UR CTSI Co-Director Martin Zand to Lead Clinical Research at URMC

Martin Zand, M.D., Ph.D., a co-director of the University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Institute, has been named Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Zand, who is also a professor of Nephrology and Public Health Sciences, will take up the post beginning August 1, 2018, pending approval from the University’s Board of Trustees.

Zand wears many hats, ranging from clinician to biomedical researcher and data scientist. He is an internationally recognized expert in solid organ transplant immunobiology – studying how the immune system responds to transplanted organs – and his clinical practice focuses on holistic care of kidney transplant patients. As a data scientist, he aims to understand and improve influenza vaccination, population health and healthcare delivery. 

“Martin was a natural choice for this position,” said Mark B. Taubman, M.D., dean of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and CEO of URMC. “He is perfectly positioned, through his intersecting clinical and research interests and many roles at the medical center, to guide and support the university’s clinical research efforts.”

“Martin’s expertise is exactly what we need to invigorate our clinical research programs at the Medical Center,” said Stephen Dewhurst, Ph.D., vice dean for Research at URMC. “We’re confident his efforts will allow us to offer new clinical trials and advance our understanding of diseases as well as promising treatments.”

Zand’s top priority as Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research is to get the new Office of Clinical Research (OCR) up and running. The office is part of the UR CTSI and is directed by Patricia Ames, Ph.D., who has 20 years’ experience in clinical trials, and was recently recruited to UR. The OCR, which is currently being staffed, will offer resources and support to faculty and will facilitate all phases of clinical research at the university. In fact, the office is currently working to implement a clinical research management system to help URMC faculty operate and manage clinical trials as efficiently as possible.   

In his new role, Zand will also focus on creating a data ecosystem that integrates laboratory and clinical data; supporting clinical researchers by ensuring they have more resources and time available to conduct research; and improving how we implement treatments and therapies.

“I am excited to take on this new role and hope to better leverage available resources to support clinical research across the medical center – especially from the UR CTSI,” said Zand. “And I’ll work hard to expand our arsenal of resources to help faculty conduct high-impact clinical trials that can improve patients’ lives.”  

Under the direction of Zand and Nancy Bennett, M.D., the UR CTSI has ballooned from a small, grant-centered organization to a nationally recognized institute. It has nearly tripled in size – and exponentially expanded in importance – with the addition of the Office of Clinical Research and the new Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration (CLIC), which coordinates more than 50 of the nation’s top biomedical research institutions in the NIH’s Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program.  

Zand’s dovetailing roles as Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research and co-director of the UR CTSI and CLIC, will offer medical center faculty greater access to clinical and translational research resources and collaborators across the nation.

Zand will succeed Jill Halterman, M.D., MPH, who now serves as chief of General Pediatrics at URMC and will focus on pursuing new opportunities to expand her nationally recognized clinical research program in childhood asthma.

Michael Hazard | 7/30/2018