PLANNING GRANT FOR A MULTIPURPOSE CLINICAL RESEARCH CENT

达特茅斯拥有创建多功能临床研究中心（MCRC）的独特环境。 我们长期以来一直有一个积极的临床研究计划，主要与两个完善的跨部门中心在成果研究和癌症，其特点是国际公认的医疗保健流行病学和癌症化学预防计划。 随着达特茅斯研究基地的发展，出现了新的机会，将我们的专业知识扩展到NIAMS相关疾病领域，包括腰痛的管理，骨质疏松症的预防和治疗，临床实践中的疼痛管理，关节炎的新诊断成像方法，关节成形术的结果和自身免疫性疾病的治疗干预。 为我们现有的临床研究项目开发的生物统计学和结局测量基础设施，以及NIAMS赞助的针对腰痛手术患者结局的主要多中心临床试验的启动，为在达特茅斯创建新的MCRC提供了独特的机会。为了在达特茅斯建立MCRC，我们提出了一个规划过程，该过程将充分利用我们在许多临床部门和工程学院建立的中心及其相关教师的经验。 我们的具体目标是开发一个结构，以确定和优先考虑潜在的项目，促进和最大限度地发挥跨学科的临床研究举措;提供一个论坛，以促进现有的研究计划之间的协同作用;并在完成MCRC提案中推进至少三个非常有价值的项目。

Dartmouth has a unique environment for creating a Multipurpose Clinical Research Center (MCRC). We have long had an active clinical research program, primarily associated with two well-established interdepartmental centers in outcomes research and cancer, which feature internationally recognized programs in medical care epidemiology and cancer chemoprevention. As Dartmouth's research base has grown, new opportunities have arisen to extend our expertise to NIAMS-related disease areas including management of low back pain, osteoporosis prevention and treatment, management of pain in clinical practice, new diagnostic imaging methods for arthritis, outcomes of arthroplasty, and therapeutic interventions for autoimmune disease. The infrastructure in biostatistics and outcomes measurement developed for our existing clinical research programs and the initiation of a major NIAMS-sponsored multi-center clinical trial for patient outcomes in surgery for low back pain together provide a unique opportunity to create a new MCRC at Dartmouth. To establish an MCRC at Dartmouth, we propose a planning process that will take full advantage of the experience of our established centers and their associated faculty in many clinical departments and the School of Engineering. Our specific aims are to develop a structure to identify and prioritize potential projects that foster and maximize interdisciplinary clinical research initiatives; to provide a forum to foster synergy between existing research programs; and to advance at least three highly meritorious projects in a completed MCRC proposal.