Correction: The session “Using AI to Communicate Health Research in a Relatable Way” has been rescheduled since the original email was sent. The new date  reflected below is December 9, 2025. Thank you for your understanding.

Dear Researchers,

We are in the home stretch of the semester. Things are busy, we know, but we want to make sure you are aware of the opportunities within the Indiana CTSI. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any connections to, information on, or assistance with the Indiana CTSI.

Of note, the Indiana CTSI Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, November 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Indianapolis. This year’s theme is “Moving the Needle: Treating Diabetes Together.” Notre Dame's Matt Webber, the Keating-Crawford Collegiate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Acting Director of the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health will be a speaker at the event. Don't miss it!

All the best to you and yours for a blessed upcoming Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Melanie DeFord, Deputy Director and Assistant Vice President for Research
Prakash Nallathamby, Notre Dame Navigator of the Indiana CTSI

Take a moment to explore our past newsletters and summits. At Indiana CTSI, we’re committed to uniting Indiana’s life sciences community to drive research forward and improve health across the state.

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Regenstrief Institute Social Hub, 1101 West 10th Street Indianapolis, IN and via Zoom

This session will explore how AI can enhance the research experience for study participants, starting at enrollment. Discussion will focus on using AI to create and refine standard operating procedures, improve participant engagement scripts, automate study reminders, and strengthen hospitality and fidelity practices throughout study visits.

Friday, November 21, 2025

8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., followed by a reception from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m

Hine Hall Auditorium, 875 W North St, Indianapolis, IN (map)

Join us on November 21 to hear directly from leaders who are transforming our understanding of diabetes and how to treat it. We will celebrate and advance this legacy at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Indiana CTSI. The theme is “Moving the Needle: Treating Diabetes Together.”

Diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. Twelve percent of Hoosiers have the disease. The burden is significant, and the problems are complex. But Indiana has a rich history of innovation in diabetes treatments, from Eli Lilly pioneering the commercial production of insulin in 1923 to groundbreaking research on new drugs, innovative technologies, and other interventions at the state’s premier research institutions.

During the meeting, we will be honored to present the 2025 August M. Watanabe Prize in Translational Research to Kevan Herold, MD, C.N.H. Long Professor of Immunobiology and of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. In addition, Notre Dame's Matt Webber, the Keating-Crawford Collegiate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Acting Director of the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health will will speak during the afternoon session of the annual meeting.

This year, we are meeting exclusively in person, with expanded opportunities for face-to-face collaboration and discussion. Please register by TOMORROW, November 7 to secure your spot.

The Indiana CTSI is excited to announce that applications are now open for the 2026 Undergraduate Summer Internship cohort. The program's goal is to accept 12 students, four from each IU, Purdue and Notre Dame.

The program runs for eight weeks over the course of June and July and provides students the opportunity to work with faculty mentors and their teams on clinical and translational research projects while expanding their career development in biomedical and life sciences areas.

More information about the internship can be found on on our website, and interested students can apply between now and the February 1, 2026 deadline. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Robyn E. Hawn or Matt Allen.

The Indiana CTSI Commercialization PDT is designed to provide early guidance to academic and clinical investigators interested in advancing their discoveries to the market. The programs are open to investigators from Indiana University (IU), Purdue University, or the University of Notre Dame; and includes a pool of advisors across these universities and industries around the state to provide investigators with a wide range of expertise and perspectives.

Submission Deadline: November 14, 2025

The MACC-SIREN Faculty Fellowship in Acute Care Research is an NIH-funded, mentored clinical research training program. The program provides 20% salary support for intensive, mentored research career development experience for junior faculty with a clinical doctoral degree (MD, DO, PharmD) interested in developing careers as physician- and surgeon-scientists leading high-impact clinical trials in acute care research topics.

Junior and mid-career (assistant and associate professor rank) clinical faculty (MD,DO, PharmD) at MACC-SIREN institutions (hubs, spokes and sub-spokes) with a full-time appointment in Emergency Medicine, Neurology, Cardiology, Pulmonary & Critical Care; or Trauma & Acute Care Surgery are eligible. Eligible candidates must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States.

The award provides an annual amount of 20% of the NIH Salary Cap.  The award period is for 1 year beginning February 1st, 2026 and may be renewed one time for a total of 2 years. Renewal is competitive.

Contact: dbeiser@bsd.uchicago.edu and sararoy@bsd.uchicago.edu

Submission Deadline: January 8, 2026

The Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute is seeking applications for K12 Early Career Investigator clinical – translational research proposals.

These awards are designed to provide promising early career faculty investigators the opportunity to be mentored in research-intensive, multi-disciplinary settings toward the goal of developing careers in clinical - translational research. Emphasis of the Indiana CTSI K12 Early Career Investigator Awards in Clinical - Translational Research are to move findings from basic laboratory and pre-clinical research toward the development of new treatment options or interventions or clinical trials to eventual dissemination or clinical implementation to studying population health outcomes and health metrics. The phases of translational research may not necessarily be linear and can jump steps depending on the research project and the starting point. The goal of the Indiana CTSI is to make awards at all of these stages. It is important that the clinical - translational research have clear applications to human disease and health outcomes.

Contact: ajzych@iu.edu

Submission Deadline: Rolling submission

Research Project Development Teams (PDTs) are groups of experienced senior faculty located on each of the Indiana CTSI campuses who will connect you with resources, collaboration opportunities, and small (typically up to $15,000) awards for preliminary or additional data. Each PDT is designed around a common research theme.

There are biostatisticians and regulatory experts on each team, and other experts are added as needed when you meet with the team to discuss your application. You will have access to the expertise and knowledge you need all in one place.

Contact: tsajdyk@iu.edu

Submission Deadline: December 1, 2025 

ORA Submission Deadline: January 8, 2026

Full Submission Deadline (via WebCAMP): January 15, 2026

Submission Deadline: Rolling Submission

Letter of Intent Deadline: December 1, 2025

Full Submission Deadline: January 16, 2026

Rolling Submission

Rolling Submission

The Indiana CTSI has experts across a wide variety of fields and research areas of interest. Click the button below to have the latest research discoveries and developments making news and positively impacting health in Indiana delivered right to your inbox. 

The Indiana CTSI includes Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Notre Dame as the major academic partners along with a number of other institutions and entities in the state.

It is funded by a Clinical and Translational Sciences Award from the National Institutes of Health amounting to some $38 million for the current seven-year funding period of 2023-2030. This funding is supplemented by additional support from many other institutional and corporate partners.

Funding is provided to researchers by many mechanisms to promote translational and collaborative research among the partner institutions.

For more information, please visit: indianactsi.org

If you have any questions about Indiana CTSI grants, programs, or upcoming events please feel free to reach out to co-navigators Jessica Brookshire or Prakash Nallathamby.