Collaborate with us! We welcome opportunities to discuss future partnerships in research projects.
Use of health information technology (HIT) – including electronic health records (EHRs) and health information exchange - can provide researchers and providers insight into health conditions and disparities in healthcare delivery. By creating a community of HIT-enabled providers, we enhance the relationships and technical capacity needed for community-engaged and practice-based research.
Our Partnership-Building Goals:
- Increase effective EHR adoption rates in Chicago. Prior work indicates that meaningful use of EHRs captures data necessary for clinical and translational research (Kho et al, 2011).
- Partnering with local academic institutions, educate and provide technical assistance, tools, and skills to preferred primary care providers (PPCPs) to conduct population-based studies, quality assurance measurements, community-based interventions, and translational research.
- Identify and connect providers and researchers, facilitating coordination on pressing local health concerns.
We have enrolled more than 1,500 PPCPs to adopt EHRs, with over 800 currently live on an EHR. We work with small group practices, ambulatory clinics connected with a public or critical access hospital, community health centers, rural clinics, and ambulatory clinics that serve uninsured, under-insured, and medically-undeserved populations. Technical assistance and education to PPCPs lays a foundation of HIT-centered capacity to engage in community-based research. These efforts allow providers to share resources, gain knowledge of academic insights, and network with teams of Chicago’s HIT leaders.
Resources for Researchers and Providers at Northwestern University
- The Northwestern University Biomedical Informatics Center (NUBIC) provides software tools, storage for research data, information on bioinformatics researchers at NU, and expertise for local researchers.
- The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) provides research teams with resources and expertise in innovation, research team support, biomedical informatics, Community-Engaged research, and additional activities.
- For resources and capacity-building opportunities for faculty and community organizations, the Community-Engaged Research Center (CERC) can assist with grants, trainings, research opportunities, and support.
- The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) is a professional organization dedicated to the work, education, and research in medical informatics – including consumer health informatics, public health informatics, and clinical research informatics.
- NU Office for Research details information on the university’s many research centers, research support and development, and communications.
- Interested in learning about researchers at NU? Northwestern Scholars is a comprehensive database that lists all faculty, grants, and publications at the university.
- Community physicians are invited to become involved with the Research and Education for Academic Achievement (REACH) and Pediatric Practice Research Group (PPRG) practice-based research networks to participate in research studies and build relationships with academic physicians.
Reference:
Kho AN, Pacheco JA, Peissig PL, Rasmussen L, Newton KM, et al. (2011). Electronic medical records for genetic research: results of the eMERGE consortium. Sci Transl Med, 3:79re1.