Idaho State University Co-Leads Statewide Research Program to Expand Health Research and Faculty Opportunities

Idaho State University is playing a central leadership role in the launch of the Healthy Idaho Clinical and Translational Research Development (CTR-D) Program, a groundbreaking, five-year initiative aimed at transforming laboratory discoveries into practical health care solutions that meet the pressing health needs of Idahoans.

This year, Idaho became the fifth of 23 Institutional Development Award (IDeA) eligible states to receive a National Institutes of Health (NIH) award to support a CTR-D Program, $10.7 million in total. Four institutions, Boise State University, Idaho State University, University of Idaho, and the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center, are collaborating to develop a unified research infrastructure that will better connect academic science with clinical practice. Boise State serves as the lead applicant institution, while ISU, as the state’s lead health sciences university, holds a key co-lead role.

At the heart of the Healthy Idaho CTR-D Program are three goals:

• increasing collaborative and multidisciplinary research across institutions
• expanding the clinical and translational research workforce through mentorship and training
• developing the infrastructure needed to support community-based research.

The CTR-D program is co-led by Cheryl Jorcyk, professor, Department of Biological Sciences at Boise State, and Karl Madaras-Kelly, professor, College of Pharmacy at ISU. In addition to project funding, ISU faculty will have access to a wide range of research support services administered by four core working groups:

• professional development
• community engagement
• research design and data compliance
• health research

Core services will include training and mentoring faculty to strengthen future grant proposals, collaboration with local community leaders to identify and develop pilot solutions for pressing health priorities, assistance in designing future research studies, and evaluation and improvement of health research projects to meet Idaho’s needs. Idaho State University College of Pharmacy associate professors John Holmes, Elaine Nguyen, and Youssef Roman will lead or co-lead the majority three of these core services, and several additional ISU faculty will receive support as research investigators.

“Currently, Idaho’s universities have extensive interaction with health care systems through placement of student trainees and clinical faculty affiliated with health care-related degree programs, but produce graduates with minimal experience in clinical research,” said Madaras-Kelly. “Most of Idaho’s universities conduct research in basic biomedical sciences in benchtop laboratories with limited clinical context. Building collaborations and research infrastructure across academic and health care systems is essential to translate basic discoveries in Idaho’s universities into the health care practices of tomorrow.“

For ISU faculty, the program presents a significant new opportunity to engage in collaborative clinical and translational research. ISU received a $1.35 million subcontract, and more than $400,000 in additional funds are dedicated to fund grants that will support faculty-led pilot projects over the next five years. The grants are designed to help researchers collect preliminary data, build collaborations, and apply for competitive federal funding, particularly from the NIH. Grants of $80,000 will be distributed yearly with the intent to fund one per institution. Researchers will also be eligible to apply for several additional $100,000 two-year grants. A call for proposals will occur annually.

"The Healthy Idaho CTR-D Program is a game-changer for our state, creating a unified research ecosystem that directly connects the scientific expertise at our universities with the critical health needs of Idaho communities,” said Martin Blair, ISU vice president for research and economic Development. “It is a major step forward in translating discoveries into real-world health improvements for Idahoans. This award validates the strength of our inter-institutional collaboration and particularly recognizes ISU’s role as the state’s lead health sciences university, strengthening Idaho’s capacity to secure competitive federal grants, mentor the next generation of clinical researchers, and drive solutions that are essential for a healthier Idaho."

The program will also involve clinical affiliate health care organizations, including St. Luke’s Health System, Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Kootenai Health, and the Idaho Community Health Center Association, which represents 15 nationally recognized community health centers throughout the state, as well as medical students from the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine and the regional WWAMI medical education program. All researchers involved in the Healthy Idaho program are eligible for up to $5,000 in research support for activities such as travel, conference attendance, or specialized research needs.

Additional opportunities for collaboration will be available through the first Healthy Idaho CTR-D Conference, which will be hosted by Boise State March 2-3, 2026, and is open to all participating institutions and affiliates. Faculty interested in learning more about the Healthy Idaho CTR-D program, research opportunities or the conference should visit the Healthy Idaho CTR-D website or e-mail healthyidahoctr-d@boisestate.edu.