In November 2025, Wake Forest University School of Medicine was awarded a 10-year, $49.5 million contract from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to serve as the Coordinating Center for the landmark Jackson Heart Study—one of the nation’s largest and longest-running studies of cardiovascular health in African American populations. Read full news release here.
Behind this milestone is the kind of coordinated, behind-the-scenes support that helps research teams compete for and manage complex, multi-site awards.
D. Leann Long, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and data science at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, is among the researchers who have used the CTSI Team Grant Accelerator to compete for and manage large, high-impact research awards.
From Proposal to a $49.5 Million Award: The Jackson Heart Study
Large multi-investigator grants can expand the reach of science, but they also bring complex demands—team formation, budgeting, coordination, compliance, and long-term project management. The Team Grant Accelerator helps meet that need by giving investigators the infrastructure required to pursue major funding and sustain ambitious research programs.The Jackson Heart Study (JHS) shows what this kind of support can make possible. For more than 25 years, JHS has followed over 5,000 participants in Jackson, Mississippi and has generated critical insights into cardiovascular health and disease prevention. Competing for the Coordinating Center required managing decades of data, coordinating multiple centers, planning future exams, launching a new young adult cohort, and meeting strict NIH and privacy requirements. “Given the complexity of the project’s moving parts, stakeholders, and deliverables, we saw this program as a source of critical support to help our team manage it efficiently and effectively,” said Long.
The team partnered with CTSI during proposal development—including support for a single IRB proposal—and continued with TGA after the award for operational and post-award support. That continuity helped position the team not only to win the contract, but to carry out its full research mission. “In September 2025, our team was awarded the 10-year, $49.5 million JHS Coordinating Center contract. This award allows us to build on the Jackson Heart Study’s rich and important legacy,” said Long.
That mission extends beyond data management. JHS includes Training and Education Centers that prepare the next generation of clinical researchers, along with community engagement efforts designed to improve cardiovascular health in Jackson and beyond.
Strengthening Research Teams
TGA also played a key role in strengthening collaboration across a geographically dispersed research network. By supporting in-person meetings, conference participation, and site visits, the program helped partners build the trust, communication, and working relationships needed to manage a complex, multi-site project over the long term.For investigators pursuing large, multi-investigator awards, the Team Grant Accelerator offers thoughtful support to strengthen proposals, ease coordination, and help ambitious research teams move their work forward with confidence. Click to apply here.