University Spotlight
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
State of Research Address Highlights Strong Growth, Breadth of Research and Talent on the CU Anschutz Campus 

Growth, collaboration and COVID-19 marked the second annual State of Research Address on Dec. 7, 2021 given by Thomas Flaig, MD, vice chancellor for research, highlighting some of the groundbreaking science that netted the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus nearly $654 million in research awards this year.  “We have many successes to celebrate this year, and I am very proud to share the numerous ways that our research community and all of our campus partners continue to collaborate and lead the way in advancing new discoveries,” Flaig said.  "As the awards total illustrates, research on campus has been strong and includes all areas, from clinical research and trials to grants and funding to the addition of talented scientists and leaders". 
 

One of those outstanding leaders was recently recruited to head a critical area of emerging research on campus: Melissa Haendel, PhD, chief research informatics officer. Haendel, backed by a strong team, promises to take CU Anschutz to the forefront of the data, informatics and AI (artificial intelligence) research arena. 
CU Anschutz has led groundbreaking research throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with countless researchers who have who “stood up and helped our community to continue to flourish” over the last 18 months. Flaig also called attention to campus wide collaborations such as the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) and its work on responding to COVID-19, which included:

1. Leading a statewide study to provide monoclonal antibody treatment across Colorado, with focused outreach to underrepresented groups.
2. Playing a part in a major National Institutes of Health initiative to identify the causes and optimal treatment of Long COVID.
3. Being a part of the Community Engagement Alliance, a partnership between the university and community-based organizations to improve engagement, diversity and inclusion in COVID-19 research. 

Collaborative efforts like those of CCTSI are critical to the university’s future, Flaig said. “The way we go on and do big and great things – and make the biggest impact possible – is through multidisciplinary, inter-school inter-college activities".