From the Lab to Real-World Impacts: NIEHS Tools for Translational Research

From the Lab to Real-World Impacts: NIEHS Tools for Translational Research

June 17, 2019

Interviewee: Kristi Pettibone, Ph.D.

In this podcast, we will learn about Translational Research at NIEHS and how a new tool, called the Translational Research Framework, can help move research from the lab bench to impacts in the real world.

From the Lab to Real-World Impacts: NIEHS Tools for Translational Research

Translational research refers to the process of moving from basic laboratory research to improvements in human health on a larger scale. The NIEHS Translational Research Framework is a model and tool that helps researchers design environmental health research programs by allowing them to follow fundamental research questions, using cells or microbes for example, all the way through meaningful public health impacts. These impacts could include reduced exposure to harmful contaminants or improved health at the population level, among others.

NIEHS encourages translational environmental health research with the goal of developing concrete strategies that protect and improve human health. There are a range of NIEHS-supported tools and resources that researchers can use to conduct, facilitate and evaluate translational research. One of them is the Translational Research Framework. .

Interviewee

Kristi Pettibone, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist Administrator of the Program Analysis Branch of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ Division of Extramural Research and Training. She has almost 20 years’ experience managing, directing, and guiding public health policy research and evaluation projects. Prior to joining NIEHS, she served as director of the MayaTech Corporation’s Center for Community Prevention and Treatment Research.

Pettibone has worked on evaluations of several federal grant portfolios, including NIEHS’s endocrine disruptor, nanotechnology health and safety, and neurodegeneration portfolios. For the last three years, she has led an NIEHS workgroup in the development of this new Translational Research Framework.

Additional Resources

• Read about Translational Research at NIEHS and why it is important
• Check out the Translational Research Framework and learn more about each of the components
• Read more background on the Translational Research Framework and how it was developed
• Find out more about the benefits of translational research
• Find additional resources for understanding translational research
• Check out the Translational Research Story Template – a tool for researchers to identify, develop, and tell translational stories about their work
• See examples where other researchers have used the translational research story template