The NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory began 2023 with 2 new Core Working Groups focused on health equity and implementation science. The membership of both Cores draws from across the program to support the design and implementation of the NIH Collaboratory Trials.

“By launching these 2 new Core Working Groups, the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory is reaffirming its commitment to generating knowledge that supports equitable pragmatic research to improve healthcare for all,” said Dr. Adrian Hernandez, co-principal investigator of the NIH Pragmatic Trials Coordinating Center.

The Health Equity Core provides leadership and guidance to help the NIH Collaboratory Trials and investigators be more equitable in research. The Core’s work includes supporting pragmatic trials to address social and structural drivers of inequities, implement patient and community engagement strategies, promote the inclusion and mentorship of historically underrepresented scientists, and develop culturally and contextually aligned research and translation strategies that overcome bias and resonate with patients and communities.

The Health Equity Core is led by Dr. Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda and Dr. Cherise Harrington. Gonzalez-Guarda is an associate professor of nursing at Duke University, faculty lead for the Population Health Research Area of Excellence at Duke’s Center for Nursing Research, and codirector of the Community Engagement Core for Duke Clinical Translational Science Institute. Harrington is a senior researcher and associate professor of public health education at North Carolina Central University. Alex Fist of the Duke Clinical Research Institute serves as the Core’s project manager in the Coordinating Center. The Core’s members include Jessica Lee Barnhill, Sheana Bull, Gaby Castro, Andrea Cheville, Allison Cuthel, Dana Dailey, Juanita Darby, Graham Dore, Julie Fritz, Morgan Fuoco, Christine Goertz, Katharine Lawrence, Vivian Lyons, Keith Marsolo, Alice Pressman, Nina Siman, and Miguel Vazquez.

The Implementation Science Core provides technical support and pragmatic trial expertise for NIH Collaboratory Trials with a specific focus on innovative dissemination and implementation science approaches. The Core will study methods and strategies to promote the uptake of interventions that have proven effective in routine practice, with the aim of improving population health.

The Implementation Science Core is co-led by Dr. Devon Check and Dr. Hayden Bosworth. Check is an assistant professor in population health sciences at Duke University. Bosworth is a professor in population health sciences, psychiatry, and nursing at Duke and deputy director for the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care at the Durham VA Medical Center. Jill George of the Duke Clinical Research Institute serves as the Core’s project manager in the Coordinating Center. The Core’s members include Kristin Archer, Gaby Castro, Allison Cuthel, Ardith Doorenbos, Carol Greco, Crystal Patil, Sarah Redmond, Isabel Jordan Roth, Stacie Salsbury, Stacy Sterling, Anne Thackeray, Cindy Tofthagen, Katy Trinkley, Miguel Vazquez, and Angelo Volandes.

“Through their work in the areas of implementation science and health equity, the new Cores can help uncover how best to implement improved clinical practices so the benefits reach at-risk and traditionally underserved populations,” Hernandez said.