title: The Culture of Translational Science Research: Participants' Stories.
abstract: We apply a symbolic interactionist framework and a qualitative methodology to the examination of the everyday reality of translational science research (TSR). This is a growing scientific movement that aims to facilitate the efficient application of basic research to clinical service design and delivery. We describe the emerging culture of translational research at a mid-size medical center that received a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health. The stories related by scientists, clinicians, and students in interviews indicate that they make sense of the emerging inter- and cross-disciplinary, team-oriented culture of TSR through the refinement and redefinition of thesignificant symbolsthat inform their work while they attempt to master translational research by addressing thedilemmasit produces for them and their work. We see the strength, currency, adaptability, and energy of the core self-definition of "scientist" to be significant in shaping the emerging culture of translational research. We conclude by celebrating the value of interpretive ethnography for evaluation research.
authors: Professor of sociology and director of the Center for Social Inquiry at Texas State University-San Marcos, USA. He is also a member of the Institute for Translational Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
authors: Joseph A
authors: JA
authors: Kotarba
authors: Associate professor of management and human resource management at the University of Houston-Clear Lake City, Texas, USA.
authors: Kevin
authors: K
authors: Wooten
authors: Professor of internal medicine, associate director of the Institute for Translational Sciences Education Office, and holds the Grace Bucksch Gnitzinger Distinguished Professorship in Aging at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
authors: Jean
authors: J
authors: Freeman
authors: Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Distinguished Chair in Endocrinology and director of the Institute for Translational Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
authors: Allan R
authors: AR
authors: Brasier
keywords: evaluation; interpretive ethnography; knowledge transfer; qualitative research; science; symbolic interactionism; translational research