Health Research Alliance: A National Organization Fostering Links Between Reseearch and Practice

Bulletin:

The 2008 HRA National Conference, "Accelerating Medical Discovery Through Strategic Philanthropy," on March 4-6, 2008, was an exciting event. Conference presentations have now been posted on the HRA National Conference page in the Members-Only portion of the website. CDs containing pdfs of the presentations will be mailed to participants from non-member organizations. You can still access the final agenda here. Conference proceedings are being prepared and will be posted as a pdf when they are complete.
Health Research Alliance members: Registration materials for the September, 2008 HRA Advisory Committee meeting to be hosted by The Flinn Foundation in Phoenix were emailed to members on June 9. Be sure to register by the June 30 deadline. Members click here to access an agenda as well as registration materials.
Is your organization interested in becoming a member of the Health Research Alliance? Find out more.
Health Research Alliance
P.O. Box 13901
21 T. W. Alexander Drive
Research Triangle Park,
North Carolina 27709
Useful links have been organized below into five categories: advocacy, policy and education; government; funding; alliances and consortia; and selected journals:

Advocacy, policy and education:
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
    www.aaas.org
    AAAS, an international nonprofit organization, seeks to “advance science and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people” through the primary program areas of Science and Policy, International Activities, Education and Human Resources, and Project 2061. AAAS publishes the journal Science.

  • Center for the Advancement of Health (CFAH)
    www.cfah.org
    CFAH is an independent nonprofit corporation that translates to the public the latest evidence-based research on health, health care, prevention, and chronic disease management, with an emphasis on how social, behavioral and economic factors affect illness and wellbeing. The Center advocates for translation of health research into policy and practice, brokers collaboration among researchers, policymakers and practitioners; and communicates information relevant to the translation of research to policy and practice.

  • Center for Information & Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP)
    www.ciscrp.org
    CISCRP is a nonprofit organization focused on participation in clinical research, with a mission to educate, inform and empower patients, the public, medical and research professionals, the media and policymakers about clinical research participation, promote greater awareness and understanding of clinical research participation and the role it plays in public health, and to facilitate more effective collaboration among all members of the clinical research enterprise.

  • Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH)
    http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/
    CCPH is a nonprofit organization that promotes health through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions. Methods of promoting health include service-learning, community-based participatory research (CBPR), creating broad-based coalitions, and other partnership strategies.

  • Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
    www.faseb.org
    A coalition of a number of professional societies, FASEB advances biological science through collaborative advocacy for research policies that promote scientific progress and education, and that lead to improvements in human health.

  • National Academy of Science (NAS)
    www.nasonline.org
    Incorporated in 1863, the NAS, through its elected members, “investigates, examines, experiments and reports upon any subject of science or art” whenever called upon to do so by any department of the government, providing advice on scientific and technological issues that affect policy decisions. NAS, along with sister organizations the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council together comprise The National Academies.

  • Institute of Medicine (IOM)
    www.iom.edu
    As a component of the National Academies, the IOM provides the government and others with evidence-based advice on matters of biomedical science, medicine and health, insuring scientifically-informed analysis and independent guidance. New members are elected annually. Relevant IOM activities include:

  • Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (COSEPUP)
    www7.nationalacademies.org/cosepup/
    A joint unit of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, COSEPUP conducts studies on cross-cutting issues in science and technology policy, convening special interdiscipolinary panels comprising the nation’s best scientific and engineering expertise.

  • Research!America
    www.researchamerica.org
    An alliance of stakeholders in basic, behavioral, biotech, clinical, health services, prevention and public health, and therapeutic research from the public and private sectors, Research!America advocates for increased investment in the budgets of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The organization is a leader in gathering and presenting public opinion poll data on attitudes toward investment in research, and seeks to educate the public about the benefits of medical and health research.
Government:
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    www.cdc.gov
    The CDC is the principal US agency responsible for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, focusing on prevention and control of chronic and infectious diseases, injuries, workplace hazards, disabilities, environmental health threats, and disaster preparedness. The CDC’s Futures Initiative (www.cdc.gov/futures/) has charted six strategic directions for the CDC, as well as overarching health protection goals to help CDC focus resources and staff in accomplishing its mission.

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
    www.nih.gov
    NIH is the primary federal agency responsible for conducting and supporting medical research, distributing 80% of its funding in research grants. Composed of 27 Institutes and Centers, NIH is a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The NIH’s “Roadmap” initiative (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov) seeks to identify major opportunities and gaps in biomedical research that no single institute at NIH can tackle alone, so that the institutes and centers can combine forces and speed the progress of medical research. Themes of the Roadmap initiatives are: “New Pathways to Discovery,” “Research Teams of the Future,” and “Re-Engineering the Clinical Research Enterprise.” CRISP, for “Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects,” is an online, searchable database of federally funded biomedical research projects conducted in various research settings (http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/).

  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
    www.ahrq.gov
    AHRQ is the health services research arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, complementing the biomedical research mission of its sister agency, the National Institutes of Health. AHRQ research centers focus on outcomes and effectiveness of care, clinical practice and technology assessment, quality improvement and patient safety, and other areas of health care research. AHRQ functions as a major source of funding and technical assistance for health services research and research training as well as a science partner helping to build the knowledge base for what works in health and health care, and to translate this knowledge into everyday practice and policymaking.
Funding:

Go to the HRA Member Profiles page for links to HRA member websites. All Alliance members provide financial support for health research.
  • GrantsNet
    http://grantsnet.org
    GrantsNet is a searchable, continuously updated database of funding opportunities in biomedical research and science education, containing programs that offer training and research funding for graduate and medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty, as well as programs in science, math, engineering and technology for undergraduate faculty and students. In addition to special tools and resources to help customize searches, GrantsNet also provides tips on writing winning grant applications. GrantsNet is supported by HRA member Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

  • Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects (CRISP)
    http://crisp.cit.nih.gov
    CRISP is an online, searchable database of federally funded biomedical research projects conducted in various research settings. Reviewing the information in this database can help prospective applicants understand the types of research projects funded by different governmental entities.
Alliances and Consortia:
  • Academic Health Centers Clinical Research Forum (AHC Forum)
    www.ahcforum.org
    The AHC Forum is an organization of 40 academic health centers formed to sustain and expand a cadre of talented, well-trained clinical investigators at all stages of career development, as well as nurturing environments and comprehensive research capacities within academic institutions. The AHC Forum addresses growing national problems surrounding clinical research, including deficiencies in the training, funding and infrastructure for clinical investigators around the country, by facilitating candid policy discussions, providing advocacy for clinical research, responding to initiatives on clinical research proposed by other organizations, and sharing best practices in clinical research.

  • Association of Academic Health Centers (AHC)
    www.ahcnet.org
    The AHC is a national, non-profit organization that has served and represented academic health centers for more than 40 years, working to ensure the viability of academic health centers and their overall mission. Over 100 institutions are members of the AHC. Within the area of health research, current issues of interest at AHC include the future of biotechnology, ethical implications of research, and the impact of health research on education, research, and health care. The AHC also pushes for increased funding for research in biomedicine and science through NIH, AHRQ and CDC. Activities include education, formulation of policy, research, moving legislative agendas forward, and the sponsorship of special initiatives and collaborations on issues of national concern.

  • Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
    www.aamc.org
    AAMC is a nonprofit association of medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic societies which seeks to improve the nation’s health by enhancing the effectiveness of academic medicine. AAMC focuses on medical education, medical research, and patient care in academic settings, by providing services and by working on policy issues at the national level.

  • National Health Council (NHC)
    www.nationalhealthcouncil.org
    The National Health Council, consisting of 115 member organizations including voluntary health agencies, professional and membership associations, nonprofit organizations with an interest in health, and business and industry, serves as a forum for policy development, supporting and advocating on behalf of the voluntary health movement.
Links to Selected Journals:

The journals below often include articles focused on the research enterprise. Please note that a subscription may be required in order to retrieve and print articles.