OF OBJECTIVES: The Virtual Collaboratory for Suicide Studies, designed by JGPerpich, LLC (JGP), will foster collaborative relationships and resource sharing for suicidology training, mentoring and career development programs through use of current virtual communication technologies. In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), JGP will develop and support numerous virtual community-building activities. Our first goal is to create a strong and active online network of suicidologists. This goal will be met through an active recruitment process and numerous virtual activities, such as virtual seminars, discussion forums, and wikis. Our second goal is to improve on an existing Collaboration MatChing Service (eMS) prototype module in the Virtual Collaboratory in order to foster research and training collaborations. The CMS draws from a People, Operations and Projects database that aggregates data from CRISP, PubMed and non-government funding agencies. CMS search outputs will be tailored for use by the suicidology community and will improve both tracking and project outcome measurements. The third goal of this contract is to evaluate how well the Virtual Collaboratory serves as a platform for network building and dissemination of critical knowledge with geographically-dispersed, multi-disciplinary audiences. JGP will research whether incorporating virtual communication technologies increases the rate and ease of dissemination of quality information and improves lines of communication. Achieving these goals will promote the growth and on-going development of a vibrant and dynamic suicide research community, both on site and online.
