GHUCCTS Programs & Resources

TWD and KL2 Director : Jason G. Umans, MD, PhD

Dr. Umans is Associate Professor at Georgetown University Department of Medicine, Program Director, TWD and KL2 compoents of GHUCCTS, and Scientific Director, Biomarker, Biochemistry and Biorepository Core at MHRI. He is a pharmacologist and physician, with particular clinical interests in medical disorders during pregnancy and cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal disease in American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Dr. Umans led a multi-institutional NCRR-supported K30 program (which included Children’s National Medical Center and George Washington University as well as our GHUCCTS institutions), including development of courses, curricula, and evaluation metrics. He was PI of a T32 program in nephrology and hypertension and co-led a T32 in clinical pharmacology. He currently directs the GHUCCTS RETCD and KL2 programs, including our MS and graduate certificate programs and has overseen an expansion of our curriculum to include degree tracks on regulatory science and on health disparities and community engaged research. Dr. Umans also co-directs the education and training component of the NIMHD-supported Center of Excellence on Health Disparities in the Nation’s Capital and the new doctoral program track in Translational Biomedical Science at Georgetown.

TL1 Program Co-Director : Dexter Lee, PhD, FAHA

Dr. Lee is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Physiology and Biophysics at HU; since 2013 he has been co-director of the GHUCCTS KL2 component. With Dr. Umans, he brought the “Entering Mentoring” curriculum and program to the GHUCCTS, where it has been implemented for our KL2 scholars and others. His own T0-T1 research focuses on hemodynamic assessment in mouse models of chronic hypertension to identify inflammatory mechanisms of renal blood pressure regulation. His laboratory is currently focused on roles of PPARα and inflammatory cytokines in angiotensin II–induced hypertension. Dr. Lee serves key leadership roles mentoring junior faculty through the HU Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) and Office of Faculty Development; as well, he has led minority career development activities. Dr. Lee will contribute important leadership to our core commitment to the diversity of our career development program, bringing insights from his service as chair of the APS Porter Physiology Development Committee, supporting the development of minority students in physiology and as a member of the Advisory Boards for the APS Science Education Partnership Award project and for the APS National Science Foundation’s Integrative Organismal Systems Broadening Participation program. As well, he will ensure access to training resources through the RCMI network, facilitate cross institutional opportunities and advocate for translational and collaborative research opportunities for T0-T1 junior faculty investigators.

Additional Staff

Cyndi Y. Campbell, Executive Director
4000 Reservoir Road, NW
289 Building D
Washington, DC 20007
202-687-1364

TWD offers many educational opportunities. Visit our Education tab for a complete list of education and training programs and events available through GHUCCTS.

• Masters in Clinical and Translational Research (MS-CTR)
• Graduate Certificate in Clinical and Translational Research
• Seminars and Workshops

Participant and Clinical Interactions Resources (Clinical Research Unit)
The Participant and Clinical Interactions (PCI) provides facilities and resources to enable investigators to successfully conduct their clinical research

Clinical Research Units (CRUs) based at Georgetown University and Howard University provide specialized in-patient and out-patient resources which allow clinical and translational investigators to observe and study human physiology as well as study and treat disease with innovative approaches. Similarly, the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) has a CRU that supports clinical investigators throughout the DC VAMC. 

Community Engagement Resources (CE) CE services are designed to foster long-term collaborations that promote translation of health research into effective practice and public policy. Services for investigators include: consultations, training, and communications. 

Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD)
BERD team provides quality statistical assistance, biomedical informatics, and data resource management support to facilitate collaborations for a wide range of clinical and translational studies. Services include: biomedical informatics and data management services (e.g., creating study-specific databases using REDCap and/or other databases), building and overseeing data entry and management systems, archiving data for long-term storage, performing quality control for data collection and management, and managing and extracting data from EHRs (Explorys). 

Research Participant Recruitment Support & Multi-Site Study Support 
Multiple barriers delay both the activation and the completion of multi-center clinical trials. In partnership with the Trial Innovation Network, a network created to leverage the expertise and resources of the CTSA program, our goal is to enhance the speed and efficiency of multi-site clinical trials across all GHUCCTS institutions. 

Biomedical Informatics Support
The Biomedical Informatics (BI) component of GHUCCTS provides analytical and computational support with the goal of promoting clinical and translational research. Specific activities include support for common standards development, workflow tracking, molecular and clinical data integration, brokering secure access to de-identified patient data by physician researchers at GHUCCTS institutions, dissemination of the translational research data and results and support with all clinical trial management systems and tools. 

Regulatory, Ethics, Knowledge and Support (REKS)
The regulatory team is resource iinvestigators and research team on engagement, protection and consenting of study participants.  Our  research participants specialists help investigators and study coordinators comply with the ethical guidelines and regulatory requirements related to the engagement and protection of study participants. Areas of assistance include: informed consent development; data and safety monitoring (DSMP); and informed consent process.