A new initiative to efficiently transform life sciences discoveries into new medical treatments and products is taking shape through the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI). The statewide collaboration, announced May 29, will involve researchers from Purdue, Indiana University, and includes many community partners such as Clarian Health, Eli Lilly and Co., and the Indiana Department of Health. The College of Consumer and Family Sciences will lead the Purdue effort with Connie Weaver, head and distinguished professor in the Department of Foods and Nutrition, serving as deputy director of the Indiana CTSI at Purdue.

The broadly collaborative nature of the institute will provide researchers with the ability to work more effectively and efficiently and make laboratories at both universities more competitive for major research awards. The heart of the CTSI process will be the creation of project development teams, composed of researchers with a broad range of relevant backgrounds. The teams will hear proposals from scientists and assign project managers to help move discoveries through the additional research and testing necessary to produce new medicines and treatment practices.

One aspect of the Purdue program will be to connect the institute with CFS Extension educators throughout the state. Carol Boushey, associate professor in Foods and Nutrition, will serve as a liaison between Indiana CTSI and our county educators to ensure the institute is addressing the health issues of Indiana. Likewise, CFS Extension will make sure discoveries in the laboratory go quickly back to our communities.

In addition, Purdue will handle the nutrition and diet planning for clinical studies under the new partnership, and Discovery Park will house a laboratory dedicated to vitamin D testing for studies of bone health.

Indiana CTSI, funded by the National Institutes of Health with $25 million over five years, is one of two dozen such programs in the United States. However, its number of broad-based partnerships make it unique. Only by working together and pooling our resources, can we effectively begin to address the scientifically complex health and nutrition issues that challenge us.

Hail Purdue!
Dennis Savaiano
Dean

Read more about the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.

A new program to help parents and other adult caregivers encourage healthy eating habits in their children will soon be available through CFS Extension. Raising Healthy Eaters is geared for parents of children ages 2–5 and teaches them about healthy eating habits, how to deal with choosy eaters, and managing challenging mealtime situations. CFS Extension educators in Indiana are currently being trained to teach the program. For more information, contact your local Extension office.

As deployed military personnel deal with life on the front lines, their families are serving on the home front. The latest Department of Defense figures show that Indiana has more deployed Army National Guard and Reserve troops than any other state. The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue is studying the needs of these families and developing support plans to help them manage multiple deployments. Read more about MFRI’s work.

The Department of Foods and Nutrition is currently seeking girls in fourth through sixth grades to take part in two clinical studies involving calcium and dairy consumption. The first study will test the effect of a particular type of carbohydrate on calcium absorption. The second will explore the benefits of added dairy consumption on the bone health of both normal weight and overweight girls. Read more about the studies and how to register.

Families, especially those with children, still want to travel this summer despite rising oil and gasoline prices. However, they will likely take shorter trips, says Liping Cai, professor of tourism management and director of the Purdue Tourism and Hospitality Research Center. Read more about the summer travel forecast and ways you can save money during the summer driving season.

Hospitality and Tourism Management
Ray Kavanaugh, head and professor, received the Anthony G. Marshall Award from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association for his tremendous contributions to hospitality education. He also received the Alumni Award of Merit from the Coe College Alumni Association for his career success and community involvement.

June 11–13: Home and Family Conference
July 24: Chicagoland Boiler Mixer at Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Orland Park, Illinois
August 15: Purdue Day at the Indiana State Fair

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