OKLAHOMA SHARED CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL RESOURCES – OSCTR GRANT (OU)
Provides support for clinical and translational research projects that are of public health importance to Oklahoma and supports collaborations between partner institutions, including the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board (SPTHB).
The mission of the OSCTR is to serve as a catalyst to facilitate clinical research to improve health for underserved and underrepresented populations living in rural areas. The OSCTR allows for growth of partnerships between Urban clinics, Tribal, University and Indian Health Service to provide more access to clinical trials, improvement of patient practice and ultimately better population health for Oklahoma. Based on this mission, the OSCTR has identified 7 goals, which are:
- Enhance the development of high-caliber OSCTR clinical translational scientists who focus on health issues of concern to our populations through training, mentoring and pilot grant opportunities
- Promote research on diseases with high prevalence among American Indians
- Assist tribal health systems in building capacity for clinical research
- Utilize and build registries and repositories to better understand disease mechanisms and to help launch junior OSCTR clinical investigative careers
- Engage communities through practice-based research networks to identify and conduct research of highest interest to Oklahoma and other IDeA communities
- Establish the OSCTR Research Navigator Service to facilitate access to research infrastructure
- Mentor early stage OSCTR clinical investigators to research independence
- SPTHB is partnering with researchers at the University of Oklahoma to better understand how health care providers (HCP), parents, and pre-schools perceive their role in the healthy development of young American Indian children. This qualitative study involves a minimum of 20 in-depth interviews per group (HCP, Parents, and Pre-schools) across Oklahoma.
- A retrospective cohort study is being conducted to evaluate the association between ambient benzene concentrations and the prevalence of congenital anomalies. This project was funded as a pilot project for the 2016-2017 year through the OSCTR program.
- Through the OSCTR program, the following resources are available to our tribal partners:
- Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design Consultations
- Training
- Clinical Trials
- Registries and Repositories
- Practice Improvement
- Patient Data Analytics
- Special Populations Outreach Unit
The SPTHB will bring its knowledge and expertise to the OSCTR to provide a centralized approach for our tribal partners to pair clinical research investigators who will focus research on areas of primary interest to tribes and Indian health organizations. The SPTHB will also be providing guidance to the OSCTR for appropriate communication, interactions, and partnerships with our tribal communities and IHS health facilities to ensure that their clinical research concerns are heard and that culturally appropriate, CTR interactions are forged.
The OSCTR will bring many exciting opportunities to the American Indian population and the SPTHB is proud to be one of the full partners in this effort.
- Formed partnership with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and the Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Cherokee Nations.
- Increased resources available to our tribal partners.
The OSTCR was first awarded to the SPTHB in 2014.
Southern Plains Tribal Health Board
Phone: (405) 652-9200
Fax: (405) 840-7052
Email: info@spthb.org
