A new special section of the Rhode Island Medical Journal (RIMJ) highlights ten years of transformative clinical and translational research across the Ocean State. Guest-edited by Sharon Rounds, MD, the July 2026 issue showcases the profound impact of Advance Rhode Island Clinical and Translational Research (Advance RI-CTR) in building a sustainable, collaborative research infrastructure to improve community health.

“Over the past ten years, Advance RI-CTR has fundamentally altered the research ecosystem in Rhode Island,” said Dr. Rounds, program director of Advance RI-CTR and professor of medicine at Brown University. “By bridging the gap between laboratory discovery and community-centered care, we have fostered an environment where investigators can seamlessly pool their expertise to tackle our state's most pressing health challenges.”

The special section kicks off with a look back at how the initiative built a robust scientific workforce from scratch, funded high-impact pilot projects, and provided state-of-the-art resources to hundreds of local scientists.

But the real highlight of the issue is the sheer variety of the research it features. For instance, if you've ever suffered from nagging knee pain, you'll be fascinated by a study from Chathuraka T. Jayasuriya, PhD. His work explores how using cartilage progenitor cells during meniscus surgery might actually stimulate the body to heal itself naturally, drastically improving recovery for orthopedic patients.

Reflecting Advance RI-CTR’s deep commitment to public health, the issue highlights community-focused interventions such as a pilot trial led by Tayla Von Ash, PhD, which examines a tailored physical activity intervention aimed at addressing the unique structural and social barriers experienced by Hispanic and Black mothers. Furthermore, advanced epidemiological and biostatistical work—such as research supported by Ashley Buchanan, PhD, at URI—demonstrates how sophisticated data science is being leveraged to address substance use disorders and optimize data management in public health tracking.

“Our milestone anniversary is not just a look back at our successes, but a launchpad for the future of medicine in Rhode Island,” said Dr. Edward Hawrot, PhD, program coordinator of Advance RI-CTR. “The diverse studies featured in this issue underscore how institutional partnerships accelerate scientific discovery and deliver tangible benefits directly to patients.”

To read the full stories and explore the research, you can check out the July issue online through the Rhode Island Medical Journal.