Partners Day Features UB’s New Downtown Research Facility

Published June 1, 2011 This content is archived.

A presentation on UB’s newest downtown facility—the Clinical and Translational Science Institute—will be among the highlights of this year’s UB Partners Day to be held on June 3 at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

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“We will describe what translational research is and talk about the CTRC, its facilities, and the potential impact the center will have on jobs creation. ”
Timothy Murphy, MD
senior associate dean for clinical and translational research and director of the CTRC

The annual event showcases the many ways in which UB partners with industry, government and nonprofits to spur economic growth in the Buffalo Niagara region.

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

The Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is part of a combined $291 million facility currently under construction that also includes Kaleida Health’s Global Vascular Institute.

Set to be completed this November, the building is located next to Buffalo General Hospital at Goodrich and Ellicott streets.

The CTRC and UB’s partnership with Kaleida Health play a key role in UB’s development of a downtown campus. The university also is proposing a new medical school building near the site, and soon will open the new UB Institute for Healthcare Informatics in partnership with Dell.

Translational Research: A National Priority

At UB Partners Day, a workshop will feature presentions about collaborative opportunities related to the CTRC, as well as other topics.

“We will describe what translational research is and talk about the CTRC, its facilities, and the potential impact the center will have on jobs creation,” explains Timothy Murphy, MD, UB senior associate dean for clinical and translational research and director of the CTRC.

“We also will talk about how translational research has become a national priority and how Buffalo, with the new CTRC, is well positioned to become a leader in this area.”

Concurrent with the morning workshops, more than 50 exhibitors, including UB offices and departments and industry partners, will provide attendees with information on how businesses and community organizations can take advantage of the university’s diverse expertise and resources.

Faculty Receive Partners Day Awards

An awards luncheon at noon will feature a keynote address by Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of Empire State Development and commissioner of the New York State Department of Economic Development. UB President Satish Tripathi also will talk about UB 2020 and UB as an economic engine for innovation.

Partners Day award recipients include Thenkurussi “Kesh” Kesavadas, PhD, UB professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and Khurshid A. Guru, MD, director of robotic surgery at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and UB clinical assistant professor of urology, who will receive the UB Faculty Entrepreneur Award.

The researchers co-founded Simulated Surgical Systems LLC, a pioneer in the development of robot-assisted surgical simulators designed to reduce surgical error and make robot-assisted surgical education economically feasible.

Jericho Road Ministries and Laurene Tumiel-Berhalter, associate professor of family medicine and vice chair of reseach and development in the Department of Family Medicine, will share the University Community Partners Award for leading a million-dollar study to improve cancer screening in minorities with multiple diseases.

The award recognizes highly engaged community-based and academic research, scholarship or service collaborations.