We propose to expand the existing Mental Health Research Network (MHRN) to include 14 research centers embedded in large health systems serving over 25 million patients in 16 states. Existing MHRN infrastructure will be enhanced to support a next-generation practice-based network, including: ? Increased engagement of patients, health system leaders, and other stakeholders in network governance and selection of research priorities ? An expanded public, open-source library of software tools and other technical resources ? More formal processes for conducting feasibility pilot projects and rapid response to stakeholder queries ? Expanded outreach to external stakeholders and research partners This overall application requests support for an Administrative Core, a Methods core, two Signature research projects and two Pilot research projects. The Administrative Core, led by Gregory Simon and Belinda Operskalski, will include an Organizational Unit responsible for governance, strategic planning, fiscal management, and compliance; an Outreach and External Collaboration Unit responsible for communications, resource sharing, promoting new collaborations, and supporting feasibility pilot projects; and an Emerging Issues Unit to identify and address emerging questions for internal and external stakeholders. The Organizational Unit will maintain and enhance the governance, operational, fiscal management, and compliance resources proven successful in 8 years of MHRN operations. At each site, core resources will support effort by a site lead investigator (responsible for supervising local data infrastructure activities and health system engagement), one or more programmer/analysts (responsible for data infrastructure quality control, routine descriptive analyses, and analyses regarding emerging issues), and one or more project managers (responsible for local financial management and regulatory compliance). In the proposed new funding cycle, patient and family stakeholders will join the network Steering Committee and an External Advisory Committee will participate in network strategic planning and evaluation. The Outreach and External Collaboration unit will maintain and enhance the communications tools, resource sharing mechanisms, health system engagement processes, and external investigator engagement processes proven successful in 8 years of MHRN operation. A structured process for receiving and responding to requests for feasibility or pilot data (from either MHRN-based or external investigators) will include a transparent process for timely response to queries and specific resources allocated to small pilot projects. A structured process for receiving and responding to queries from health system and external stakeholders will include technical assistance to end- users and will draw from MHRN's large library of descriptive analyses, standard queries, and computable phenotypes.
