DOM Translational Medicine division’s renewal to catalyze bench-to-bedside research

The University of Arizona Department of Medicine  won approval from the College of Medicine – Tucson to reinstate its Division of Translational Medicine, marking a renewed commitment to accelerate scientific discoveries into bench-to-bedside, patient-centered solutions for health care.

Jennifer S. Carew, PhD, whose appointment as division chief was finalized Nov. 21, will lead the newly relaunched division as it re-establishes its research identity and strategic goals. She moves back to the division from the Division of Hematology & Oncology, where she’d found a home since most of her research involves cancer. She’s also now the College of Medicine – Tucson’s director of investigator-initiated clinical trials and U of A Cancer Center’s director of translational research — the basis for her hosting the Translational Medicine Symposium in 2024 (Part 1 & 2) and 2025. 
 

DOM Chair James K. Liao, MD, a professor in the Division of Cardiology and renowned researcher in his own right, said he’s very pleased to reactivate the division.

“Dr. Carew has a clear understanding of what’s needed to conduct translational research and a robust vision for its growth. I look forward to working with her in developing the division as a critical catalyst for innovation and impactful discovery in the Department of Medicine and beyond,” he said.

Dr. Carew said the division’s revival has been a long time coming. Although it remained in the DOM’s organizational structure, the division was idled since 2021 with the departure of then Division of Translational & Regenerative Medicine chief Stephen Black, PhD, for Florida International University. His and other departures before and after the COVID-19 pandemic — which froze research due to social-distancing policies that limited collaboration — had hollowed out the division.

“The critical mass was no longer there to keep it open at the time. But Dr. Liao has always been supportive of resurrecting it. He’s had that on his agenda, really, since he became our Chair of Medicine,” Dr. Carew added. “It’s been a matter of just getting the timing right and having support available to launch it effectively. And I feel like we’re at that place now.”

Building the division’s foundation

With the relaunch now official, Dr. Carew said faculty recruitment is her top priority.

“We need to build back the people to take these initiatives forward. That’s priority No. 1. We’re in the process of recruiting those investigators now,” she added, noting several promising candidates have been identified via the department’s generalized recruitment portal.

Beyond recruitment, Dr. Carew emphasized constructing the operational and scientific infrastructure necessary to drive translational innovation.

“Establishing the framework that we need to accelerate translational innovation is going to be important as well,” she said. Three focus areas that will guide the division’s early trajectory, she added are “therapeutic discovery, pre-clinical development and applied innovation.”

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Dr. Carew believes the university already has strong assets via individual U of A colleges’, centers’ and institutes’ strengths as well as the Office of Research & Partnerships core facilities to support early progress.

“I think the basic bones of the infrastructure, at least for the drug development part, are already in place, which is nice, because having some early wins will be important for the division,” she said.

The division also will continue leveraging established expertise across campus.

“Certainly, across our department and with other departments in the College of Medicine,” Dr. Carew said. She also highlighted the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy and the Arizona Center for Drug Discovery as pivotal to the division’s success. “We’re already strongly positioned to take that forward.”

Creating a translational ecosystem

Dr. Carew described the division’s overarching purpose in straightforward terms: “The overall goal of our division is to accelerate the journey from scientific insight to real patient impact.” She envisions “building a translational ecosystem that positions the University of Arizona as a national leader in therapeutic innovation and precision medicine.”

Ultimately, she said, the goal is simple but bold: “We want to transform discoveries made at the research bench into therapies, diagnostics and technologies that meaningfully improve patient lives.” Key to that effort will be attracting investigators who can amplify existing strengths, particularly in therapeutic development and precision medicine.

Dr. Carew also anticipates establishing new graduate training pathways in collaboration with DOM and college leadership.

“We’re talking about developing, initially, some core courses covering basic principles of translational and applied medicine, and building that into a master’s and PhD program,” she said, noting support from Michael D. L. Johnson, PhD, the college’s associate dean for basic science research and graduate studies.

“Translational research is an essential bridge between the basic and clinical sciences. Dr. Carew has championed this space for as long as I have known her at U of A. She is a great person to lead this charge,” Dr. Johnson said.

An eye toward the future

Although still new, the division will partner with the college and the Arizona Biomedical Research Centre to host the 2026 Translational Medicine Symposium, now entering its fourth year. This event is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 22, and will be held in the Health Sciences Innovation Building’s Forum.

The symposium, Dr. Carew said, is helping increase “overall awareness of and interest in translational research across campus” and provides a space “to bring in outside investigators who can share their expertise in a way that hopefully catalyzes research across our campus.”

Despite early-stage logistics, she and her colleagues are energized about the Division of Translational Medicine’s reinstatement.

“We’re really excited about this opportunity, and I hope that it’s going to grow rapidly,” she said.

Those interested in connecting with the division can contact Dr. Carew directly to learn more about opportunities in translational medicine: jcarew@arizona.edu.

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