The Network of Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trial Center at The Ohio State University is one of the original NeuroNEXT centers and maintains a strong commitment and enthusiasm for the network. Our center, comprised of physician investigators at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) and Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH), has contributed substantially to the success of NeuroNEXT and is one of the few centers selected to enroll in all eight funded studies. Membership in NeuroNEXT has had a meaningful impact for Ohio State Neurology by providing our patients with important new opportunities for research participation and contributing to a programmatic cultural shift towards more investigator-initiated NIH- funded clinical studies. Ohio State Neurology was a leader in multiple important performance metrics, including the number of randomized or confirmed subjects (top site), efficiency in starting new trails (third fastest) and data accuracy (fourth). We build upon our success to maintain and optimize our NeuroNEXT infrastructure. The leadership administration will be simplified to consist of four key personnel. Collaboration within the our NeuroNEXT Center will be coordinated between site leadership and a large pool of experienced, reliable and motivated potential co-investigators that span all areas of clinical neuroscience. We will build upon the innovative, multifaceted approach to recruitment and outreach that has made us the most successful recruiting site in NeuroNEXT. We will extend our emphasis on research coordinator advocacy with the creation of a Research Coordinator Recognition Program. We will increase the oversight between the NeuroNEXT leadership and each active study team during the course of each study. We energetically support the emphasis on career development in the next cycle of NeuroNEXT. We will implement the NeuroNEXT Clinical Trial Fellowship to expand the pool of experienced clinical investigators and research staff who will be leaders of multicenter clinical research trials. The NeuroNEXT Fellow at OSU will be required to submit a clinical study proposal to the NeuroNEXT Network by the end of the two-year Fellowship period. Clear expectations and milestone requirements will be made and formalized in an Individual Development Plan (IDP) detailing curriculum and training timelines. A mandatory mentorship committee will be formed consisting of NeuroNEXT leadership, a primary mentor and a biostatistician provided by the OSU Neurological Research Institute to help support the development of Fellow projects. The IDP will be updated and reviewed quarterly by a mentorship committee and curriculum will link to existing training infrastructure at OSUWMC and NINDS. In the second year, a ?Five Year Plan? for the next phase of protected training time will be formalized that is integrated with existing pre-K and K award opportunities. Thus, NeuroNEXT Fellows will have a high likelihood to sustain their momentum and successfully transition to an independent, funded and productive clinical trialist.
Ohio State Neurology is committed to the success of the NeuroNEXT network and to the rapid development and implementation of protocols in neurological disorders affecting adults and children. NeuroNEXT expands our capability to increase the efficiency of clinical trials and to respond quickly to new promising therapies. Ohio State Neurology will be a leading site through our NeuroNEXT Clinical Trial Fellowship to expand the pool of experienced clinical investigators and research staff who will be leaders of multicenter clinical research trials.
