Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR)

The Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) catalyzes clinical and translational research (CTR) and advances clinical and translational science (CTS) at the University of Michigan (U-M), throughout the state of Michigan, and nationally. We have transformed CTR at U-M and have been a collaborative partner with university units, Michigan communities, and the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Consortium. In the next seven years, MICHR will achieve greater innovation, efficiency, quality, and reach in CTR for all and develop, demonstrate, and disseminate generalizable CTS innovations. This vision comprises five strategic goals: 1) Expand the voices driving the strategic direction of CTR and CTS to include those most impacted by the topics of study. With our community partners, we will co-develop strategies to elevate voices of all in CTS leadership. The Michigan Scientific Review Board will ensure integration of the most relevant expertise in research throughout the state. The Patients as Partners Program will engage patients in study development and mentoring. 2) Extend CTR to the state and increase engagement with national CTR through CTS innovations. We will increase access to research by developing CTR capacity statewide. The M-REACH platform will facilitate community-academic connections. The Network Connector will connect study teams, national networks, and university partners. 3) Engage new groups in CTR and CTS through new pathways and supports. We will support the CTR workforce statewide through new trainings, mentoring programs, apprenticeships, and communities of practice. We will develop research training programs tailored to clinical practice-focused physicians. Study teams will include community members and patients and be supported by team science initiatives and pilot grant funding. 4) Extend translation through dissemination and implementation science and application. The Dissemination & Implementation Catalyst will advance the science and application of dissemination and implementation for CTR and CTS. With our community partners, we will co-develop tools for effective academic-community research partnerships during a public health emergency. We will enable rapid translation of ideas into actionable solutions through human-centered design. 5) Extend MICHR services to advance innovation, quality, and efficiency of CTR. We will help academics and community members develop skills in the science of community-engaged research. We will develop training programs and tools as well as extend and adapt our services to ensure rigor and efficiency of health-related behavioral and social science research. We will add new features to our electronic medical record search engine and our participant recruitment platform. We will determine cost-effectiveness and effect on clinical trial performance of strategies for improving protocol quality. In summary, MICHR is poised to enter its third decade of advancing CTR and CTS throughout Michigan and the nation.