Wilske Center for Translational Research
The Wilske Center for Translational Research was formed to build upon the expertise of our BRI Scientists and clinical expertise at VMMC. The purpose of the committee is to:
Identify barriers to research within VM and BRI and act as a voice within VM to encourage systems and strengthen research.
Develop a community of physicians performing research who can advise and assist each other in attaining their research goals, e.g., mentoring.
Review and recommend clinical research chair awards.
Review and award the Pioneer Grant.
The committee has two co-directors, Chris Porter, MD and Karen Cerosaletti, PhD. They are supported by a Faculty that includes; David Aboulafia, MD, Chia Wang, MD, David Robinson, MD, Dan Zeitler, MD, Michael Chiorean, MD, and Bernard Khor, PhD.
Learn about the recipients of this year's 2021 Wilske Center for Translational Research Clinical Research Chair and Pioneer Awards.
The Clinical Research Chair
Funding is available through a designated endowment fund to support protected time for physicians engaged in clinical research. Every year, BRI and Virginia Mason have an opportunity to allocate the distribution from these funds to support five award categories:
- Cancer Clinical Research
- Pulmonary Clinical Research
- Neuroscience Institute Clinical Research
- Translational Research
- General Research
The purpose of these research chair awards is to foster clinical research through the purchase of protected research time (approximately 0.1 FTE equivalents) for physician scientists at Virginia Mason, which is to be utilized in support of high quality innovative research projects. Previous recipients of these research chair awards are eligible for reappointment or funding, but in those cases, the nomination form must be accompanied by a progress report indicating how the previous award was utilized for innovative clinical research. Investigators who will be completing two consecutive years receiving protected time as a Clinical Research Chair will not be eligible for protected time this year. Any Investigator wishing to apply for appointment must complete the attached form and submit it to their Section Head and Department Chief for signature.
The deadline for application was 3-Feb-2021. (No longer accepting applications for 2021. Winners have already been selected and announced.)
The Pioneer Award
Funding from the Pioneer Award(s) supports investigator-initiated studies for translational pilot projects from $1,000 up to $40,000. Applications will be reviewed semi-annually. It is anticipated that the grant will leverage the expertise of both institutions to provide investigators with the ability to ultimately compete for national peer reviewed funding. The funds from the Pioneer Grant are for scientific research purposes and are NOT designed to be used to cover supported time. The application process for this award is in the form a grant proposal. The application form is attached.
The deadline for application was 3-Feb-2021. (No longer accepting applications for 2021. Winners have already been selected and announced.)
Pioneer Award Application
Pioneer Award Instructions
Nominations will be reviewed and ranked for scientific merit.
The next round of applications will open up in November 2021 for funding in April 2022.
Please direct any questions to Cheryl Weaver at CWeaver@BenaroyaResearch.org or extension 26911.