Building Trust, One Partnership at a Time: Spotlight on CTSI’s Trustworthiness Seed Funding Awardees

By: Angelica Agati & Raquel Perez | Published: March 9, 2026

Last year, the University of Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) introduced its inaugural Trustworthiness Seed Funding Opportunity, designed to strengthen relationships between academic researchers at the University of Miami and the South Florida community.

Rooted in the principles of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Center for Health Justice, the program encourages applicants to use the AAMC’s Trustworthiness Toolkit to guide their proposals. This collaboration was made possible through the AAMC Center for Health Justice’s representation on the Miami CTSI Community Steering Committee.

While the initiative centers on relationship-building, its purpose is fundamentally translational: to understand how trust, community-academic partnerships, and shared decision-making can remove barriers that often slow or limit the impact of scientific discovery. By supporting small, early-stage collaborations, the CTSI is testing what it takes to create the conditions where translational research can move more effectively from ideas to real-world benefit.

The first awards were issued in January 2025 to three investigator‑identified partnerships with local community organizations. Each $5,000 award supported efforts that elevate community voice, deepen mutual understanding, and lay the foundation for long-term engagement. The funds were invested in community organizations and activities that strengthened their relationship with the university.

Each project offers a distinct lens into what trust-building can look like in practice and what it reveals about how to design translational research that is feasible, relevant, and grounded in community priorities. The following summaries highlight the progress these teams have achieved since the awards were issued and the emerging impacts of their efforts.

Katrina Ciraldo, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, and her team partnered with Grace Tillyard of the Women’s Emergency Network (WEN) to cultivate trust in sensitive community health services.

Their project centers on open dialogue and co-designed practices that prioritize safety, confidentiality, and autonomy for WEN’s clients. Monthly meetings bring together university stakeholders and WEN staff to explore trust-building strategies, identify shared research interests, and develop client-centered approaches to care.

The partnership aims to create a lasting bridge between WEN and the University of Miami, rooted in mutual respect and shared learning.

“It is very rewarding to work with a community partner and build a relationship between the community partner and different members of the department and university community.” said Dr. Ciraldo.

By strengthening trust in a setting where privacy and vulnerability are central, the team is laying groundwork for future translations studies that require sensitive recruitment, ethical data collection, and community confidence, common barriers in women’s health research.

Kathryn Nowotny, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, and her team joined forces with Cherry Smart, LCSW, Executive Director of the Empowerment Zone Reentry Initiative (EZRI), to explore how trust can be cultivated at the intersection of research and service.

Empowerment Zone Reentry Initiative (EZRI) staff and volunteers at their open house.

Their project includes a series of structured meetings guided by the AAMC toolkit, each focused on a specific principle of trustworthiness.  Together, they are co‑developing a plan for ongoing “trustworthiness check‑ins” that support work aligned with collaborative priorities and reflective of real‑world needs, while also setting shared goals for future research and service initiatives, and designing strategies to publicly share their findings.

The partnership reflects a deep commitment to transparency, shared leadership, and honoring the lived experiences of those impacted by the justice system.

“Our partnership with Dr. Nowotny and UM gives us so much hope! We have learned how participating in research helps our agency and strengthens our reputation and impact in the community,” said Cherry.

This project is helping the CTSI understand how to build translational pathways in settings where mistrust of institutions is historically high. The lessons emerging around communication, shared governance, and aligning research with organizational capacity will inform future studies involving justice-impacted populations.

Director of CAMAT Jill Ehrenreich-May, Ph.D., (pictured in center) with the program’s Clinical Supervisor Niza Tonarely-Busto, Ph.D. (right)

The third project, led by Danielle Ibarra, Psy.D., Clinical Director of the Child and Adolescent Mood and Anxiety Treatment (CAMAT) program, and Jill Ehrenreich-May, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Psychology, focuses on mental health access through the creation of a Community Advisory Board (CAB). In collaboration with Dr. Shana Cox of Lotus House, the team is working to elevate mental health awareness and reduce stigma in underserved communities across Miami-Dade County.

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Their U-Help: Community Advisory Board brings together mental health professionals, community leaders, and individuals with lived experience to co-design initiatives such as educational workshops, no-cost therapy groups, and outreach campaigns. Guided by the AAMC toolkit, the project emphasizes that trust is built not through one-time efforts, but through consistent presence, shared mission, and authentic collaboration.

Mental health has long been a key health priority for our community, and these partnerships ensure research in these areas leads to community-based initiatives that reflect existing realities.

“The U-HELP Community Advisory Board was launched with support from the CTSI Trustworthiness award to strengthen connections between CAMAT and the Miami community. Partnering with Lotus House and South Florida Mental Health & Recovery, we focused on reducing stigma, improving access to care, and exploring future outreach ideas,” said Dr. Ibarra.

“CAMAT is now developing two new CABs: one to deepen partnerships and expand evidence‑based practices across South Florida, and another to engage youth in research, outreach, and updating CAMAT materials. Together, these efforts will continue building trust and collaboration in support of community mental health,” she said.

By piloting advisory structures early, the team is testing mechanisms that can later support more rigorous translational studies such as intervention trials, implementation research, and community-led evaluation.

As we reflect on the first year of the Trustworthiness Seed Funding Award, we’re inspired by the creativity, care, and dedication shown by our teams. Their work reminds us that trust is not a checkbox, it’s a relationship. And when we invest in that relationship with intention and humility, we create the conditions for research that is not only ethical, but more likely to succeed.

Every one of these projects shows what it takes to make translational research work in real-world settings—strengthening early partnerships, reducing barriers to recruitment and data sharing, sustaining engagement, and co-designing research questions that reflect community priorities. These lessons are helping teams share studies that are more relevant, more trusted, and more likely to translate into meaningful impact.

In this way, the Trustworthiness Seed Funding Opportunity is doing more than supporting engagement; it is generating practical insights that will guide how the CTSI advances translational science across South Florida.

The Miami CTSI is now accepting applications for a new round of Trustworthiness Seed Funding awards through April 6, 2026. Learn more and apply at www.MiamiCTSI.org/tsf.