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 which will serve as the clinical """"""""hub"""""""" of the consortium. Seven additional member hospitals (""""""""spokes"""""""") located in geographically diverse areas surrounding Philadelphia will participate. The consortium 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 long term 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. The GPSNJ-NETT Network aims to create a sound infrastructure for the efficient conduct of trials among its participant hospitals. Participation in the consortium will build upon existing collaborative clinical and research relationships between member specialists and hospitals. Research support and expertise will be 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 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. Relevance: Neurological emergency disorders such as stroke, spinal cord injury and head trauma affect millions of patients each year. The creation of a regional neurological emergencies research consortium that includes diverse hospitals and multidisciplinary clinicians will facilitate the ability to perform clinical trials examining promising new therapies for these conditions.
