September 2025

Issue 1

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Letter from the President

The ACTS Advocacy Committee continues its collaboration with the Health and Medicine Council (HMC) to strengthen and expand support for clinical and translational science. This week, the House Appropriations Committee is marking up the FY26 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill. While many details are still being finalized, the Committee Report includes promising language regarding the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) and the Institutional Development Award Networks for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA-CTR). The report highlights the vital role these programs play in building a national network of medical institutions that translate research into improved clinical care across communities. It also encourages sustained, robust funding for CTSAs and continued support for IDeA-CTR centers to enhance their capacity for conducting impactful clinical and translational research.

Although these developments are encouraging, ACTS and its member institutions must remain vigilant and vocal in advocating for the full realization of CTSA and IDeA-CTR programs’ transformative potential. To that end, we invite you to help us keep our joint coalition website current by sharing CTSA-related outcomes and contributing compelling stories of impact. Your experiences are essential to our success—let’s make them heard.

ACTS Updates

Translational Science 2026: Call for Sessions Closes September 22

Don't forget to submit your scientific session proposal for Translational Science 2026! Contribute to our educational programming by sharing your knowledge in AI, biostatistics, team science, and several other topics you can find on our website. The deadline to propose your session is Monday, September 22, 2025. Want to present a poster instead? The call for abstracts will be open until October 20, 2025.

Translational Science 2026 will be held in Milwaukee, WI from April 20-23, 2026. Keep checking back here for updates as they become available!

Submit your Proposal

Stories from our Members

New AI Tool Addresses Accuracy and Fairness in Data to Improve Health Algorithm

A team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has developed a new method to identify and reduce biases in datasets used to train machine-learning algorithms—addressing a critical issue that can affect diagnostic accuracy and treatment decisions.

D-CARE study finds caregiver satisfaction higher with dementia care programs than usual care

A new analysis comparing different dementia care approaches found that caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias reported greater satisfaction with care provided through either of two comprehensive dementia care programs, compared with routine (usual) care, over an 18-month period.

The Dementia Care Study, also known as D-CARE, compared three different approaches to delivering dementia care: a health system-based program, a community-based program, and usual care. The trial included 2,176 persons with dementia and their caregivers and was conducted from June 2019 to August 2023.

Want to see your institution's stories featured in this section? Head to our new story submission form to share your recent articles!

Engage with ACTS

Special Interest Groups

ACTS offers its members the opportunity to participate in Special Interest Groups (SIGs) related to the field of clinical research and translational science. SIGs connect individuals who share similar goals and interests, providing a channel to network and participate in knowledge and resource sharing among peers.

Career Center

The ACTS Career Center is the premier resource for connecting those in the field of translational science with career opportunities. Visit today to find a wealth of resources to help achieve your career goals. ACTS members receive a 50% discount on the site—use code ACTSMEMBER to save!