Notes from Neil

I am pleased to announce a new research partnership with MedStar Health and COTA, Inc., an oncology real-world data and data analytics company. COTA will support MedStar Health in its use of real-world data to accelerate scientific discovery and improve patient care. Our partnership with COTA will support our ongoing efforts to leverage deep clinical data to power research that will improve outcomes for cancer patients. As a leader in oncology real-world data, we are excited to work with COTA to drive innovative research that will change how cancer is studied and treated.

Medstar Health is proud to announce that we have joined with 16 other healthcare systems as members of Truveta, a company with a vision of Saving Lives with Data. Founded by the member healthcare systems, the Truveta platform will bring clinical data from across the country to advance patient care and accelerate development of new therapies through research.

Truveta will include data representing more than 15 percent of U.S. patient care with even greater racial and ethnic diversity. “With our mission to promote learning, discovery and innovation, we believe insights from Truveta can help providers learn more and have better informed conversations about inequities and health outcomes to make progress on this important topic,” said Kenneth Samet, president and CEO of MedStar Health. 

I am delighted to share with you that MedStar Health Research Institute has been recognized at the highest level as one of Maryland’s Healthiest Businesses for 2021!

MedStar Health is dedicated to both ensuring the highest levels of associate, provider, and patient health as well as supporting the research that informs clinicians and consumers about best health practices. We are delighted to be recognized as part of this healthy effort by the Maryland Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control program by the Maryland Department of Health.

Please join me in thanking our entire wellness team, led by Allison Moses and Joan Bardsley, who helped complete the Worksite Health Scorecard. The team’s dedicated efforts in promoting health and wellness for MHRI is what allowed us to be ranked so highly.

As we continue through the summer, please take care of your health and wellness!

July is the beginning of our new academic and fiscal year.  As such, it is also the start of some new initiatives, even if they have been ‘in the works’ for a while. From last year's operating plan, we committed to ‘build the infrastructure for data science, ensuring responsible, compliant data use that earns the public trust.’ I am pleased to announce our action on this commitment with the creation of the MedStar Health Research Institute Center for Biostatistics, Informatics and Data Science (CBIDS). 

The center is designed to be a single location for research data needs across MedStar Health. What was formerly known as the Department of Biostatistics & Biomedical Informatics is now part of this new center as well as data science and informatics members from National Center
for Human Factors in Healthcare. CBIDS has four core areas of expertise: 

Each of these core areas is designed to both lead innovative research while also provide data services to the MHRI community and beyond.

The center will be co-directed by Drs. Aaron (Zach)Hettinger and Nawar Shara. Both Nawar and Zach have been part of the MHRI community for many years and provide complimentary research expertise as a PhD and MD partnership; an example of the partnerships that we seek to foster across our academic health system.

The creation of CBIDS comes at a critical time when the role of clinical data in research has dramatically increased regarding the need to understand the impact of the COVID pandemic as well as leverage data for existing research endeavors. By serving as a “one-stop shop” for research data needs, CBIDS will seek to foster data access, analysis, discovery and improved clinical outcomes in a safe, efficient and secure manner.  

More information will be distributed about new services and opportunities as the center comes up to speed. As a MedStar investigator, you can request the services of CBIDS by using the following link: https://researchdata.medstar.net/redcap/surveys/?s=JUh345&opt_id=oeu1622214029151r0.03211895701473022

This Independence Day looks even brighter this year. As more of the country opens up, and we begin to put the pandemic behind us, be sure to take proper safety precautions this holiday.

• Practice good hand hygiene, washing with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Continue to mask up and maintain six feet between yourself and others if you’re not fully vaccinated.
• When outside, wear light, loose-fitting clothing, use sunscreen, and stay hydrated to prevent heat-related illness.
• Stay home when you are sick.

We hope you all have a safe, happy, and healthy 4th of July!