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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Cathy Liles, MPH, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, MS 1266, College Station, TX 77843-1266, 979-862-4350, cliles@tamu.edu, Marcia G. Ory, PhD, MPH, School of Rural Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Health, TAMU 1266, College Station, TX 77843-1266, Kerrie Hora, MS, Center for Community Health Development - Research Core, Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health, MS1266, College Station, TX 77843-1266, and Martha Tackett, Research Foundation, Texas A&M University, MS 3578, College Station, TX 77843-3578.

The School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University System HSC received a grant to foster inter-institutional collaboration for sharing data, employing test equating procedures and creating linkages among outcome measures to facilitate cross site comparisons.

Collaborative research has many benefits. Collaborative work enables utilization of a broader scope of backgrounds, experiences and expertise and access to greater population diversity. It also builds capacity, leverages research funds more effectively, and speeds the translation of research into practice in a shorter period of time

There are also challenges associated with collaborative research. We encountered challenges related to variable institutional grant management requirements, consent issues related to sharing data, communications coordination among busy sites, and other logistical issues associated with real-world limitations— procrastination, partners moving, travel, illness, weather and more. Our greatest challenges were issues in grant administration including variations between sub-contracts, differentiation between sub-contractors and independent contractors, contractors contributing data to more than one site, changes in scope of work and responsibility which required re-allocation of resources and renegotiation of contracts, institutional overhead/ reporting needs, ill-defined lines of protocol for project reporting and billing processes, billing forms, procedures and compliance.

Collaborative research calls for well developed management and administrative strategies. To minimize challenges, partners should plan in advance for contingencies, clearly define scope of work and expectations, develop timelines in association with project goals, products and payment schedules, clarify roles and relationships, simplify communications and maintain flexibility and creativity to address the inevitable “bumps in the road.”

Learning Objectives: