The overarching aim of the Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network (NNE-CTR) is to establish the necessary infrastructure to conduct high-quality clinical and translational research that will ultimately improve health outcomes for residents in this largely rural region. To achieve this ambitious aim, NNE-CTR leadership and staff will need to develop systems to continuously assess progress and identify opportunities for mid-course corrections. The Tracking and Evaluation Core (TEC) will provide the requisite infrastructure to ensure that the NNE-CTR can establish its own value and efficiency, and enact needed program improvements in a timely and effective manner. Led by a multidisciplinary team of evaluation, outcomes research and quality improvement experts, the functions of the TEC will be to: 1) identify meaningful and reliable performance metrics for the overall program, and the individual Key Component Activities; 2) continually track and monitor these metrics; and 3) rigorously analyze, synthesize, and disseminate performance information to NNE-CTR leadership and key stakeholders throughout the implementation process. Working collaboratively with Maine Medical Center and the University of Vermont, TEC staff will use a flexible, stakeholder-centered approach to facilitate the selection of performance metrics for each Core and the broader NNE-CTR initiative; implement and customize the REDCap data portal to support tracking and data collection; collect primary qualitative and quantitative data relevant to the conduct of clinical and translational research; routinely analyze and report performance data to the NNE-CTR leadership and key stakeholders; respond to evaluation consultation requests from other Cores; and produce summative reports of activities and outcomes of the IDeA-CTR award. The TEC activities will be grounded in the Center for Disease Control and Preventions' evaluation framework, which applies a population health model ideal for evaluating the health and systems-level outcomes of clinical and translational research. To complement the CDC model, the TEC Core will also adopt the ?systems evaluation partnership? model to assess a broad range of process and short- and long-term outcome measures. In addition, the TEC will apply quality improvement tools and techniques in tandem with more traditional evaluation methods to provide the NNE-CTR leadership and stakeholders with actionable rapid cycle feedback to help inform implementation efforts and identify opportunities for improvement. Through these activities, the TEC will facilitate transparency, promote data-informed decisions regarding the management of the initiative's many components, and thereby ensure the ultimate success of the overall program.
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