Review
Collaborating on Data, Science, and Infrastructure: The 20-Year Journey of the Cancer Research Network
Authors:
V. Paul Doria-Rose ,
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, US
Robert T. Greenlee,
Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, WI, US
Diana S. M. Buist,
Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA, US
Diana L. Miglioretti,
Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA; University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, US
Douglas A. Corley,
Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, US
Jeffrey S. Brown,
Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, US
Heather A. Clancy,
Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, US
Leah Tuzzio,
Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA, US
Lisa M. Moy,
Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, US
Mark C. Hornbrook,
Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, OR, US
About Mark C.
Retired
Martin L. Brown,
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, US
About Martin L.
Retired
Debra P. Ritzwoller,
Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, CO, US
Lawrence H. Kushi,
Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, US
Sarah M. Greene
Health Care Systems Research Network, Seattle, WA, US
Abstract
The Cancer Research Network (CRN) is a consortium of 12 research groups, each affiliated with a nonprofit integrated health care delivery system, that was first funded in 1998. The overall goal of the CRN is to support and facilitate collaborative cancer research within its component delivery systems. This paper describes the CRN’s 20-year experience and evolution. The network combined its members’ scientific capabilities and data resources to create an infrastructure that has ultimately supported over 275 projects. Insights about the strengths and limitations of electronic health data for research, approaches to optimizing multidisciplinary collaboration, and the role of a health services research infrastructure to complement traditional clinical trials and large observational datasets are described, along with recommendations for other research consortia.
How to Cite:
Doria-Rose VP, Greenlee RT, Buist DSM, Miglioretti DL, Corley DA, Brown JS, et al.. Collaborating on Data, Science, and Infrastructure: The 20-Year Journey of the Cancer Research Network. eGEMs (Generating Evidence & Methods to improve patient outcomes). 2019;7(1):7. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/egems.273
