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Cancer Control Research

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests National Cancer Institute (NCI) support for the 13th and 14th annual conferences of the HMO Research Network (HMORN) to be held March 19-21, 2007 in Portland, Oregon, and April 23-25, 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1994, the HMORN is a consortium of 15 nationally recognized research centers based in integrated health care delivery systems that focus on conducting non-proprietary clinical, epidemiologic, and health services research. Integrated delivery systems provide the optimal mix of population base, electronic medical and financial databases, and longitudinal observation capabilities for health care research. The mission of the Network is to use its collective capabilities to integrate research and practice for the improvement of health and health care among diverse populations. The theme of the 2007 conference is 'Building a National Research Model: the Future of HMO-Based Research'. The tentative theme for the 2008 conference is 'Collaborative Research: Developing Efficient Processes and Partnerships'. The aims of the HMORN annual conference are to: 1) Provide a forum for HMORN researchers, representatives of funding agencies, and our academic partners to discuss methods and disseminate research findings from studies using the diverse patient populations and integrated delivery systems of the participating organizations, with a special focus on studies affiliated with the HMORN's Cancer Research Network (CRN); 2) Create opportunities for participants to develop collaborative research projects; 3) Enhance the ability of the HMORN research centers to respond to national goals to raise the effectiveness, efficacy, efficiency, and overall quality of health care delivery systems, and to contribute to national research agendas and funding priorities; 4) Enhance and share core competencies of our centers' research infrastructure; and, 5) Develop the research skills of young investigators and those new to the HMORN. The HMORN annual conference is closely aligned with NCI's mission to support cancer research, research training, and to support cancer research networks. The HMORN received its first multi-institutional program award from the NCI in 1999. This initiative, the Cancer Research Network (CRN), now includes 13 of the HMORN members and was developed to study and improve the effectiveness of cancer control interventions in the HMORN's community-based health care systems. Many of the research initiatives that have been advanced by the work of the HMORN are synergistic with the mission of the NCI. These efforts include research to improve health outcomes for cancer and chronic diseases, understand and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in access to health care and treatment, change health behaviors such as smoking and diet, reduce errors in medical care, and facilitate the translation of new knowledge into the delivery of health care.