food security, and area deprivation: Do community-based markers of deprivation impact the utilization and outcomes of bariatric surgery?
    Investigator: Yewande Alimi
    Institution: MHRI

    2023-2024

    Show more

  • How To Apply

    The Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science (GHUCCTS) invites applications for its 2026-2027 Clinical and Translational Research and Science Pilot Awards, supported by our UM1 award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). We welcome Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) projects, including studies focused on a specific disease, population, or clinical setting, that incorporate Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) principles into their design and conduct.

    Eligibility
    All full-time faculty at GHUCCTS partner institutions are eligible to apply: Howard University (HU), Georgetown University (GU), MedStar Health Research Institute (MHRI), DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DC VAMC), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

    Community partners, including investigators from our two allied Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs) and local health departments, may apply in partnership with a full-time faculty investigator from a GHUCCTS institution. Each application must identify a Contact PI responsible for coordinating and submitting the application.

    Applications must include all components required at submission. IRB/IACUC submission confirmation or documentation of exemption is required within one month of award notification.

    How to Apply:

    Funding Opportunity Description 

    • Up to $40,000 direct costs awarded per project for a 12-month duration; four awards are anticipated per year.

    Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies (PTCS) Funding Priorities

    The GHUCCTS Pilot Program will prioritize projects aligned with NCATS and GHUCCTS programmatic priorities. Proposals should identify a translational challenge, describe how CTS principles will guide the work, and explain the potential broader relevance of the approach or lessons learned.

    Priority domains include but are not limited to:

    NCATS Translational Science Priorities

    • Development, evaluation, or adaptation of approaches, tools, or resources to address obstacles to translation, including those encountered within disease-focused research or training.
    • Innovative approaches to a translational challenge with potential application to other studies, populations, or settings.
    • Biostatistics, epidemiology, and research design (BERD) or AI/ML research.
    • Feasibility/proof-of-concept studies that incorporate CTS principles and lay the groundwork for future CTR or CTS projects.
    • Analysis of real-world data, including clinical datasets and digital health data, to develop evidence, biomarkers, or processes while examining approaches that may inform other translational studies.

    GHUCCTS Local Priority Domains

    Applications are especially encouraged in the following GHUCCTS priority domains:

    • D&I research that examines the uptake, adoption, or scale-up of evidence-based interventions into practice or policy.
    • Innovative use of AI/ML, informatics, or computational approaches to address translational challenges.
    • Research to address a translational challenge that is co-developed with communities, patient advisory boards, or practice-based research networks (PBRNs).

    Key dates and application requirements:

    • LOI due: October 28, 2026
    • LOI decisions: November 11, 2026. 
    • Full application review: December 16, 2026 to January 8, 2027.
    • Award notifications: January 15, 2027. Earliest anticipated project start: January 22, 2027.

    LOIs are limited to 2 pages. Invited full applications include a 1-page Specific Aims page and a 4-page narrative. Within the narrative, devote one-quarter to one-half page to the translational challenge, how CTS principles are incorporated and assessed, and the potential relevance of the approach or lessons to other studies or settings.

    D&I consultation is required for all applicants. Please complete the D&I Consultation Request Form.
    Highly recommend registering for the D&I Education Webinar on October, 26, 2026 at 12 PM EST.

    IRB/IACUC submission confirmation or documentation of exemption is required within one month of award notification. Human subjects projects require NCATS approval before funds are disbursed. No-cost extensions cannot be approved.

    Contact - General question:

    Requests for information, including clarification about GHUCCTS resources available for pilot studies and questions about the preparation and submission of applications, contact GHUCCTS PTCS administrator: Angel Nkwain (Angel.Nkwain@Howard.edu)

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