Center for Clinical and Translational Research

1200 East Clay Street
Box 980261
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0261
(804) 628-2961
Fax: (804) 827-1510
cctr.vcu.edu

F. Gerard Moeller, M.D.
Director

The Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research at VCU provides the necessary longitudinal and cross-disciplinary network, culture and infrastructure for identifying promising discoveries made in the laboratory, testing them in animals and developing trials and studies for humans.

Joint participation of researchers from across the university is critical to this mission. Partnerships with foundations and industry — particularly the support of the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park — is also crucial for moving these discoveries to the clinic. At the same time, mutually beneficial partnerships with community practitioners, community organizations and patients enhance the adoption of evidence-based best practices in general clinical practice and thus deliver improved medical care to the region.

The Wright Center offers a corridor in which participants in the translational research continuum can meet, interact and advance each others’ missions. Bench and computer scientists will learn from animal models and clinician observations. Clinical researchers will recognize the need for communication with basic scientists to direct experimental design. Community practitioners will better understand their role in informing the clinical research process and participating in pragmatic clinical trials. Patients will develop a higher comfort level with “medical research.”

The center also serves as the administrative unit for the interdisciplinary graduate degrees in clinical and translational sciences.

Research Innovator

The Wright Center's Research Innovator is designed to serve as a hub for resources and networking opportunities for established researchers and junior clinical investigators who are working on novel, interdisciplinary and collaborative clinical research at VCU. The RI will support its investigators by coordinating and optimizing current resources and by developing innovative new resources to facilitate the research process. It is anticipated that faculty researchers from the schools of Dentistry, Education, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Social Work, as well as the colleges of Engineering, Health Professions, and Humanities and Sciences will access services at the RI.