Baylor Research Institute

Established in 1984, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute (BSWRI) is responsible for the oversight and management of all translational, observational, and clinical research conducted throughout the Baylor Scott & White Health (BSWH) system.BSWRI expanded its operations in 2013 as part of the merger between Dallas-based Baylor Health Care System and Temple-based Scott & White Healthcare, which created BSWH the largest nonprofit health system in Texas. Today, BSWH has over 1,300 patient access points including 53 hospitals, 600+ specialty care clinics, 250+ outpatient clinics, 150+ primary care clinics, 29 pharmacies, 30+ ambulatory surgery centers, 60+ urgent care clinics, and over 7,300 active physicians. The system also includes a state certified health maintenance organization, the Scott and White Health Plan and the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance accountable care organization both covering approximately 1,200,000 lives.BSWRI brings innovation to the forefront of medicine. From contributing to discoveries that help create new treatment options, to studying population health and other trends that improve quality of care, we pursue research focused on bringing patients greater value and addressing the health needs of the communities we serve. We are dedicated to advancing healthcare and ultimately, patient care, through the study and discovery of new preventive therapies and treatments for a broad spectrum of diseases and other chronic conditions. This means our efforts extend beyond microscopic studies; they bring innovation to the patient's bedside. We focus on understanding the base of a disease or condition, in order to then identify potential treatments or preventive therapies and enroll patients in research trials to further test and/or validate each theory. BSWRI is accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), which is a voluntary, peer-driven, and education-based model of accreditation.BSWRI is home to a rich network of over 600 team members operating within two administrative offices, four clinical trials offices, and directly within various BSWH centers, hospitals and clinics. Research staff include principal investigators, contracts and finance specialists, compliance and regulatory specialists, research coordinators, nurses, managers, data analysts and lab assistants, among others. The group oversees research activities supporting over 1,200studies in more than 50 specialty areas annually, including infectious disease, cardiology, gastroenterology, trauma, rehabilitation, neurology, oncology and radiation, orthopedics, pathology, radiology, transplant and surgery. Research conducted by and supported by our organization is regularly published in major scientific journals and reported at medical and scientific meetings. This work has also resulted in more than 1,600 issued and pending patents and trademark registrations spanning immunotherapy, genomics, biomarkers, metabolomics, metabolics, cardiovascular disease and medical devices. The following is a brief snapshot of activities led through BSWRI:Cardiovascular research: BSWRI holds a robust cardiovascular portfolio with study enrollment activities spanning multiple BSWH sites. Each year, we enroll and monitor hundreds of patients as part of major clinical trials examining therapeutic and surgical approaches and outcomes, new medications and new devices. Our cardiovascular research portfolio supports trials spanning: Atrial Fibrillation, Vascular/TAA conditions, Heart Failure Transplant, Heart Rhythm Disorders, Hypercholesterolemia, Aortic Valve Disorders, Cardiorenal Syndrome, Electrophysiology, Coronary Artery Disease, & Mitral Valve Disorders.Oncology research: The newest research hub within BSWRI is the Texas Cancer Interception Institute (TCII), created to attract and conduct innovative oncology clinical trials and research projects to help advance the science. Through advanced diagnostics, ground-breaking research, AI-enabled digital technology solutions, sophisticated meta-data analytics, and patient-centered support and command center, TCII is an innovation powerhouse transforming discoveries into life-changing treatments and leading early cancer detection efforts across Texas and beyond. TCII is uniquely empowered to lead 'implementation science' across BSWH via utilization of its state-of-the-science Oncology Command Center for development of various care coordination capabilities to offer novel early cancer detection pathways (such as blood-based Multi-Cancer Early Detection or MCED assays) and facilitate navigation of patients for timely, high-quality and reliable care across BSWH for cancer interception.The Center for Applied Health Research (CAHR) supports competitively funded investigator-initiated research to generate applied health knowledge across our health care system.It is a multidisciplinary, system-level research center within the Baylor Scott & White Research Institute (BSWRI) and serves as a collaborative for researchers, clinicians and community leaders who seek to improve health care delivery and health outcomes. The core value of CAHR is to support innovations that lead to improve outcomes and the value of care for our patients and community. We are located in Temple and Dallas, Texas.CAHR's research programs include: (1) Intervention development of community and family support programs for persons with dementia and their family caregivers (2) Implementation science of evidence-based programs leading to innovations in care delivery (3) Dissemination of evidence-based programs/practices for older adults from diverse settings (4) Healthcare delivery implementation programs to address critical illness outside of the ICU (5) Intervention development to support patients and families after critical illness and (6) Real-world clinical and economic evidence generation focused on drug therapy outcomes in ambulatory care.Trauma and behavioral health research: BSWRI supports trauma and behavioral health research across multiple sites and departments. Our research investigators take a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to address physical, mental, and emotional trauma, which enhances ability to combine resources, inform best practices and further expand our ability to share our learnings out to others. One example of this work is found in the Warriors Research Institute (WRI). WRI's mission is to improve the quality of care available to military veterans and emergency responders via a program of scientific inquiry. Through BSWRI, WRI develops, evaluates, and disseminates information about treatment models for those suffering the sequelae of toxic or traumatic work events. In addition to providing and evaluating state-of-the-art experimental treatments, we train future generations of treatment providers in evolving evidence-based care. A second example is with the work done by the Trauma Research Center and Behavioral Health departments. These teams bring together the efforts of experienced researchers whose research focuses on trauma and related conditions resulting from a variety of etiologies including life events and the psychological conditions resulting from trauma. These researchers work closely with the trauma centers and rehabilitation teams at BSWH as well as external trauma centers across the country. They also study the psychological impacts of trauma-exposed occupational populations, such as healthcare personnel and active-duty service members.Transplant research: Our research efforts around transplantation take place at multiple sites including Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center - Fort Worth, Baylor University Medical Center and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple. This research continues to hit major milestones and research firsts. BSWRI supports multiple trials examining transplant procedures and post-op care, as well as addressing transplant waitlists and organ shortages. Our efforts in the specialty of abdominal transplant, as well as heart and lung transplants, continue to support efforts to improve outcomes, inform access to organs, and educate medical staff on best practices. These include an investigator-initiated studies examining issues such as the global burden of alcohol-associated liver disease and the impact of new acuity circle policies for liver allocation. This work also extends to studies examining new artificial heart technologies for individuals needing a heart transplant.