Members of the C4R team hosted a panel discussion about rigor training at the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) meeting, Translational Science 2025, in Washington D.C. The panel included professors and C4R CoLAB partners Alex Hanlon and Alicia Lozano from Virginia Tech, Michael Gionfriddo from the Mayo Clinic, and C4R’s curriculum development lead, Hao Ye. 

In a featured C4R website blog post, Dr. Hanlon shared her thoughts on the Translational Science panel discussion, the importance of rigor training, the C4R initiative for translational scientists, and how working with C4R has shaped her approach to rigor instruction. 

"Translational research isn’t just about moving discoveries from bench to bedside. It’s about making those discoveries matter. And for them to matter, they need to be trustworthy, reproducible, and thoughtfully designed from the start. That’s what rigor gives us—a foundation to build on. Without it, we’re not just risking bad science. We’re also risking missed opportunities to improve health and well-being.

Rigor goes beyond clean data or well-specified models. It’s about building trust across teams, institutions, and communities. It’s about knowing that if someone picks up our work and tries to apply it, they won’t just get the same results, they’ll get meaningful, reliable insights they can act on."

Read the full Article
C4R Conference Graphic
Learn more about the Community for Rigor at CBHDS