Bridging barriers, integrating insights: The Gotham approach to CTSA collaborative evaluation

Area of Science:

• Translational Science
• Health Services Research
• Research Collaboration

Background:

• Institutional silos impede data sharing and benchmarking within the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium.
• Effective collaboration is crucial for advancing translational science.
• Existing data-sharing models often rely on national mandates or technical support, limiting sustainability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the viability of a voluntary, multi-hub analysis of a common CTSA education metric.
• To establish a sustainable model for independent data sharing among research institutions.
• To evaluate the usefulness of the common metric as an impact benchmark for trainee engagement.

Main Methods:

• A structured collaboration framework and operational guidelines were employed.
• De-identified education data on trainee and scholar engagement were pooled from five New York City-based CTSA hubs.
• The Gotham Group, a team of evaluators, analyzed the data for post-training research engagement and demographic representation.

Main Results:

• Education engagement percentages remained stable across New York City hubs, indicating the metric's viability for regional comparison.
• Voluntary data sharing fostered professional relationships, knowledge exchange, and enhanced evaluation capacity.
• The collaborative process yielded benefits comparable to the data analysis outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Voluntary data-sharing partnerships can effectively overcome institutional data silos in translational science.
• This model strengthens evaluation capacity and fosters professional networks, driving continuous improvement.
• The study demonstrates a sustainable approach to inter-institutional collaboration and benchmarking.