True translational research: bridging the three phases of translation through data and behavior

Translational medicine has yet to deliver on its vast potential. Obstacles, or “blocks,” to translation at three phases of research have impeded the application of research findings to clinical needs and, subsequently, the implementation of newly developed interventions in patient care. Recent federal support for comparative effectiveness research focuses attention on the clinical relevance of already-developed diagnostic and therapeutic interventions and on translating interventions found to be effective into new population-level strategies for improving health—thereby overcoming blocks at one end of the translational continuum. At the other end, while there is a preponderance of federal funding underwriting basic science research, further improvement is warranted in translating results of basic research into clinical applications and in integrating the basic sciences into the translational continuum. With its focus on the human and interactional aspects of health, medical practice, and healthcare delivery systems, behavioral medicine, itself a component of translational medicine, can inform this process.