About the IMPACT Program

Established in 2025, the IMPACT Program seeks to provide a collaborative home for researchers focused on real-world impact, translating discoveries into better care, policy, and outcomes. Led by Director Adam Bress, Associate Director Valerie Vaughn, strategic initiative leads, and the IMPACT Faculty Ambassadors, IMPACT is committed to building a thriving, innovative environment for late translational (T3/T4), health services, and outcomes research through five core objectives: 

1. Build Community: Foster an inclusive and collaborative environment to facilitate knowledge exchange, mentorship, and innovative research partnerships in late translational and health services research.
2. Enhance Recruitment and Retention: Attract and retain outstanding clinician-scientists and PhD researchers specializing in health services and outcomes research through strategic recruitment efforts and comprehensive career support.
3. Accelerate Research Excellence: Catalyze new interdisciplinary research collaborations, enhance proposal development, and facilitate innovative grant submissions focused on late translational (T3/T4) and health services research.
4. Strengthen Mentorship and Career Development: Establish structured mentorship and leadership development programs to specifically support investigators who do late translational, outcomes, or health services research in achieving sustained research funding, academic success, and national recognition.
5. Elevate National Distinction: Advance the national reputation of the University of Utah as a leading institution for health services, outcomes, and late translational research through high-impact scholarship, policy engagement, and strategic local and national partnerships.