CTSI Director Jamy D. Ard, MD, FTOS, and keynote speaker Callie L. Brown, MD, MPH, kicked things off by emphasizing something that came up again and again: research moves further, faster when people work across disciplines and take full advantage of the support around them.
Keynote: What Support Can Really Do
Dr. Brown shared her own experience—how CTSI resources like pilot funding, biostatistics, informatics, training, and community engagement helped her grow a research program focused on early childhood nutrition and healthy growth.One of the biggest takeaways? CTSI isn’t just a place you go for services—it’s something you build with. As she put it, “Our CTSI is not just a service center. It can serve as a scaffold for research and career development—catalyzing research that is inclusive, patient-centered, and positioned to improve health at scale.”It was a simple but powerful reminder: with the right support, good ideas don’t stall—they turn into studies, funding, and partnerships that actually last.
Workshops: Useful, Not Theoretical
The workshops leaned practical—in a good way. These weren’t high-level overviews; they were sessions people could immediately apply to their own work.
Sessions focused on hands-on ways to strengthen studies and speed translation, including:
- New REDCap features, including Alerts & Notifications, AI tools, and e-consent
- The Research to Results Lab, focused on making science easier to understand and share
- Ways to plan for real-world impact using the Translational Science Benefits Model (TSBM)
- Cohortology strategies to strengthen recruitment and feasibility using EHR data
The common thread: CTSI gives teams tools they can actually use to move projects forward—not just ideas that sound good on paper.
Partnerships & Mentorship: Doing the Work Together
Community engagement and mentorship weren’t side topics—they were front and center. A panel on building community and research partnerships emphasized something simple but often overlooked: start by listening. Strong partnerships take time, trust, and a commitment to designing research with communities, not just for them.
The Mentoring Matters symposium brought in perspectives from Duke and UNC, focusing on how to better support early-career investigators and build stronger mentoring networks. The conversation highlighted how much intentional mentorship shapes both individual careers and the future of research.
The day wrapped up with the Scholar Showcase, where people moved through poster sessions, asked questions, and made connections. It felt less like a closing session and more like a launch point—full of new ideas and conversations about what comes next.
Why It Matters
At its core, CTSI Day 2026 was a reminder of what’s possible when the right people, resources, and support come together. It makes research feel a little less overwhelming—and a lot more doable.
And more importantly, it helps ensure that strong ideas don’t just stay in the research phase—they make it out into the world where they can actually make a difference.
To learn more about CTSI or explore ways to collaborate with Wake Forest CTSI, visit the CTSI website or request a service to get started.