Kraschnewski succeeds Sinoway at Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Dr. Jennifer Kraschnewski, vice chair for research for the Department of Medicine at Penn State College of Medicine, has been appointed director of Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), effective Feb. 7.

Kraschnewski’s predecessor, Dr. Larry Sinoway, will continue in a leadership role with the institute’s National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) award and remain on the faculty at Penn State College of Medicine.

“This is the right time for me to step aside and to allow Dr. Kraschnewski to direct the CTSI while still remaining active in a leadership role,” Sinoway said. “Dr. Kraschnewski is a valued colleague and researcher and the CTSI benefits from her insights. She will help to continue the forward momentum we have started.”

“Larry has led an incredible medical research program, where his expertise was critical in the renewal of our National Institutes of Health/NCATS award,” said Dr. Lora Weiss, senior vice president for research at Penn State. “His determination to ensure that a data-driven approach is used to address diseases of despair has proven invaluable to developing an understanding of rural health. He is to be commended for his insights and research findings that have been advancing our understanding of diseases of despair.”

Kraschnewski’s research focuses on behavioral interventions for healthy lifestyles in both clinical and community settings. She has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, and her research has been presented and awarded at both regional and national levels. She is director of Penn State Project ECHO, which has received robust funding support from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, with two grants focused on opioid use disorder and alcohol use among central Pennsylvania youth.

“Jen has also spent much of her career addressing medical issues in rural and underserved communities,” said Dr. Lora Weiss, senior vice president for research at Penn State College of Medicine. “Her exceptional record of investigating the impact of disease in these communities continues to propel advances in this research and its translation to communities. The team that she and Larry have assembled is exceptional, and her medical and scientific accomplishments will ensure that we continue to tackle these critical medical challenges in vulnerable communities.”

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