The leadership of the BU CTSI is driven by a team deeply integrated within Boston University, Boston Medical Center Health System and the Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, showing a strong commitment to cross-campus and cross-institutional collaboration.

BU CTSI Leadership

David Center, MD has served the BU CTSI Lead PI and Associate Provost for Translational Research since 2008. As the founding PI, Dr. Center has shaped the hub and positioned our leadership in areas like Community Engagement, clinical and bioinformatics, and regenerative medicine. Dr. Center is a member of the Medical Campus Provost’s Council and meets with Provost Antman and senior leaders weekly, exemplifying one way in which the BU CTSI is integrated into the institutional structure.

Megan Bair-Merritt, MD, MSCE has been multi-PI since 2019. She serves as BMC’s inaugural Chief Scientific Officer, and is Professor of Pediatrics. Dr. Bair-Merritt meets weekly with hospital leadership, exemplifying how the BU CTSI is integrated into BMC’s leadership structure, and facilitating coordination and sustainability.

Ms. Helia Morris, MSM has been the Executive Director of the BU CTSI since 2014. Before that, she had >25 years of management and grant related experience at Harvard University, including nine years in Harvard’s Office of Sponsored Programs. She leads the Strategic Management Core , managing all aspects of the core to include, operations and administration, personnel, budgets, and quality assurance. She serves as the liaison to NCATS Administrators Network.

Rebecca Lobb, ScD, MPH serves as the inaugural Director of Integration & Strategic Partnerships (I&SP). She oversees integration across all companion grants (K12 and a pre-doctoral T32), partners and collaborators, and the CTSA Consortium. She nurtures productive collaboration ensuring partner /collaborator organizations’ purpose and goals will enhance, and are aligned with, the BU CTSI hub; and, monitoring relationships, performance, and competing priorities for better alignment.

Kim Brimhall, PhD directs Evaluation. Dr. Brimhall is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Health Law, Management and Policy at the BU School of Public Health. She has extensive mixed methods expertise and a content focus on improving the health care quality through inclusive environments.