CASE Team Highlights Community Partner Committees & Experiences at National Conference

Published: May 27, 2025

The Miami CTSI’s Community and Stakeholder Engagement (CASE) team recently attended the Translational Science 2025 conference in Washington, D.C., where they actively participated in two key panels on community collaboration in clinical and translational science. The panel discussions highlighted the importance of meaningful partnerships between research institutions and the communities they serve.

In one session, Trina Harris, CEO of Touching Miami with Love — a nonprofit serving children and families across Miami-Dade County and a member of the Miami CTSI’s Community Steering Committee — joined a panel with community representatives from other CTSA’s at the University of Michigan, UC San Francisco, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University.

This panel discussion provided a platform for community and patient leaders to share their experiences working with research institutions, focusing on shared decision-making, co-governance, and sustainable partnerships.

Panelists emphasized the importance of fostering more balanced partnerships between academic institutions and communities, ensuring that those most impacted by gaps in healthcare access are included in shaping research efforts.

In another session, CASE Sr. Manager Angelica Agati and Trina Harris collaborated with representatives from the University of California San Francisco and the University of Chicago, Illinois, exploring experiences within community steering committees or advisory boards.

Participants — whether from long-standing or newly formed boards — emphasized the importance of collaboration in advancing community-centered research and keeping healthcare access a priority in translational science.

Beyond the conference discussions, CTSI CASE Director Denise Vidot, Ph.D., and CTSI Resources & Services Co-Director Shari Messinger, Ph.D., met with Florida state representatives and emphasized the importance of translational science and helped legislators better understand its real-world impact on communities and patient populations. Dr. Messinger is also a director-at-large with the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS).

The CASE team’s involvement in the conference reaffirmed their commitment to bridging academic research and community voices. Their contributions to these national conversations will continue to shape collaborative initiatives that empower communities and drive meaningful advancements in health research.

Measuring Impact: CTSI Evaluation Director On Conference Panel

Also participating in the Translational Science 2025 conference was CTSI Director of Data Analytics, Tracking and Evaluation Rosalina Das, who spoke on the use of the Translational Science Benefits Model — a framework for assessment and dissemination of outcomes and impacts of translational work.