Research Strategy

FIND A RESEARCHER

ACCELERATING DISCOVERY. EMPOWERING PEOPLE. BUILDING FOR TOMORROW.

Research at University of Utah Health has always been grounded in curiosity, collaboration, and a deep commitment to improving lives. Our strategy builds on that legacy and charts an ambitious course forward — one that lifts our people, accelerates discovery, and prepares our institution for the needs of the next decade and beyond.

We are investing in the ideas and individuals who will shape the future of health. By working together across disciplines, partnering with our community, and stewarding our resources wisely, we will turn today’s questions into tomorrow’s solutions.

“We turn today’s questions into tomorrow’s breakthroughs, together.” 

-Rachel Hess, MD, MS, System Chief Research Officer

Rachel Hess

VISION

At University of Utah Health, our research is uncovering how intrinsic biology and lived experience shape human health. We explore where genetics, environment, behavior, community, and care intersect — where biology meets the world around us.

Through bold, cross-disciplinary collaboration, we pursue ideas that reduce disease, advance well-being, and improve lives for all. 

Three Commitments Driving Research Excellence

Catalyze Discoveries

By investing in current and emerging areas, we strengthen our leadership, advance scientific discovery, and sustain a culture of research excellence.

Elevate our Talent 

By empowering and supporting our research community, we can attract, retain, and advance talent while fostering innovation and discoveries.

Build for Tomorrow 

Investing in our infrastructure supports innovation through cutting-edge facilities, critical resources, and robust systems, fostering impactful research.

Catalyze Discoveries

Researcher in Lab

By investing in current and emerging areas, we strengthen our leadership, advance scientific discovery, and sustain a culture of research excellence. 


Outcomes we seek: 

  1. Strengthen & Expand Our Research - Fueling discovery through strategic investment in research talent, infrastructure, and innovation.
  2. Enable Interdisciplinary Collaboration - Breaking down silos to spark ideas at the intersections of science, medicine, and society.
  3. Partner With Technology Sectors & Create a Culture of Entrepreneurship - Connecting research with industry to accelerate innovation and cultivate entrepreneurial mindsets.
  4. Elevate Research Visibility - Showcasing bold science and impactful discoveries that improve lives and shape the future of health. 

Strategy in Action

Circle Data Science Center for Genomic Medicine

HSRC Genetics Task Force

Strengthen & Expand Our Research

The Health Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Genetics Task Force is developing a forward-looking plan for the future of genetics and genomics research at the University of Utah. The group is assessing current strengths, gathering community input, and identifying opportunities to position the U for leadership in the next decade of discovery.

Graphic of communication-related photos beside a blank space.

Advancing Research Communication

Community Stewardship & Elevate Research Visibility

The Marketing & Communications team is supporting researchers through communication workshops that strengthen storytelling, enhance public engagement, and help faculty share their science with clarity and confidence. These sessions are helping to build a community of skilled communicators across U of U Health.

Digital Health Banner

Partnership With the Responsible AI Initiative

Partner with Technology Sectors & Create a Culture of Entrepreneurship

Together with the Responsible AI Initiative, we are working to shape the future of artificial intelligence in medicine. These efforts promote safe, ethical, transparent, and human-centered use of AI and connect researchers with resources and expertise that support responsible innovation. We are also advancing a faculty hiring initiative that brings AI and data science leaders to the U and providing support to investigators who want to use AI to strengthen the quality, reach, and impact of their research.

Innovation Billboard

Exploration of New Approach Methodologies

Strengthen & Expand Our Research

We are collaborating with the VPR’s Office to employ New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) that enhance medical research through human-relevant, precise, and scalable models. Our goal is to assess current resources and community needs, build infrastructure, provide training, and foster collaborations so investigators can access needed expertise and tools. This work strengthens our capacity for innovative and ethically aligned science and complements animal research.

Header for PTF + D&I 2025

Pioneering the Future

Elevate Research Visibility

Pioneering the Future showcases how University of Utah Health researchers turn bold ideas into real-world impact. Each story highlights high-impact discoveries, breakthroughs, and innovations that are advancing knowledge and improving health in Utah and beyond. It reflects our core commitment to continually asking “what’s next?” and transforming forward-thinking science into meaningful change.

Elevate our Talent

Two Researchers

Empowering and supporting our research community enables us to recruit, grow, and retain exceptional talent and fuels the breakthroughs and discoveries that define our institution. 

Outcomes we seek: 

  1. Attract & Recruit - Bringing bold thinkers and rising talent to a health sciences community that values curiosity, excellence, and impact. 
  2. Advance & Retain - Empowering researchers, students, and staff at every stage with resources, mentorship, and clear pathways for career growth. 
  3. Recognition & Accountability – Celebrating excellence and building trust through transparent goals, shared expectations, and meaningful recognition. 

Strategy in Action

evan goldstein, logo, vitae

Celebrating Our People

Recognition & Accountability

Each year, University of Utah Health proudly celebrates the rising investigators across our health sciences campus who secure their first major research grants. Their achievements highlight the creativity, dedication, and impact that drive discovery in our colleges. We’re inspired by their accomplishments and excited for the breakthroughs still to come. Read Research Insights: Together We Thrive.

Three individuals seated at a table during a panel discussion, one in a pink blazer speaking into a microphone.

Rising Stars Symposia

Attract & Recruit

Rising Stars Symposia are in-person events that bring together a strong and broad pool of candidates for faculty or postdoctoral positions and introduce them to opportunities at the University of Utah. These symposia span departments, colleges, and institutes, highlighting the University’s collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment and positioning Utah as a destination for emerging research talent. Support for Rising Stars Symposia.

Build for Tomorrow

Person walking into Eccles Health Science Education Building

Investing in our infrastructure supports innovation through cutting-edge facilities, critical resources, and robust systems, fostering impactful research.

Outcomes we seek:

  1. Strengthen and Modernize Our Physical Space & Infrastructure - Building the flexible, state-of-the-art environments needed to fuel innovation, collaboration, and scientific discovery.
  2. Expand Funding Sources - Diversifying revenue through federal grants, philanthropy, partnerships, and new funding models to sustain breakthrough research.
  3. Align Investments With Mission & Vision - Making strategic choices that reflect our core values and amplify our long-term impact on science, health, and society.

Strategy in Action

Philanthropic Partners Event

Philanthropic Partners Group

Expand Funding Sources

The Philanthropic Partners Group brings together ambitious philanthropists who pool their resources to accelerate innovative, high-impact research at University of Utah Health. By providing seed funding for creative, early-stage ideas that are not yet ready for traditional mechanisms, the group enables investigators to pursue bold, high-risk questions with transformative potential.

Close up of researcher measuring liquids in a lab

Research Space Metrics

Strengthen and Modernize our Physical Space & Infrastructure

We are advancing a modernized approach to managing research and educational space by piloting new metrics such as learner density and space density. These tools give leaders clearer insights into how space is being used and where strategic investments can unlock greater impact. This framework enables us to steward our facilities effectively while planning for future growth.

Gloved hands pointing at a vial containing a blood sample.

Know Your Funder

Expand Funding Sources

Successful grant applications require a clear understanding of and alignment with the mission, priorities, and unique requirements of a funder. To aid University of Utah Health faculty and staff, the SVPHS Research Program Development (RPD) team has developed informational resources for non-NIH federal agencies that fund health science research NSF, ARPA-H, DoD, and NASA.

Three People Looking at Whiteboard

Development of Strategic Goals With Units

Align Investments with Mission & Vision

We collaborate with units to gather their strategic goals and understand the priorities that matter most to their faculty, staff, and trainees. These goals inform and shape Health Sciences Research Strategy, ensuring our institutional direction directly supports the needs and aspirations of our research community. This alignment strengthens coordination, guides investment, and helps departments achieve meaningful, sustained impact. 

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