The Greater Philadelphia-Southern New Jersey Neurological Emergencies Treatment Trials (GPSNJ-NETT) Network is a regional clinical research consortium composed of emergency physicians, neurologists, neurosurgeons, trauma surgeons, pediatricians and other experts who care for patients with acute neurological conditions. This consortium is based at the University of Pennsylvania, an urban, tertiary care, academic medical center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and two of its hospitals, which serve as the clinical Hub of the network. Eight additional member hospitals (Spokes) located in geographically diverse areas surrounding Philadelphia and along the East coast are currently participating. The network includes trauma centers, community hospitals, certified stroke centers and a regional pediatric center, providing access to a broad range of patients with acute neurological conditions and to a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and researchers. The GPSNJ region is a densely populated urban-suburban corridor that has a high burden of neurological disease. The ongoing goal of the GPSNJ-NETT Network is to reduce the burden of neurological diseases among patients of all ages and backgrounds within this region by conducting trials on promising clinical interventions for neurological emergencies. To date, the GPSNJ-NETT has been among the leading Hub-Spoke complexes in the overall NETT, with consistently high enrollment in trials (including the top enroller in one), a leadership position i the initiation of EFIC trials, and outstanding data quality. The GPSNJ-NETT Network aims to expand and maintain its exceptional infrastructure for the efficient conduct of trials among its participant hospitals. Research support and expertise are provided by the clinical Hub, particularly in the areas of human subjects' protections and other regulatory activities, and education and orientation of clinical and research staff in an effort to streamline trial implementation and expedite patient enrollment. The clinical Hub will continue to provide ongoing support for data collection and transfer during trial execution, and will provide timely feedback and education about trial results to member specialists and hospitals to encourage translation of research results into clinical practice.
Neurological emergencies such as stroke, head trauma and spinal cord injury affect millions of patients each year. The continued operation and expansion of a highly successful regional neurological emergencies research consortium that includes diverse hospitals and multidisciplinary clinicians will facilitate the ability to perform clinical rials examining promising new therapies for these conditions.
