Register Now for the Translational Research Seminar Series

The UF-FSU Clinical Translational Science Award and the Florida Blue Center for Rural Health Research and Policy will launch a six-session hybrid seminar series on how to convert research findings more quickly and efficiently into interventions and policies that improve the health of Floridians. The first session, “From Discovery to Intervention Development/Evaluation to Real-World Impact,” will feature panelists Bonnie Spring, Ph.D., and Sylvie Naar, Ph.D., both from the College of Medicine, and Henna Budhwani, Ph.D., from the College of Nursing. Free parking is available outside the building, and light refreshments will be available for those who attend in person. Registration is required for in-person attendance. Use this link for Zoom attendance. 

Schedule: 

• September 26, 2025   1:00 - 2:00      

Team Science Translation:  From Discovery to Intervention Development/Evaluation to Real World Impact    

Bonnie Spring (Medicine), Sylvie Naar (Medicine), Henna Budhwani (Nursing)     

• October 17, 2025   12:30 – 1:30   

Studying Overeating:  What Causes It and What Can be Done About It?  

Linda Rinaman (Neuroscience), Pam Keel (Psychology), Better Living Solutions Clinic  

• November 14, 2025  1:00 – 2:00  

Studying Healthy Lifestyle:  Why it Matters and How to Do it  

Bob Hickner (Exercise Science), Julie Sheffler (Medicine), Penny Ralston (Education)  

• January 23, 2026  1:00 – 2:00  

Studying Aging and Social Isolation: How to Research It and What to Do Next?  

Gina Sutin (Medicine), Dawn Carr (Sociology), Sheila Sayer (Tallahassee Senior Foundation)  

• February 27, 2026 1:00 – 2:00  

Studying Digitally Assisted Healthcare:  What Do We Need to Learn?  

Justin Riddle (Psych), Zhe He (Communication), Jin Wang (Nursing)  

• April 24, 2026 1:00 -  2:00  

Studying Maternal and Child Health:  How Do We Get It Right from Basics to Beyond?    

Elizabeth Hammock (Psych), Heather Flynn (Medicine), Kaela Byers (Social Work)  

A new seminar series entitled "Translational Research:  Bridging Disciplines to Improve Lives,” will be sponsored in 2025-2026 by the UF-FSU Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA) and the Florida Blue Center for Rural Health Research and Policy.  The goal is to engage FSU’s multiple academic disciplines in discussing the CTSA's translational research framework.  The practical purpose is to learn how FSU can more quickly and efficiently convert research findings into interventions and policies that improve the health of Floridians.  Achieving that goal requires learning how to overcome team collaboration barriers that impede the speed, scope, and impact of research translation.    

During each session in a series of 6 hour-long panels, attendees will hear from 2-3 FSU faculty from different disciplines/colleges who have studied different translational phases of a single health challenge.  Phases proceed from basic research on causal mechanisms, to intervention development and evaluation, to "real-world" translation and implementation.  Sessions will be hybrid – on zoom and in person - in Innovation Park A, Room 120, 2000 Levy Avenue on selected Fridays 1-2.  Free parking is available in front of the building and light snacks will be available for those who attend in person.    

Each panelist will have 10 - 15 minutes to speak and 5 mins for questions/discussion.  Emphasis will be placed on how people think about the questions they want their research phase to answer, what challenges they face in designing the research, how they resolve them, what it would help them to know from the prior translational phase, and what they think the researcher from the next phase would like to have or needs to know.  So, each person’s research is something of a "case study," a "for instance," or a "use case" to consider these questions.  The hope is that these fun sessions can help us explore where our research might take us if we more often considered the whole translational pipeline.     

For more information, contact Andrea Johnson, MPH, at ajohnson33@fsu.edu.