HeroesResearch.org clinical research registry launches to answer crucial questions about the impact of novel coronavirus on healthcare workers’ lives
Edinburg, TX (MAY 14, 2020) – DHR Health Institute for Research and Development is proud to support the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response & Outcomes (HERO) Registry to join with other U.S. healthcare workers in sharing clinical and life experiences in order to understand the perspectives and problems faced by those on the COVID-19 pandemic front lines.
The registry will unite America’s healthcare workers into a community to facilitate rapid-cycle research, including an upcoming large study of hydroxychloroquine’s effectiveness in preventing coronavirus infections in healthcare workers. The HERO research program leverages PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, and is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
The HERO Registry is asking hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals to participate, including nurses, therapists, physicians, emergency responders, food service workers, environmental services workers, interpreters, and transporters – anyone who works in a setting where people receive health care.
“We’re calling on healthcare workers in the Rio Grande Valley to share their perspectives so that we can understand and provide answers to the problems they face in real time – and over time,” said Manish Singh, MD, Chief Executive Officer, DHR Health. “This is the time to be proactive, to develop ways to stay safe on the front lines. I encourage everyone to be a part of HERO—and part of the solution.”
The goals of the registry are to engage healthcare workers in a research community, understand their experiences and interests through ongoing surveys, and track critical health outcomes associated with caring for patients with COVID-19, such as stress and burnout. The HERO Registry will help speed clinical studies that address unmet needs for healthcare workers.
“We have strong working partnership with PCORnet® to address major healthcare issues,” said Sohail Rao, MD, MA, DPhil, President and Chief Executive Officer, DHR Health Institute for Research and Development. “COVID-19 is a pandemic that our community is facing today and DHR Health and the DHR Health Institute for Research and Development is working with regional partners to meet this challenge.”
There is no cost to enroll in the HERO Registry and registration takes only a few minutes. Healthcare workers can participate as much or as little as they like in surveys and other opportunities. The registry will follow a protocol developed by the Duke Clinical Research Institute and data guidelines to keep healthcare worker information secure.
To learn more about the HERO Registry, visit https://heroesresearch.org.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- DHR Health Institute for Research and Development has joined the TriNetX global health network, the largest global health network that optimizes clinical research and enables discoveries through the generation of real-world evidence. TriNetX combines real-time access to longitudinal clinical data with state-of-the-art analytics to answer complex research questions.
The DHR Health Institute for Research and Development is a 501(c) 3 non-profit independent research institute, located in the Rio Grande Valley, whose focus in on enhancing translational and clinical research in critical areas of need through collaboration with investigators at affiliated academic and non-academic partners.
"Our main goal in joining the TriNetX network is to better provide innovative and advanced care options to the Rio Grande Valley patient community," states Lisa R. Treviño, PhD, Vice President, DHR Health Institute for Research and Development. "Becoming a partner with this global network creates new collaboration opportunities and exhibits our capabilities as a top-tier research organization."
TriNetX has partnered with healthcare organizations (HCOs) spanning 24 countries and thousands of sites, and with data providers covering 99% of US health plans to deploy a linked and continually updated global health research network representing over 300 million patients. TriNetX has been used to analyze over 20,000 protocols and has presented over 5,800 clinical trial opportunities to its HCO members.
In the Rio Grande Valley, over 90% of the population is Hispanic. This population is 50% more likely than non-Hispanic whites to succumb to liver disease and complications from diabetes. Unfortunately, less than 1% of Hispanics are involved nationally in clinical trials, meaning there is less data on the effects of certain experimental drugs and treatments. Studies have shown that different ethnic groups may respond differently to the same type of treatment. The DHR Health Institute for Research and Development focuses on the crucial involvement of this population in its clinical trials.
"We applaud DHR's commitment to bringing new treatments to its patients and are honored that our network will serve as the connector to large pharmaceutical companies and other researchers around the globe who are developing life changing therapies," said Mark Steiner, Vice President, Americas Data Networks, TriNetX.
About DHR Health Institute for Research and Development
DHR Health Institute for Research and Development continues to be the premier healthcare provider in South Texas. For more information, please call (956) 362-2390 or visit our website at www.dhrresearch.org. Join our community @DHRResearch on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dhrresearch or on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/dhrresearch
About TriNetX
TriNetX is the global health research network that revolutionizes clinical research and enables discoveries through the generation of real-world evidence. TriNetX combines real time access to longitudinal clinical data with state-of-the-art analytics to answer complex research questions at the speed of thought. The TriNetX platform is HIPAA and GDPR compliant. For more information, visit TriNetX at www.trinetx.com or follow @TriNetX on Twitter.
Media Contacts
DHR Health Institute for Research and Development
(956) 362-2390
[email protected]
TriNetX
Jennifer Haas
(857) 285-6052
[email protected]
Edinburg, TX - DHR Health is now a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Stroke Trials Network, also known as StrokeNet.
The NIH StrokeNet was initiated in 2013 and is composed of 27 Regional Stroke Centers in the USA. This is a national research network coordinated by the University of Cincinnati and the Medical University of South Carolina with funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It provides multidisciplinary infrastructure to conduct clinical research while advancing new treatments for acute stroke, stroke prevention, and recovery and rehabilitation of patients who have suffered a stroke. This system aims to streamline stroke research by establishing centralized administrative processes, reducing the time and costs of clinical trials, and maintaining a comprehensive data-sharing system. Also, NIH StrokeNet offers an educational platform for physicians and clinical trial coordinators.
"DHR Health is now part of the Gulf Regional Area Stroke Programs and Oklahoma (GRASP-OK) Consortium, a collaborative research effort between sites in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma," said Sohail Rao, President, and CEO, DHR Health Institute for Research and Development. "This affiliation will allow DHR Health to participate in clinical trials with the ultimate goal of developing innovative interventions and new knowledge in the treatment, prevention, and recovery of patients after stroke."
"Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. and it is a particularly prevalent problem in the Rio Grande Valley's population. Advancing cutting-edge stroke research will help to reduce the incidence of stroke and mitigate the burden of its debilitating consequences," states Dr. Patricia Fernandez, Neurointerventional Radiologist, and Clinical Research Scientist. Therefore, DHR Health's participation in the NIH StrokeNet will have a significant long-term impact on improving the status of the healthcare offer to our community and it will enhance the quality of life in our community."
"Hispanics are at a higher risk of having a stroke at a much younger age than non-Hispanics and they are often underrepresented in stroke research, so we are very pleased that DHR Health is no a part of GRASP-OK," said Sean I. Savitz, MD, principal investigator of the regional StrokeNet center and director of the Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease at UTHealth in Houston.
To become part of StrokeNet, DHR Health Neuroscience Institute demonstrated not only significant experience and expertise in providing high-quality stroke care but also the ability to successfully conduct clinical research focused on underrepresented populations. DHR Health Neuroscience Institute is the first and only Comprehensive Stroke Center certified by the Joint Commission in the Rio Grande Valley region and it provides to the local community the full spectrum of specialty services involved with stroke care including, emergency medicine, neurosurgery, interventional neuroradiology, vascular neurology, neuro-critical care, neuroimaging, stroke rehabilitation, and pediatric neurology.
DHR Health Institute for Research and Development leads the way for innovative clinical research in the Rio Grande Valley. For more information, please call (956) 362-2390.
Edinburg, TX— Throughout the United States, the Hispanic population continues to show high rates of liver disease, including liver cancer, cirrhosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). To help battle these high rates of liver disease, the DHR Health Institute for Research and Development has made it a priority to bring advanced clinical care opportunities in the form of innovative and state-of-the-art clinical trials for the benefit of the patients in the Rio Grande Valley.
“In South Texas, where the population is about 90% Hispanic, every 1 in 3 middle-aged Latinos have a progressive form of fatty liver called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH,” states Dr. Sohail Rao, President and CEO of the DHR Health Institute for Research and Development. “The mortality rates for cirrhosis continue to rise across the United States, as the rates of metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Because individuals with NAFLD and NASH tend to show no symptoms, their disease state may have progressed to end-stage liver disease before they become aware.”
"The prevalence of fatty liver disease due to obesity and diabetes is rapidly rising, as is the prevalence of liver cancer in the setting of fatty liver,” states Dr. Stephen Harrison, Medical Director at Pinnacle Clinical Research and President at Summit Clinical Research. “It is imperative that both patients and physicians become aware of this epidemic in our society and join forces to help identify those patients at greatest risk for disease progression."
Currently the DHR Health Institute for Research and Development and the DHR Health Liver Specialty Center have six active clinical trials that are providing advanced clinical care for participants with NASH. These clinical research trials provide the community with the latest and most innovate treatment options available when their regular standard of care has failed. The participation of the Hispanic community facilitates the development of specific clinical care models that optimize the benefits of our own population in the Rio Grande Valley.
“Steatohepatisis basically means fat with inflammation and is a biopsy-proven diagnosis,” states Dr. Rashmee Patil, Hepatologist at the DHR Health Liver Specialty Center and Clinical Research Scientist at the DHR Health Institute for Research and Development. “Inflammatory changes in the liver lead to scarring and for some can ultimately lead to end-stage liver disease, cirrhosis. At the DHR Health Liver Specialty Center we are aiming to not only increase disease state awareness, but to also help identify people who may have NASH. We use a non-invasive imaging technique, called a Fibroscan that is portable and patients can access through health fairs and community events.”
Due to the diligent efforts of the team at the DHR Health Liver Specialty Center to screen and enroll participants to receive these advanced care treatment options for NASH, they have been recognized nationally as leaders by multiple industry partners.
“By identifying patients with NASH and high-risk fibrosis, we are able to then offer novel therapeutic drugs aimed at treating a disease that currently has no effective therapies outside of weight loss and exercise,” stresses Dr. Patil. “We aim to provide the highest level of care for patients, and for many this is achieved through enrolling in a clinical trial.”
To learn more about our active clinical trials in the area of liver disease or to find out about upcoming fibroscan events, visit our website at www.dhrresearch.org or call (956) 362-2390.
DHR Health Institute for Research and Development is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organized under the Texas Nonprofit Corporation Act.
DHR Health Institute for Research and Development leads the way for innovative clinical research in the Rio Grande Valley. For more information, please call (956) 362-2390 or visit our website at www.dhrresearch.org.
Neuroscience In Clinical Practice: 2019 Update
Neuroscience In Clinical Practice: 2019 Update Registration
Edinburg, TX— Hispanic population in the United States and in particular in Rio Grande Valley have historically been underrepresented in national clinical research trials. This raises concerns about the lack of racial diversity in these important clinical trials. The establishment of the DHR Health Institute for Research and Development expands access to new and innovative clinical treatments and advanced clinical care to the residents of Rio Grande Valley with the ultimate goal of increasing the participation of Hispanic population in cutting-edge clinical research.
The DHR Health Institute for Research and Development is a 501(c)(3) non-profit independent research institute, whose focus in on enhancing translational and clinical research in critical areas of need through collaboration with investigators at affiliated academic and non-academic partners, including the National Institutes of Health, Harvard University, Yale University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, UT Health, Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bayer Pharmaceutical and many more.
“Research, in a highly Hispanic region which is very often left out of other clinical trials, is very important,” states Dr. Ricardo Martinez, General Surgeon, Clinical Research Scientist, and Assistant Medical Trauma Director at DHR Health. “Our participation in these trials means the advancement of medicine in our specific community.”
In the Rio Grande Valley, over 90% of the population is Hispanic. This population is 50% more likely than non-Hispanics whites to succumb to liver disease and complications from diabetes. Unfortunately, less than 1% of Hispanics are involved nationally in clinical trials, meaning there is less data on the effects of certain experimental drugs and treatments. Studies have shown that different ethnic groups may respond differently to the same type of treatment. It is therefore imperative that we make a concerted effort to engage and involve more people of Hispanic origin in innovative clinical trials that would not only benefit them but would also assist us in developing treatment strategies that are most effective for a predominately Hispanic population.
“Being a general surgeon for over 20 years, I have seen the evolution of treatment for breast cancer,” says Dr. Carlos Garcia-Cantu, General Surgeon, Clinical Research Scientist, and Chairman of the Renaissance Medical Foundation. “The treatment for breast cancer used to be very radical, to the point of disabling the patient. Now, breast cancer is treated with minimally invasive procedures. This is largely in part to the research that has been done in the field of breast cancer.”
Currently, the DHR Health Institute for Research and Development has more than 50 active studies, including national multi-site trials in the areas of hepatology, oncology, neurology, diabetes, neonatology, and cardiology among others.
WESLACO, Texas — The four-county Rio Grande Valley region may be one of the unhealthiest areas in America, with the nation’s highest rates for cervical cancer and overweight children, according to a study released Wednesday.
The report by Texas universities and government agencies cites high poverty and low education along the Mexican border as major contributing factors. The authors said the study is among the first to focus on nutrition-related diseases in a primarily Mexican-American region.
“They are the poorest of the poor,” said Sue Day, editor of the study and associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston. “They are at the bottom of most of the health and economic lists.”
Of the estimated 1 million people in the Rio Grande, many are Mexican immigrants living below the federal poverty level. About one-third of residents over 25 do not have a ninth-grade education, according to the study. The national average is 5 percent.
“Persons who aren’t as educated have a harder time getting jobs which have good salaries to engage in better health care, good nutrition,” Day said.
Poor nutrition and health care
Poor nutrition also makes people more prone to infectious disease, birth defects and cancer. The study found that fact to be compounded by a lack of medical care in the Valley, where two of the counties have no gynecologists or obstetricians.
The high cervical cancer rate is an indication of the area’s lack of proper nutrition and health care.
Women typically are routinely screened for the virus that causes most cervical cancer and cell abnormalities that can be treated in the pre-cancer stages. Poorly nourished women are more susceptible to the virus, and low-income women in the Valley are likely to see a doctor only after the disease has progressed, the study found.
The study did include some good news. Rates of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer are lower, as are rates of low birth-weight infants.
But weight problems are prevalent, contributing to diabetes and heart disease. While about 25 percent of Texas boys are overweight, the rate is about 33 percent in Hidalgo County, according to the study. That is the highest rate in the nation, according to state and federal health data.
What is Chagas Disease?
Website for More Information: Chagas Disease in RGV