Clinical and Translational Science Pilot Program

The Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) Pilot Program invests in investigators with innovative ideas and established scientists expanding their domain expertise. We support pilot projects that will pilot innovative approaches for addressing important roadblocks in translational science with a focus on the Academic Learning Health System (aLHS). While addressing these translational roadblocks, these projects will also apply a fair lens and facilitate multidisciplinary, team-based, and patient-centric science that is broadly generalizable.

The CTS Pilot Program supports two RFAs each year: The Science of Translation RFA and the Translational Research RFA. Both RFAs aim to fund one-year pilot projects at $40,000 each.

Pilot Award Examples Ignition Funds

Past Pilot Awardees:

Success Stories:

Science of Translation

The purpose of the Science of Translation RFA is to support new and innovative research projects relevant to the science of translation. These pilot projects must be focused on advancing translational science and not just be translational in nature. They must be focused on understanding a scientific or operational principle underlying a step of the translational process with the goal of laying the scientific foundation for improvements in translational efficiency that will accelerate the realization of interventions that improve human health.

2025 Science of Translation Pilot Recipients

Katherine Sauder, PhD

Associate Professor
Implementation Science

“Human-Centered Design to Increase Uptake of Evidence-Based Practices Among Covered Beneficiaries”

Asma Ahmed, PhD, MD

Assistant Professor
Epidemiology and Prevention

“Developing and Validating Linkage Algorithms to Identify Family Relationships in Electronic Health Records (EHR) Data”

Michael Webster-Clark, PhD, PharmD

Assistant Professor
Epidemiology and Prevention

“Building a Framework for Inference-Extending Methods to Improve Subgroup Estimate Precision: An Example in Semaglutide”

Caitlin Allen, PhD, MPH

Associate Professor
Implementation Science

“Advancing Translational Science Through the Implementation of Population Based Genomic Screening (ASPIRE)”

Characteristics of Successful Science of Translation Projects

Evaluates an underlying translational science principle
Addresses a real problem facing the health system
Involves the development of practices, treatments, tools or approaches that will improve care (e.g., Does tailoring digital reminders improve medication adherence in older adults?)
Inclusion of both a skilled researcher and clinician who contribute to designing and implementing the approach
Research methods used by the project balance rigor with practicality
Results are delivered in a timely fashion
Analysis of clinical data is a central aspect of the project
Results from the learning process are disseminated throughout the organization in a manner that leads to better patient care and improved organizational practices and policies

Translational Research

Funded through the 2025 CTSI Pilot Awards

The purpose of the Translational Research RFA is to support high impact pilot projects that focus on catalyzing the translation of discoveries to treatments or the delivery of care. The ultimate aim of this RFA is to make research investments that maximize healthcare value and improve population health. These projects should fall into one of the Translational Science Spectrum categories (Basic Research, Preclinical Research, Clinical Research, Clinical Implementation, Public Health).

2025 Translational Research Pilot Recipients

Sophie Maiocchi, PhD

Assistant Professor
Biomedical Engineering

“Predicting Thrombolytic Efficacy in Venous Thromboembolism: a Biorepository and Pilot Study”

- co-funded by the Critical Illness, Injury and Recovery Research Center

Wesley Hsu, MD, FAACS

Associate Professor
Neurosurgery

“Lactate Dehydrogenase Inhibition to Alter the Tumor Microenvironment, Eliminate Glioblastoma Stem Cells, and Improve Immune Response in Glioblastoma”

- co-funded by the Comprehensive Cancer Center

Kelsey Fisher-Wellman, PhD, MS

Associate Professor
Cancer Biology

“Mitochondrial Transplantation as a Therapeutic Strategy for Improving Organ Transplantation: Investigation into the Molecular Mechanisms”

- co-funded by the Center for Redox Biology and Medicine, and the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Anthony Peters, MD, MS

Assistant Professor
Cardiovascular Medicine

“Molecular Response to Exercise Intervention in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction”

- co-funded by the Cardiovascular Sciences Center

Joost Maier, PhD

Associate Professor
Translational Neuroscience

“Understanding Brain Circuit Dysfunction in Autism Toward Improving Medication Effectiveness”

- co-funded by the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research

Tasha Gill, PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor
Obstetrics and Gynecology

“Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Driven Data Extraction to Examine Birth Outcomes and Health in Pregnancy Outcomes”

- co-funded by the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research

Characteristics of Successful Translational Research Projects

How the proposed project advances research in a particular field to address health care needs within the population
A rationale and potential for generalizability (if applicable)
How the proposed project is translational
Address next steps for this project:
- Will it lead to larger, subsequent grant applications (be specific: indicate RFA you will submit to and when)?
- Can it be applied to improve health or how we deliver care?
- How will results be disseminated?
- Is the project scalable?
- Consider the full range of possibilities for how the health system and/or our community will benefit

Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Translational Research Pilot Recipients

Funded through the Spring 2025 Common Deadline

Asma Ahmed, PhD, MD

Assistant Professor, Epidemiology and Prevention

'Inadvertent Exposure to Anti-Obesity Medications and Their Safety in Early Pregnancy'
*co-funded by the North Carolina Diabetes Research Center

Laurel Berry, MD

Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology

'Leveraging Immunogenic Subtypes of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer for Improved Immunotherapy Selection'
*co-funded by the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center

Bartlomiej Imielski, MD

Assistant Professor, Cardiothoracic Surgery

'Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Response to Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Patients with Vasoplegia'
*co-funded by the Cardiovascular Sciences Center, the Hypertension and Vascular Research Center, and the Critical Illness, Injury and Recovery Research Center

Samuel Centanni, PhD

Assistant Professor, Translational Neuroscience

'Cardiac Autonomic Function and Mid-Insula Circuit Dysregulation in Traumatic Stress'
*co-funded by the Cardiovascular Sciences Center and the Hypertension and Vascular Research Center

Sarah Cilvik, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics – Neonatology

'Revisiting the Sterile Womb Hypothesis: Establishing the Feasibility of Using Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing to Characterize Microbial Signatures in Nonhuman Primate Amniotic Fluid'
*co-funded by the Center for Precision Medicine

Upcoming Pilot Application Deadlines

We invite prospective applicants to take note of the following key dates for our upcoming pilot program application cycles:

2026 Spring Common Deadline Key Dates: Translational Research RFA

Date	Detail
02/17/26	RFA Release
04/17/26, 11:59 pm ET	Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline
05/18/26	Investigators Invited for Full Application
06/26/26, 11:59 pm ET	Full Application Deadline
08/10/26	Selection of Awardees
10/01/26	Project Start Date

More Details

What is Science of Translation vs. Translational Research?

Science of Translation: The field of investigation focused on understanding the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process.

Translational Research: The endeavor to traverse a particular step of the translational process for a particular target or disease.

Funding

Successful pilots will receive up to $40,000 in direct costs.

Only the Science of Translation RFA will receive up to an additional $10,000 resulting in an increased total award up to $50,000 in direct costs for projects that include one or more of the following criteria:

Investigators from multiple regions and/or markets within the health system;
Community partners as collaborators and/or project leaders;
Demonstrates substantive contribution from the community partner (e.g., funds support community partner activities and roles).

Supplements to these awards are being offered by the Center for Artificial Intelligence (CAIR) and the Perioperative Outcomes and Informatics Collaborative (POIC). Details are listed in both RFAs. Please view more information on Ignition Funds here.

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