About Spectrum

SPECTRUM'S MISSION

Spectrum is an independent center within Stanford University that supports health-related research activities across Stanford University.

The core mission is to accelerate the translation of basic scientific discoveries into practical solutions that improve human health, accomplished through educational programs, research support, infrastructure improvements and innovation funding.

Spectrum is funded through a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). As a recipient of this award, Stanford joins a national consortium of more than 60 leading biomedical institutions. Consortium institutions are working together to transform the translational science process so that new treatments and cures for disease can be delivered to patients faster.

Spectrum's New Clinical Trial Center

Stanford investigators are able to use the Jill and John Freidenrich Center for Translational Research, a state-of-the-art facility for designing and conducting human-subject studies. This center, which provides a cost-effective, friendly environment for these studies, is within walking distance of Stanford hospitals and offers on-site parking. The ground floor includes 16 patient bays with infusion chairs, four hospital beds, three pediatric study rooms, a sample-collection lab, two phlebotomy rooms and an outdoor play area with a separate entrance for pediatric subjects. There are also specialized rooms for informed-consent discussions, remote observation, sleep studies and exercise physiology testing.

THE SPECTRUM TEAM

The Spectrum organization is run by a multidisciplinary team of faculty and staff at Stanford University.

Spectrum Director

Harry B. Greenberg, MD, the Joseph D. Grant Professor of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, has served as the Spectrum Program Director since Spectrum’s inception in 2008. As Director, he reports directly to Ann Arvin, MD, the University's Vice Provost and Dean of Research. As the Senior Associate Dean for Research, he reports to Lloyd Minor, MD, Dean of the medical school.

Dr. Greenberg is a well-recognized experimental medicine researcher. He maintains an active research lab focused on rotavirus and influenza pathogenesis and immunity. His research interests over the past 40 years have been on important viral infections of humans, with emphasis on viral pathogenesis, immunity and vaccination. He has studied hepatitis B virus (HBV), Norwalk virus, rotavirus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and recently, influenza virus. He was an inventor of the first effective rotavirus vaccine and spent a two-year leave of absence from Stanford in the biotechnology industry working on bringing the live, attenuated influenza vaccine (FluMist) to licensure. Dr. Greenberg is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and a member of the Association of American Physicians. He is the past president of the American Society of Virology. He is a member of the IOM Drug Forum and a past member of the National Academy of Science Standing Committee on DoD Biodefense.

Spectrum Executive Committee

Philip Lavori, PhD, Chair of Health Research and Policy and a Professor of Biostatistics, is a prominent leader in the field of clinical study design. His focus over the last 20 years has been on innovations in the design of randomized clinical trials. He is one of the founders of the field of trial design for adaptive treatment strategies, and his findings have been reported in nearly 200 articles. Dr. Lavori is responsible for design, administration and assessment of biostatistics, clinical informatics, study design and bioethics components of Spectrum.

Charles Prober, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Disease) and of Microbiology & Immunology, brings considerable translational research knowledge and accomplishments, clinical research administrative experiences, leadership skills and dedication to the mentoring and training of undergraduates, medical students, residents and clinical fellows to Spectrum. Dr. Prober’s research, published in over 150 articles, has included epidemiologic and clinical trial studies focused on pediatric infectious diseases. Dr. Prober has overall responsibility for the education and training components of the CTSA.

Branimir I. (Brandy) Sikic, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Oncology, is an expert in the biology of anticancer drug resistance, the development of new cancer therapies and early phase translational trials. His current work includes studies on mechanisms of resistance to taxane drugs and genomic approaches to tumor classification. He has been published in more than 160 articles. Dr. Sikic has specific responsibility for the Clinical Research Services of Spectrum and serves to help coordinate Spectrum resources and services with those of our NIH-funded Cancer Center.

David Stevenson, MD, the Harold K. Faber Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, is an established researcher in the field of neonatology. His research has led to the publication of over 450 articles. In addition to his research accomplishments, he established the California Association of Neonatology (CAN) and the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC). He served as President of the American Pediatric Society from 2005 to 2006. He is also the principal investigator of the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at Stanford University School of Medicine, which brings together experts from a variety of disciplines to develop new approaches toward studying and preventing preterm birth. De. Stevenson is responsible for the administration and assessment of all child health research programs in Spectrum.

Spectrum Operations Committee

Biomedical Ethics

David Magnus, PhD, Leader

Mildred Cho, PhD, Co-leader

Biostatistics and Study Design

Philip Lavori, PhD, Leader

Child Health

David Stevenson, MD, Leader

Mary Leonard, MD, Co-leader

Clinical Informatics

Michael Halaas, Leader

Clinical Research Services

Branimir I. (Brandy) Sikic, MD, Leader

David Stevenson, MD, Co-leader

Population Health Sciences and Community Engagement

Mark Cullen, MD, Leader

Marilyn Winkleby, PhD, MPH, Co-leader

Enabling Technologies

Holden Maecker, PhD, Leader

Innovation & Pilots

Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD, Leader, Therapeutics Accelerator

Paul Yock, MD, Leader, MedTech Accelerator

Russ Altman, MD, PhD, Leader, Diagnostics and Predictive Medicine Accelerator

Regulatory Support

Steven R. Alexander, MD, Leader

Research Education & Training

Steven Goodman, MD, PhD, Leader

Spectrum Administration

Lisa Jackson, J.D.,R.N., Executive Director, Administration

Martha Kessler, Executive Director, Finance