by Jennifer Kowalewski
An Osteopathic Heritage
Foundation (OHF) grant to the Centers for Osteopathic Research
and Education (CORE) will help establish a foundation for the
growing research infrastructure in the CORE system.
“When we complete the
expansion phase of this grant-funded project, the CORE
will offer, I believe, the largest research training consortium
in the country,” says Joy Matthews-López, Ph.D., CORE
research director. “We are working from the base of a long-term
plan so that the grant will help grow the
CORE Research Office.”
The
CORE is a statewide medical education consortium that
includes more than 400 medical students and 500 postgraduate
physicians, the college and 13 hospital training sites.
The OHF helped CORE forge ahead
by providing a $777,618 grant to help
assemble a central research
office to provide and bolster 1) research training; 2)
methodological, statistical, editorial, funding and graphics
support; and 3) to facilitate mentoring relationships using the
CORE data management system. The research office also will
provide the infrastructure required to successfully coordinate
and manage multi-site clinical trials.
“We view this investment as seed
money,” Matthews-López says, “that will allow the main office to
free up critical resources needed for us to compete for other
grants.”
OHF also assisted two other
programs at OU-COM with grants also awarded Aug. 18.
John Howell, Ph.D.,
received $405,380 to conduct interdisciplinary neuromuscular
skeletal research. Frank Schwartz, M.D., and Jay
Shubrook, D.O. (’96), received $278,291 to establish the
infrastructure for diabetes education research and physician
training.
Another grant by the OHF
consists of $10 million to cover one-third of the cost to
design, construct and equip the “Integrated Learning and
Research Facility” on the Athens campus. With these grants, the
OHF has approved more than $15 million in grants to the
university since 1999.
Matthews-López is
excited at the prospect of improving access to research services
and resources. With a plan to expand the CORE Research Office to
provide local coverage to all CORE hospitals via four satellite
research training offices, CORE researchers can expect quicker
responses to support requests and stronger links between CORE
sites.
Funds from this grant will allow
CORE to hire two new full-time employees: a biostatistician and
writer/editor.
Currently, the research office
has two employees, including Matthews-López. The goal is to grow
from two to 10 employees by 2010.
The hire of two
biostatisticians, one who will provide methodological and
statistical support for all CORE researchers and another who
will oversee research in Columbus at Doctors Hospital, will
funded by the grant. A writer/editor will provide editorial
support for CORE researchers and will help track submissions to
journals, conferences and other venues for professional
dissemination. In addition, the writer/editor will work with the
Matthews- López to prepare additional grant applications.
Matthews-López says the research
office also will create Regional Research Training Centers which
will serve as satellites of the central office.
This should increase the access
of students, interns, residents and physicians to research
training and support services. In turn, such support will
enhance researchers’ skills and abilities and enable more
clinical research, which ultimately will lead to the improved
methods of clinical treatment. Current resources offered or
facilitated by the research office are methodological support,
including research design, sampling plans and Institutional
Review Board support as well as statistical and editorial
support.
“The long-term staffing plan
includes placing a research administrator and a biostatistician
in each major geographic area within the CORE system,” she says,
adding that the CORE would be sectioned into four areas.
“This plan includes local,
onsite support for researchers. The vision is to create an
adequate and user-friendly infrastructure capable of growing the
research culture and then sustaining the resulting growth.”
- 30 -
News for
the week of Nov
14 –
Nov 19
