Penn State CTSI shines at ACTS Translational Science 2026 conference

A robust delegation of faculty, staff, scholars, and graduate students representing Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from April 20-23, 2026, to represent the university at the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) Translational Science 2026 (TS26) Conference. Centered around the theme "Building Trustworthy Translation: Rigor, Reproducibility, and Real-World Impact," the four-day, in-person event provided a national platform for our team to share innovative research, tackle pressing challenges, and foster cross-institutional collaborations.

Translational research plays an essential role in advancing health by bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and real-world impact. By accelerating the journey from scientific breakthrough to tangible treatments and community health programs, translational science directly impacts patient care. The robust engagement of our team at the ACTS conference is a powerful testament to Penn State CTSI's expertise and leadership in this critical field. It underscores our ongoing commitment to advancing scientific innovation to improve the health, well-being, and lives of the communities we serve across Pennsylvania and beyond.

A Strong Contingent of Translational Science Leaders

Penn State CTSI was well-represented by a diverse group of attendees, including leadership, project managers, and program directors. Notable attendees included Jennifer Kraschnewski, CTSI Director; Lauren Van Scoy, Early-Stage Investigator Training Program (KL2) PI; Marie Boltz, KL2 Director; Raffy Luquis, CTSI Affiliates Program Director; Alyson Eggleston, CTSI Director of Evaluation; and Erica Francis, CTSI Administrative Director.

The university’s commitment to training the next generation of researchers was also on full display, with KL2 Scholar Jamal Essayli, Translational Research Training Program (TL1) Trainees Thakshila Dasanayake, Sawsan Salah and Kayla Tate, KL2 alumni Sarah Horvath, and TL1 alumni Rachael Bishop in attendance.

Key staff who represented Penn State CTSI's mission included Abbey Fisher, Research Navigator; Jessica Petrie, Education Program Specialist; Nicole Tarr, Director of Collaborative Partnerships; and Jessica Schrodel, Community Engagement Project Manager.

Leading the Conversation in Panel Presentations

Penn State experts took the stage to deliver four compelling presentations, sharing operational insights, evaluation methods, and workforce development strategies with the broader translational science community:

• 'Using Coaching Strategies to Accelerate Workforce Development in Clinical and Translational Science' presented by Dale Fallon, Sarah Horvath, Betsy Rolland, and Lauren Van Scoy

• 'StudyFinder in Action: Expanding Access, Awareness, and Participation' presented by Jessica Schrodel

• 'From Data to Story: Using Evaluation to Amplify Translational Science Impact' presented by Hanna Calkins, Alyson Eggleston, Lora Parent, Lixin Zhang

• 'Developing, Implementing, and Disseminating Operational Efficiency Best Practices Across CTSA Hubs' presented by Abbey Fisher, Erica Francis, Gerald Stacy, Joel Thompson, and Nadia Prokofieva

Showcasing Research Through Academic Posters

In addition to the panel presentations, our researchers presented an impressive nine academic posters over two days, covering a wide breadth of topics ranging from rural health priorities to Alzheimer's disease insights:

• 'Mapping CTSA Resources and Services Within an Institutional Research Infrastructure' presented by Abbey Fisher

• 'Mapping Translational Science Priorities Across Rural CTSAs' presented by Alyson Eggleston

• 'Qualitative Evaluation of a Coaching Program for Early-Stage Researchers in KL2 and T32 Training Programs' presented by Jessica Petrie

• 'Effects of Culinary-Focused Nutrition Education on Psychological Health and Well-Being: An Exploratory Analysis of the SPICE UP MyPlate Pilot Study' presented by Kayla Tate

• 'Amplifying Lion Voices: A Seminar Series to Elevate Underrecognized Voices in Clinical and Translational Science' presented by Raffy Luquis

• 'Role of Educational Attainment in Clinico-Pathological Concordance and Discordance in Alzheimer's Disease: Insights from the NACC Dataset' presented by Thakshila Dasanayake

• Exposure Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa: Targeting Weight Gain Anxiety as a Treatment Mechanism' presented by Jamal Essayli

• 'Team Science and Community Engagement: CTSI Cross Collaboration for Community Engagement and Action' presented by Karen Hinshaw, Nicole Tarr, and Jess Schrodel

• 'Exploring the Biological Embedding of Adversity and Cardiometabolic Disease Risk' presented by Sawsan Salah

Spearheading National Collaboration: Launch of the Coaching Programs SIG

Beyond presentations and posters, Penn State CTSI demonstrated national leadership through the launch of a brand-new Coaching Programs Special Interest Group (SIG), spearheaded by Lauren Van Scoy. The initiative officially kicked off at the conference on April 20 with a Meet and Greet event. This new SIG is dedicated to exploring, developing, and promoting the use of coaching to support professional development, team science, and well-being for faculty and staff working in clinical and translational science. Moving forward, the group will provide a valuable platform for shared learning, collaboration, scholarship, and innovation related to coaching programming across Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hubs nationwide.

Additionally, Jennifer Kraschnewski was elected Secretary of the ACTS Board for a three-year term, helping to shape the future direction of the organization.

Congratulations to all our faculty, staff, scholars, and graduate students for their outstanding contributions to TS26 and for continuing to elevate Penn State’s impact in the field of clinical and translational science!