The Consortium of Rural States (CORES) was founded in November 2012, originally as the Western States Consortium, in an effort to collaboratively address health challenges shared by member institutions’ states, each of which are home to significant rural populations. Each CORES member institution is funded by the NIH’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program.

CORES focuses on five areas of collaboration:

1. Community engagement, to effectively engage communities and practices in the translational science process via bidirectional dialogues, to ensure that all populations are represented in research and benefit from biomedical advances.

2. Emerging technologies to foster advances in translational research through integration of basic and clinical research to gain insights into the mechanism of disease.

3. Career building and mentoring activities, including pre-submission grant review.

4. Pilot research programs for preliminary and proof-of-concept studies critical to moving basic laboratory findings into clinical applications.

5. Integrated and interdisciplinary education, training, and career development in Clinical and Translational Science, including curriculum and program development, clinical research training, best practices in recruiting and mentoring.

The collaborative has successfully generated new collaborations, connected KL2/K12 scholars, and launched a multi-hub pilot program.  Through our work, CORES members aim to continue advancing and capitalizing on their own individual research strengths while leveraging their collective clinical and translational activities to deliver results that benefit rural regions and the nation—bringing the science to those who need it most. 

The CTSA program seeks to develop and implement innovative solutions that will improve the efficiency, quality, and impact of the process for turning observations from the laboratory, clinic, and community into usable interventions that improve the health of individuals and populations. Institutions funded by the CTSA comprise a national network of medical research hubs that work together to speed the translation of research discoveries into improved patient care and public health.