iTHRIV: integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia

What is iTHRIV?

The integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia, or iTHRIV, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program Hub. In practice, iTHRIV is a cross-Commonwealth collaboration between University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Carilion Clinic, and the Inova Health System. iTHRIV unites the research infrastructure of these flagship institutions with the latest advances in data science to accelerate innovation in health-related research and foster the next generation of collaborative health research professionals.

The mission of iTHRIV is to catalyze and sustain inclusive clinical and translational research through diverse, collaborative team science, innovative data science, and broad workforce development in order to improve human health and promote health equity. The overall aims of iTHRIV are to:

Integrate data and data analytics to accelerate and streamline scientific workflows for clinical trials
Facilitate shared technology for discovery of innovative therapeutic advancements
Create more personalized approaches to healthcare to benefit the diverse rural and urban populations who iTHRIV member clinicians serve

iTHRIV at Virginia Tech

In 2019, Virginia Tech was awarded a grant from the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program of the NIH as part of a consortium of Virginia research and healthcare institutions: The integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV).

CBHDS's Director, Alexandra Hanlon, is the Co-Director of the iTHRIV Research Methods Core.

What is the iTHRIV Research Methods Core?

The mission of the Research Methods component is to develop and implement high-quality research tools and methods. iTHRIV facilitates investigator access to these integrated Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) and Regulatory Knowledge and Support (RKS) resources. With iTHRIV’s commitment to collaboration and education/training, the BERD and RKS will also ensure that research design and analysis are rigorous and that all projects remain inside of regulatory boundaries, without hindering progress. This mission will help the iTHRIV Hub achieve its goal of enabling valid, reliable, and reproducible clinical and translational research which is critical to the success of iTHRIV. The expertise of the named leaders for Research Methods, BERD, and RKS covers a full spectrum of biostatistical concepts, approaches and applications, as well as regulatory knowledge. University of Virginia (UVA) and Virginia Tech Carilion (VTC) have existing track records of providing statistical and regulatory support to investigators. The success of UVA and VTC in providing programs to support researchers will be broadened and synergized within iTHRIV. Further, the integrated expertise in BERD and RKS across iTHRIV institutions allows investigators to be exposed to and supported by an environment providing fundamental research methods as well as cutting edge developments and innovations.

With our iTHRIV partners at the University of Virginia, Carilion Clinic and Inova Health System, we aim to:

Provide comprehensive support in research design, conduct and education.
Develop novel statistical techniques and analytical tools to advance research methodology
Develop shared comprehensive regulatory support and education services to allow researchers to optimize their translational science planning and conduct