TRAM Mission and Goals

Mission Statement

The Center for Translational Research and Applied Medicine (TRAM) serves a vital role at Stanford by fostering the education and training of medical students, residents, clinical fellows, and graduate students in conducting impactful translational research.

Our mission is to:

  • Advance Training and Education: Equip the next generation of translational medicine leaders through programs such as M-TRAM, TRAM Scholars, and the ARTS program, combining education, mentorship, clinical training with advanced basic research research to address pressing medical challenges.
  • Enable Research Collaboration: Facilitate basic, clinical, and translational research by uniting clinicians, scientists and business leaders in innovative applied medicine projects.
  • Provide Resources and Infrastructure: Offer the structure, tools, and resources—including the TASC Shared Resource Lab—to support cutting-edge research and enable scientific interactions across campus.
  • Promote a Collaborative Ecosystem: Foster interdisciplinary and collaborative research among clinical and research faculty, students, residents, and fellows, creating a dynamic environment for groundbreaking discoveries.
  • By integrating education, research, and collaboration, the TRAM Center is dedicated to accelerating the translation of scientific discoveries into real-world medical applications.

 

Goals

The Center for Translational Research and Applied Medicine (TRAM) is dedicated to advancing translational research and fostering a multidisciplinary ecosystem through the following objectives:

  1. Education and Training:

    • M-TRAM Program: Deliver specialized graduate education through the M-TRAM master’s program to equip students with the skills and knowledge required to become leaders in translational medicine.
    • TRAM Scholars: Provide pilot grants, expert scientific guidance, and resources to empower Stanford medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty in conducting impactful translational research..
    • ARTS Program: Provide clinical trainees with the opportunity to combine clinical training with advanced research leading to a PhD. The program supports interdisciplinary collaboration across the Schools of Medicine, Engineering, Humanities, and Sciences to accelerate innovation and translational discoveries.
    •  

  2. Research Support and Infrastructure:

    • Award pilot grants and provide expert scientific guidance to students, residents, fellows, and faculty to support impactful translational research projects.
    • Facilitate clinical studies and research through the TASC Shared Resource Lab, offering access to state-of-the-art technologies for analyzing clinical specimens.
    •  

  3. Collaboration and Innovation:

    • Foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and partnerships by connecting academia, industry, and government to address unmet clinical needs and advance research from bench to bedside.
    •  

  4. Community Building and Knowledge Sharing:

    • Host a translational research seminar series and annual symposia to provide a platform for students, fellows, and faculty to present their findings, share insights, and engage with the broader research community.

By integrating education, research support, and collaborative opportunities, the TRAM Center is committed to driving innovation and delivering tangible advancements in translational medicine.

Message from the Director

TRAM was designed to galvanize interactions amongst clinicians and scientist to translate their ideas into the clinic by providing pilot funding, educational forums and core resources.

Bench to Bedside approach

TRAM was established to provide an infrastructure to rapidly translate novel genomic/proteomic, nanoscale and imaging research discoveries from the laboratory to the clinic and facilitate bench-to-bedside development of cellular therapies.