Clinical Research Oriented Workshop (CROW) Meeting: July 7, 2011

Present: Sarah Gillett, Kairn Kelley, Amanda Kennedy, Rodger Kessler, Ben Littenberg, Connie van Eeghen

1. Check in: What do we really know about the population of people eligible for SA therapy involving bupenorphine? Rodger has interest in an R01 grant submission opportunity related to behavioral therapy; Charlie and Rich are involved in supporting opiod prescribing for providers as part of the academic detailing program. Rodger to follow up.

2. Rodger and Connie: R03 Goal Statement

a. Connie reviewed the purpose of this response to a RFA: create a manual to integrate behavioral health (BH) services into primary care practices. The manual offers options in how to integrate and a prescriptive method to conduct the quality improvement (QI) process.

i. The group maintained a debate throughout the presentation about whether “a manual” is the real purpose of this proposal. The purpose is to implement and disseminate BH services in primary care; the QI method and the tools needed to do are background technical requirements that are essential but not the purpose of this effort.

ii. The language of the proposal must mirror the R03 announcement.

b. Audience: leaders of primary care practices. The group tested the “marketability” of the resulting “tool kit” (or manual, process, hyperlinked document, or other products of this work). They questioned whether the proposal underway already had answers for:

i. What aspects of BH are wanted by primary care clinicians and leaders?

ii. What is the most effective way to implement those aspects (recruitment, training…)?

c. The group confirmed that this proposal is pre-alpha phase; Connie will be the “user” of the tool kit before it is trialed on a practice. Furthermore, the alpha phase of testing may be a virtual test, around a table with clinicians to see if they understand and can visualize using it. Measures of success may be based on the evaluation of outside observers on completeness, consistency, and comprehensibility.

d. The aims of the proposal do not state all of the expectations above.

i. Aim 2: Provide instructions on the process necessary for the clinic to develop a strategy to be able to choose a menu option

ii. Aim 4 (new): Pilot test and evaluate the tool kit to meet the goals of an R18 project with a broader population.

e. Support needed:

i. Out of state physician support: contact nancy Morris, Springfield, MA at Bay State

ii. UVM physician collaborator (Ben)

iii. Primary care provider advisory board

3. Sarah: Poster Presentation

a. Sarah is heading to Japan in two weeks with a poster on “Inflammation and Decline in Learning and Memory Function in the Reasons for Geographical and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study”

i. CRP, a stroke risk marker, may be associated with cognitive decline learning, memory, and executive function

ii. CRP may mediate racial differences in decline

b. International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostatis; focus is on biology but as member of grant, Jennifer received funding for peer review from scholarship (acknowledge at bottom)

c. Poster sessions are for developing collaborators, friends, and new insight into pilot studies

d. Travel expense forms, by the way, are getting more complex.

4. Next Workshop Meeting(s): Thursday, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., at Given Courtyard Level 4

a. July 14: Abby (No Rodger)

b. July 21: Rodger (No Ben)

c. July 28: Connie (No Ben)

d. Aug 4: (No Abby)

e. Change to new time for our meetings for July and August: Thursday morning 9:30 – 11:00

f. Ben is on vacation July 16 – 30 and out Aug 4; Abby is on vacation August; Amanda is teaching Tues & Thurs 1 – 4 from July 1 – Aug 26

g. Future agenda to consider:

i. Rodger: Mixed methods article; article on Behavior’s Influence on Medical Conditions (unpublished)

ii. Future: Review of different types of journal articles (lit review, case study, original article, letter to editor…), when each is appropriate, tips on planning/writing (Abby)

Recorder: C. van Eeghen