212894 Studying practice innovations through the North Carolina PBRN

Monday, November 9, 2009: 2:30 PM

Lisa Harrison, MPH, BSPH , UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, NC Institute for Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC
Rosemary Summers, DrPH , Orange County (NC) Health Department, Hillsborough, NC
  
The North Carolina Public Health Practice-based Research Network (PBRN) is designed to stimulate and support new research based on the work of nine local health departments of the Central North Carolina Partnership for Public Health, part of a state “incubator” initiative that fosters regional collaboration and innovation in public health practice. The network allows these agencies and their research partners to formally study the implementation and impact of practice innovations designed through the incubator initiative. The network is administered through the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the UNC School of Public Health, and includes collaboration with the North Carolina Division of Public Health. Utilizing a baseline operational model and decision-making protocol developed by several of the local health department partners, the network has pursued initial research focus areas related to public health workforce development and public health preparedness. Examples of specific research projects in development include: (1) comparing the effectiveness of alternative staffing models in delivering essential public health services; and (2) assessing local public health responses to the novel H1N1 virus. This presentation will highlight strategies used by the North Carolina PBRN in developing research priorities and engaging academic partners in practice-focused research questions.

Learning Objectives:
Describe organizational and decision-making structures used within public health PBRNs; Assess strategies for identifying research priorities that are relevant to public health practice; Identify mechanisms for engaging academic researchers in practice-based research projects.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I coordinate the NC Practice Based Research Network and am intimately involved with the work represented in the abstract.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Public Health Practice Based Research Networks: Generating Evidence to Drive Improvements
See more of: Health Administration