Transformational scientific achievement in bench-to-bedside translational research forms the criterion for the ACTS Edward H. Ahrens Jr. Distinguished Investigator Award, given annually by the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS).
For 2024, the award has gone to Paul Harris, PhD, professor of Biomedical Informatics, Biomedical Engineering and Biostatistics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Harris was presented the award Apr. 3 at Translational Science 2024, the ACTS annual meeting, held this year in Las Vegas.
“As an engineer I loved building things and I’ve been fortunate to have great teams doing exceptional work,” Harris said in a video posted by ACTS on the occasion of the award. “I’ve also had mentors who shared wisdom at just the right time.”
Harris joined VUMC in 1999, where his work in support of the research enterprise has focused on clinical and translational research informatics. He serves as director of the Office of Research Informatics and leads the All of Us Data and Research Center.
Harris created REDCap, a data collection platform that has seen widespread adoption by more than 7140 institutional partners and over three million end-users across 156 countries. He also created and runs ResearchMatch.org, a national program that matches individuals wishing to volunteer for studies and researchers recruiting patients for studies and trials.
Harris studied mechanical engineering at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, followed by a master’s and doctorate in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt.
Today having nearly 5,000 members, ACTS was founded in 2009 to support the needs of the National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science Awards program.