We support multi-site, EHR-data driven research through our involvement in PCORnet and the STAR Clinical Research Network.
PCORnet and the STAR Clinical Research Network seek to support multi-site, EHR-data driven research by reducing technical and regulatory barriers. TraCS IDSci assists UNC researchers in navigating these networks.
PCORnet and STAR can help researchers:
- Assess feasibility by providing counts of patients meeting certain criteria
- Identify potential participants for a multi-site study
- Receive harmonized datasets for secondary data analyses
- Find collaborators at other sites
- Navigate the inter-institutional regulatory process
PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, is a large, highly representative, "network of networks" that enables access to data routinely gathered in a variety of healthcare settings. PCORnet includes nearly 70 million patients with an encounter in the past 5 years and 32 million patients with an encounter in the previous year.
The Stakeholders, Technology, and Research Clinical Research Network (STAR CRN) is one of the 11 clinical research networks that comprise PCORnet. The STAR CRN includes: Vanderbilt Health System (lead site); UNC-Chapel Hill; Duke University; Health Sciences South Carolina (includes Medical University of South Carolina); Mayo Clinic; Meharry Medical College; Vanderbilt Healthcare Affiliated Network; and Wake Forest Baptist Health. STAR is particularly well suited for UNC investigators who are interested in regional collaborations. Collectively STAR includes 11 million patients with an encounter in the past 5 years and 5 million patients with an encounter in the previous year.
PCORnet and STAR CRN are funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Prior funding was provided by the People-Centered Research Foundation.
For more detailed information about these networks, please see our FAQ page.