From Breakthrough to Bedside
Walter K. Kraft, MD
At Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, a new center is built around a simple but urgent question: How do we move breakthrough discoveries to patients — faster?
The newly launched Clinical and Translational Sciences Center (CTSC) is the realization of a vision set by Said Ibrahim, MD, the Anthony F. and Gertrude M. DePalma Dean of Sidney Kimmel Medical College. His goal: to bridge the gap between science and society by making research more collaborative, more efficient, and more impactful — streamlining the path from bench to bedside and into the community at large.
Created with that mission at its core, the CTSC was designed to remove the barriers that slow innovation and bring scientists, clinicians, industry partners, and communities into closer alignment. Backed in part by a transformative 2025 gift from Sidney and Caroline Kimmel, the center provides the infrastructure and momentum to ensure promising discoveries reach the people who need them most.
Walter K. Kraft, MD, Interim Director of the CTSC, explains how the center will accelerate research, strengthen Jefferson’s national standing, and reshape how discoveries move from the lab to the clinic — and beyond.
What is clinical and translational science?
Clinical and translational science turns discovery into action. It moves breakthroughs out of the lab and into real-world care — transforming scientific insight into new diagnostics, therapies, and solutions that improve health at scale.
Why create the Clinical and Translational Sciences Center now?
The pace of discovery is accelerating — but the systems that move discoveries into practice haven’t always kept up. The CTSC is built to change that.
By aligning expertise, infrastructure, and partnerships, the center helps ideas move more efficiently from concept to care. It provides the connective tissue between disciplines and removes friction in the research process — so breakthroughs don’t stall before they reach patients.
What will the Clinical and Translational Sciences Center do?
The CTSC will serve as Jefferson’s research accelerator — bringing scientists, clinicians, technologists, and communities together to move ideas faster from concept to care.
Whether advancing personalized medicine, launching next-generation clinical trials, or training future research leaders, the center is built to shorten the distance between innovation and impact.
Beyond the University, the CTSC strengthens Jefferson’s role as a regional innovation engine — attracting industry partnerships, fueling biotech growth, and supporting high-skill jobs across the healthcare ecosystem.
How does this elevate Jefferson?
The CTSC provides the platform to significantly expand Jefferson’s research capacity and national competitiveness — particularly in cardiovascular disease, neuroscience, and cancer.
By strengthening infrastructure for industrysponsored trials and collaborative research, the center will accelerate the development of new treatments, improve readiness for future public health threats, and ensure innovation reaches diverse communities equitably.
Where is the center investing for the future?
The CTSC is investing in the future of research — expanding capabilities in:
- AI-driven informatics and data science
- Technology-enabled and distributed clinical trials
- Biostatistics and advanced analytics
- Community engagement and inclusive research
- Career development for the next generation of translational scientists.
Double Your Impact
The SKMC Clinical and Translational Sciences Center will be a powerful engine for turning scientific discoveries into better health outcomes for everyone. Its mission is simple but profound: to speed up the process of moving research from bench to bedside to community.
Every dollar you give to the center will be matched by Sidney and Caroline Kimmel, putting the most promising ideas and treatments to use even faster.
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