Goal #1: Advance clinical and translational science

The <a href="https://www.iths.org/stories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ITHS profile series</a> is meant to shine a deserving spotlight on individuals or programs within ITHS doing critical work across the vast spectrum of translational science. For this installment, <a href="https://www.iths.org/about/leadership/johnson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Teddy Johnson</a>, the ITHS Director of Technology Development and Co-Director of the ITHS Pilots Program, sat down with the two-time Pilot Award recipient, <a href="https://bioe.uw.edu/portfolio-items/patrick-m-boyle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr. Patrick M. Boyle</a> to learn about the impact of ITHS Pilot funding in his research. Dr. Boyle leads the <a href="https://cardsslab.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cardiac Systems Simulation (CardSS) Lab</a> in the Bioengineering department at the University of Washington. He received his first ITHS Pilot award in 2021 for the project <a href="https://www.iths.org/portfolio_page/boyle-patrick/">Identifying Mechanisms of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Catheter Ablation</a>. The second award, received in 2024, supported the project, <a href="https://www.iths.org/portfolio_page/boyle-patrick-m/">AI-Powered Personalized Risk Stratification for Lethal Cardiac Events in Patients with Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot</a>.This conversation covers a broad range of topics — from how to choose the right grants, his dislike of the term ‘scientific speed dating,’ and of course, how the ITHS Pilot Awards changed his entire career trajectory.

University of Washington Institute of Translational Health Sciences

Patrick Boyle, Ph.D., leader of the Cardiac Systems Simulation Lab at the University of Washington.

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University of Washington

Discover how Dr. Patrick Boyle, a two-time ITHS Pilot Award recipient and leader of the Cardiac Systems Simulation Lab at the University of Washington, is using innovative research and collaboration to advance bioengineering and improve cardiac care. Learn how ITHS Pilot funding helped launch his translational projects, build key collaborations, and pave the way for significant NIH grants.

ITHS Pilot Profile: How a Two-Time Pilot Award Recipient is Advancing Bioengineering

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Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine are dedicated to advancing healthcare through research, collaboration, and innovative approaches that deliver measurable benefits to patients and communities. Faculty can further this work by leveraging PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network—a unique resource that significantly expands research possibilities. To stay connected with the latest updates, research opportunities, and news, follow PCORnet® on LinkedIn.What is PCORnet®? PCORnet® is a nationwide network of networks that connects health systems, research organizations and patient partners. By linking electronic health record (EHR) data through a common data model, the network enables the study of large populations across the country. This infrastructure reduces traditional barriers to multi-site research, such as inconsistent data, lengthy contracting processes and duplicative institutional review board (IRB) review. The Value of PCORnet® PCORnet® enables access to data from millions of patients spanning multiple regions and health systems. Transforming data from a variety of source systems into the PCORnet® common data model is essential for high-quality research. When information from multiple hospitals, clinics, or health networks is standardized, researchers can confidently combine and analyze data across sites without worrying about inconsistencies in format, terminology, or structure. This harmonization enables larger, more representative study populations, increases statistical power, and allows for more robust comparisons and generalizations. It also streamlines collaboration, reduces the time and effort needed for data cleaning, and supports reproducibility—making research findings more reliable and actionable. Some key advantages include:Streamlined governance and data-sharing agreements, facilitating efficient initiation of studies.Structured mechanisms for patient engagement, ensuring that research addresses participant-prioritized outcomes.Timely and applicable insights for clinical practice and policy, as the data is derived directly from care settings. Opportunities for Research PCORnet® is particularly well-suited for:Comparative effectiveness trials evaluating real-world treatment optionsObservational studies using harmonized EHR data from multiple health systemsResearch supported by access to large, varied populationsRapid response studies, such as those conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic The following examples demonstrate the impact of PCORnet® on research initiatives: Answering Key Challenges in Cardiovascular ResearchPowering Nephrology Research for Children and AdultsDriving Impactful Metabolic Research Strengthening Proposals and Impact Funding agencies increasingly prioritize research that is patient-centered, scalable and grounded in real-world evidence. Leveraging PCORnet® in study design demonstrates access to national datasets, robust infrastructure and collaborative opportunities. These are qualities that make proposals more competitive.The Wake Forest University School of Medicine faculty members are already leading important work to improve health and build trust with the communities they serve. PCORnet® offers an opportunity to extend that impact by providing scale, speed and a patient-centered focus that can nationally distinguish the School of Medicine’s research.Leveraging institutional resources in conjunction with PCORnet's extensive network enables faculty to conduct research that contributes to scientific advancement, informs clinical practice, and enhances quality of life. For more information, visit pcornet.org to learn more about available tools and resources. How to Connect and Learn More The PCORnet® Front Door supports researchers by consulting on data needs, facilitating secure data queries across the network, organizing informational webinars, and connecting researchers with subject matter experts and potential research partners. Through the Front Door, users can request preliminary data to assess study feasibility, connect with collaborators across the network, and receive guidance on designing research projects using PCORnet’s common data model.Wake Forest University School of Medicine serves as a participating site for the Science, Technology and Leadership Network (STAR), which is part of PCORNet® (site Principal Investigator: Tom Houston, MD MPH). For inquiries regarding the School of Medicine’s involvement in the network, please contact Larisa Rodgers at Larisa.Rodgers@AdvocateHealth.org.

Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Wake Forest University Health Services

Discover how Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers are transforming healthcare by tapping into PCORnet®, a nationwide network that connects health systems, research organizations, and patient partners. By leveraging harmonized electronic health record data from millions of patients, PCORnet® enables large-scale, patient-centered research that delivers actionable insights for clinical practice and policy. Learn how faculty and collaborators can accelerate innovative studies, strengthen proposals, and improve community health through this unique, collaborative resource.

PCORnet: A Powerful Resource for Researchers

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Goal #3: Address health needs of populations

Bidirectional community-engaged work and research are critical to the mission of hubs around the country funded by Clinical and Translational Science Awards. However, there is an ongoing need for rigorous assessment to evaluate the efficacy and determine the real-world impact of these activities and interventions. A collaborative effort between two core groups at the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) sought to take on the challenge.The Community Engagement (CE) and the Evaluation &amp; Improvement (EI) cores used the RE-AIM framework to evaluate their community engagement work. RE-AIM is a public health tool used to plan, implement, and evaluate programs and stands for Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance. The team applied RE-AIM to their community-based health education workshops delivered in English and Spanish across Los Angeles. They used participant surveys and facilitator feedback data. Ultimately, they found that the workshops in Spanish were more highly attended than the English workshops and the attendees reported more satisfaction with the workshops. The Spanish workshops also ranked higher in short-term effectiveness.Their publication appears in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. This work was led by Brian Do-Golden, MPH, CHES®, Research and Evaluation Analyst for the CE core at SC CTSI. He developed and operationalized the RE-AIM approach, analyzed data, prepared visualizations, and served as first author for the manuscript. It was important to Do-Golden and the CE team that their method reflected real-world needs and perspectives, and could be used again in other activities.Evaluation of community-engaged work is often challenging and complex, which Do-Golden acknowledges.“[Evaluation] is context dependent, utilizes a mix of data types, and is difficult to make meaningful comparisons,” he added. “Our team wanted to develop a structured, transparent, and replicable approach that could help us, and potentially other programs, more clearly demonstrate impact, compare findings across contexts, identify areas for improvement, and make data informed decisions. There was a need for an evaluation process that was rigorous but still adaptable to realities of working with and in the community.”During the collaboration, the team encountered a surprising aspect – how much nuance emerged when they applied the approach to real-world community data. The CE core had a great deal of data from long running, well-established programs, so once they applied the RE-AIM framework, they were able to see ways in which they could improve program adaptation for the community workshops and apply the framework to other contexts.Do-Golden credits the team’s daily community work–showing up, building trust, creating opportunities, and gathering the data that enabled them to test and refine the method–as the shared vision that made the project and publication possible.“The most rewarding part was seeing a complex idea transform into a practical tool that our team can use regularly. It was especially meaningful to lead a project based on the hard work our dedicated team is doing out in the community that not only strengthened our internal evaluation capacity but also contributed something useful to the broader community engagement and clinical and translational science fields,” he added.In the future, the teams will build upon this existing work by refining their approach based on what they learned from the early implementation. They plan to expand to other initiatives and create a dashboarding system for real-time monitoring. They would also like to develop a toolkit for other programs and CTSA hubs to use and adapt this approach at their sites.

Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute

New publication highlights application of RE-AIM framework to evaluate effects of community engagement work

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Learn how SC CTSI used the RE-AIM framework to evaluate their community health workshops, uncovering greater engagement and satisfaction among Spanish-speaking participants. Led by Brian Do-Golden, the team developed a transparent, adaptable method for measuring real-world impact. Read the full article to see how their approach can strengthen community research everywhere.

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ITHS Pilot Profile: How a Two-Time Pilot Award Recipient is Advancing Bioengineering

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