Avera, SDSU and USD Establish Statewide NIH Research Partnership

The National Institutes of Health awarded $11,090,204 over five years to establish the South Dakota Center for Advancing Clinical and Translational Research (SD-ACT), a statewide partnership among Avera Research Institute, South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.

Through research collaboration and community engagement, the three organizations will work to address the health needs of South Dakota. Each organization brings strengths that will help SD-ACT train and mentor researchers, support promising studies and build shared research resources across the state. Clinical and translational research connects scientific discoveries with studies in people and communities to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and health care delivery.

"SD-ACT was built as a partnership from the beginning," said Amy Elliott, PhD, Chief Clinical Research Officer at Avera Research Institute and contact Principal Investigator for SD-ACT. "Each organization brings capabilities that are essential to the center's success. By connecting health care, academic research and community perspectives through one statewide structure, we can create research opportunities and infrastructure that no one organization could build alone."

"Developing people is just as important as developing infrastructure," said Lee Baugh, PhD, Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the USD Sanford School of Medicine and one of the Principal Investigators for SD-ACT. "Through mentorship, research training and support for developing competitive grant proposals, we can help investigators turn promising ideas into studies that address the health priorities of South Dakota communities. The USD Sanford School of Medicine is proud to help build that research workforce alongside our partners."

The partnership will combine:

Avera Research Institute's clinical research infrastructure, integrated rural health-system reach, relationships with clinicians and patients, health data capabilities and experience conducting community-based and multi-site research.

The University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine's biomedical and translational science expertise, medical education, professional development, mentorship and specialized research resources that connect laboratory discoveries with human health research.

South Dakota State University's strengths in translational research, pharmacy and allied health, population health and data science.

"South Dakota has strong researchers, clinicians and research programs, but those assets have not always been connected through a common statewide structure," said Dan Hansen, PharmD, Dean of South Dakota State University's College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. "SD-ACT creates a pathway for multidisciplinary teams to form, test promising ideas, generate preliminary findings and compete successfully for larger national research awards."

The research will be informed by South Dakota communities. SD-ACT will place the needs and perspectives of rural, frontier, American Indian, underserved and military-connected populations at the forefront of its work. Community forums, advisory groups, clinician input and health data will help the partnership identify research priorities and shape future funding opportunities.

Potential areas of research include diabetes and obesity, cancer prevention and screening, maternal health, mental health and substance use, veterans' health, cognitive health, rural health care delivery and other priorities identified by communities across the state.

SD-ACT will offer five areas of integrated support through its Administrative Core, Professional Development Core, Community Engagement and Outreach Core, Research Design, Compliance and Data Management Core, and Health Research Core. Together, these cores will provide training and mentorship, connect researchers with communities, support rigorous study design and responsible data management, and help investigators develop and carry out research projects.

SD-ACT is part of NIH's Institutional Development Award, or IDeA, program. The program builds research capacity in 23 states and Puerto Rico that historically have received comparatively low levels of NIH research funding. IDeA Clinical and Translational Research programs strengthen research infrastructure, develop investigators and research professionals, and support collaborative studies focused on the health needs of the populations they serve.

Under NIH eligibility rules, a state may hold only one active IDeA Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) Network. SD-ACT serves as South Dakota's singular statewide NIH CTR platform. The one-per-state structure is intended to encourage coordination among institutions rather than create a program limited to one organization.

"SD-ACT is a shared investment in South Dakota's future," Elliott said. "The strength of this center will come from the partnership—three organizations working together with clinicians, communities and investigators across the state to build a sustainable research enterprise focused on the health of South Dakotans."