The Oklahoma Pediatric Clinical Trials Network

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The goal of the Oklahoma Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (OPCTN) is to provide access for the underserved rural, urban minority, and American Indian populations of children in Oklahoma to state-of-the-art clinical trials and the transfer of findings that will benefit the health of those children. The OPCTN will continue to be a member of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN). The ISPCTN facilitates involvement of sites in IDeA states to design and implement clinical trials related to the 5 primary ECHO focus areas: 1) upper and lower airway disease, 2) obesity; 3) pre-, peri-, and postnatal outcomes; 4) neurodevelopment; and 5) positive child health. These are each areas of substantial health concern for Oklahoma, where our overall child health is rated amongst the worst in the United States. The first phase of OPCTN was successful in developing capacity for pediatric clinical trials through mentoring of junior clinical investigators, building clinical informatics resources, leadership with the ISPCTN network, and participation ISPCTN-led trials. The OPCTN was consistently among the top three recruiting sites within the network and led the development of an ISPCTN feasibility trial focused on rural populations. For this renewal phase of the OPCTN, we have assembled a diverse mixture of resources within Oklahoma. It is centered in the Department of Pediatrics and the Oklahoma Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. It combines the resources of Oklahoma’s IDeA-CTR, the Oklahoma Shared Clinical and Translational Resources, academic physicians at the state’s allopathic medical school, clinical trials experts at the Stephenson Cancer Center, providers in Oklahoma urban and rural communities, and practice-based research networks in order to broaden the opportunities for children in Oklahoma to participate in clinical research studies. The OPCTN engages with community consultant groups that represent the American Indian, Latino, and African American communities as well as county-based health improvement organizations within the state to allow their input on research project design, implementation, and community participatory interest. The OPCTN also focuses on training pediatric clinicians and research staff to enhance their experience in the design and conduct of clinical trials in order to increase the capacity of the medical community in the state to conduct clinical and translational research efforts.