CHR is dedicated to collaboration with research partners across the country. By participating in research networks, we can examine questions that are hard for any single research organization to answer alone. Research networks also help us respond to the federal government’s call to make data more accessible and to promote data sharing across different health care settings.
Collaborations
CHR researchers, working within the Kaiser Permanente Northwest health system (KPNW), regularly collaborate with the other KP regions: KP Hawaii, Washington, Mid-Atlantic, Northern California, Southern California, Colorado, and Georgia. Research is facilitated by the KP Virtual Data Warehouse (VDW), a distributed set of standardized, high-quality research databases from all eight KP regions.
CHR investigators are active members of KP’s Social Needs Network for Evaluation and Translation (SONNET), a national network that supports initiatives to address KP members’ essential needs. Supported by KP’s National Community Health Program, SONNET helps KP researchers, leaders, and medical professionals design, evaluate, and learn from initiatives that address needs such as social connection, food, housing, and transportation. CHR Investigator David Mosen, PhD, represents CHR on SONNET’s Evaluation & Research Committee.
CHR has a formal collaboration with OCHIN, which provides technology support to nearly 2000 community health sites across the U.S. serving under- and uninsured patients. Rachel Gold, PhD, has a joint appointment as both Senior Investigator at CHR and Director of Implementation Research Programs at OCHIN. Dr. Gold facilitates collaboration, allowing researchers at both organizations to conduct comparative research between two very different health systems. Frances Lynch, PhD, a Distinguished Investigator at CHR, also holds an appointment as a Senior Investigator at OCHIN.
Research Networks
The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) is a consortium of more than 8,000 dentists, hygienists, and other professionals committed to advancing dental practice. CHR coordinates the Network’s Western Region Node; CHR Senior Investigator Jeff Fellows, PhD, is the region’s director.
CHR also serves as the Data Coordinating Center (DCC) for the national network; CHR Distinguished Investigator Mary Ann McBurnie, PhD, leads the DCC. The coordinating center has managed data collection and other study-related activities for 18 network studies conducted since 2019.
CHR is a founding member of the Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN), a group of 20 nonprofit health care delivery systems sharing resources and clinical information to better inform health research. HCSRN is recognized as a premier national source of population-based research.
CHR is also an active member of the following:
- Mental Health Research Network (National Institute of Mental Health), a consortium of 14 research centers dedicated to improving patient mental health through research, practice, and policy. Partner health systems serve a combined population of over 20 million patients in 16 states. CHR Distinguished Investigator Frances Lynch, PhD, is the Site Principal Investigator at CHR.
- Vaccine Safety Datalink, a collaborative project among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and thirteen health care organizations using large medical records databases to monitor vaccine safety in the U.S. Distinguished Investigator Allison Naleway, PhD, is the Principal Investigator at CHR.