Children's Foundation Research Institute

THE CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE (CFRI) IS A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP OF THE CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION OF MEMPHIS, LE BONHEUR CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, AND UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER. THE CENTRAL MISSION OF THE CFRI IS FACILITATING INNOVATIVE RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE LIVES AND HEALTH OF CHILDREN. THE CFRI PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT, LAB SPACE, SAFETY ASSISTANCE, AND GRANT SUBMISSION, BUDGETING SERVICES, SCIENTIFIC EDITING, AND STATISTICAL ASSISTANCE. THIS CENTRALIZED AND COORDINATED SUPPORT ACCELERATES DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION AND FORGES COLLABORATION, ALLOWING OUR PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS TO CONCENTRATE ON WHAT THEY DO BEST: CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH AIMED AT IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF CHLDREN. IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT CFRI: -THE CFRI IS HOUSED IN 300,000 SQ. FT. RESEARCH CENTER DEDICATED TO BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL, AND CLINICAL RESEARCH. -THE RESEARCH CENTER CONTAINS OVER 30,000 SQ. FT. OF BASIC LABORATORY SPACE; 12,000 SQ. FT. OF PEDIATRIC CLINICAL RESEARCH SPACE; AND ADMINISTRATIVE, CLINICAL AND BASIC RESEARCH CORE FACILITIES. THE RESEARCH CENTER ALSO CONTAINS FACULTY AND STAFF OFFICES, AN AUDITORIUM, AND MEETING ROOMS. -THE CFRI SERVES NEARLY 200 PHYSICIAN-SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCH STAFF AT LE BONHEUR AND UTHSC -OVER 900 ACTIVE CLINICAL TRIALS AND RESEARCH STUDIES AT LE BONHEUR CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ARE SUPPORTED BY CFRI STAFF -THE CFRI SUPPORTS BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH THROUGH MULTIPLE CORES AND SERVICES, INCLUDING THE ADMINISTRATIVE CORE, BIOSTATISTICS CORE, BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS CORE, CLINICAL TRIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE, IRB AND REGULATORY CORE, GRANTS AND CONTRACTS MANAGEMENT, PEDIATRIC CLINICAL RESEARCH UNIT, AND SCIENTIFIC EDITING. -THROUGH THE LE BONHEUR GRANTS PROGRAM, THE CFRI SUPPORTS NEW RESEARCH BY JUNIOR FACULTY MEMBERS AND PHYSICIANS, NURSES, AND STAFF AT LE BONHEUR. ADMINISTRATIVE CORE THE SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR AND ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR SUPERVISE ALL CFRI OPERATIONS. CFRI STAFF OVERSEE CONTRACTING AND INVOICING FOR INDUSTRY-SPONSORED TRIALS, USE AND MAINTENANCE OF BASIC RESEARCH EQUIPMENT AND OPERATIONS. THE CFRI BUSINESS MANAGER OVERSEES CONTRACTING AND INVOICING FOR INDUSTRY-SPONSORED TRIALS. THE RESEARCH LABORATORY MANAGER OVERSEES USE AND MAINTENANCE OF BASIC RESEARCH EQUIPMENT AND OPERATIONS, INCLUDING LABORATORY SAFETY COMPLIANCE. THE DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR SUPERVISES CONTRACTING AND INVOICING FOR FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE UTHSC OFFICE OF RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION. A CLINICAL TRIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CTMS) SOFTWARE PACKAGE, REALTIME, TRACKS AND GENERATES INVOICES FOR INDUSTRY-SPONSORED AND PI-INITIATED STUDIES. CAPABILITIES INCLUDE TRACKING STUDY ACTIVITIES, VISIT SCHEDULING AND MANAGEMENT, RECORDING ADVERSE EVENTS/DEVIATIONS AND COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTATION. CFRI BIOSTATISTICS CORE THE CFRI BIOSTATISTICS CORE (BIOSTAT) PROVIDES ASSISTANCE WITH STUDY PLANNING, STUDY DESIGN, POWER CALCULATIONS, AND STATISTICAL ANALYSES. THE CORE HAS EXPERIENCE USING DIFFERENT STATISTICAL METHODS AND IS EQUIPPED TO PREPARE STATISTICAL SECTIONS FOR GRANT SUBMISSION. STAFF CAN ALSO ASSIST IN INTERPRETING DATA, REPORTING RESULTS, AND PREPARING PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS. ADDITIONAL STATISTICAL ASSISTANCE IS ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE UTHSC DEPARTMENT OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE. CFRI BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS CORE THE CFRI BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS CORE (BMIC) PROVIDES BEST-IN-CLASS INFORMATICS SUPPORT FOR ALL CFRI USERS AND UTHSC PEDIATRIC FACULTY. THIS SUPPORT INCLUDES RESEARCH INFORMATION DATABASES AND WEB SITES TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND FOSTER COMMUNICATION AMONG CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL INVESTIGATORS. THE CFRI BMIC HAS IMPLEMENTED THE RESEARCH ELECTRONIC DATA CAPTURE (REDCAP) SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONIC COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH AND CLINICAL TRIAL DATA. THE REDCAP SYSTEM PROVIDES SECURE, WEB-BASED APPLICATIONS THAT ARE INTUITIVE INTERFACES FOR USERS TO ENTER DATA AND ARE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH FOR VARIOUS RESEARCH AREAS. USE OF STUDY-SPECIFIC DATA DICTIONARIES, ADAPTIVE LOGIC, AND REAL-TIME VALIDATION RULES FEATURES IN REDCAP (WITH PLANNING ASSISTANCE FROM THE INFORMATICS TEAM) BY ALL MEMBERS OF THE RESEARCH TEAM RESULTS IN WELL-PLANNED DATA COLLECTION STRATEGIES FOR INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH STUDIES. BECAUSE REDCAP IS WEB-BASED, USERS WITH APPROPRIATE PERMISSION CAN ACCESS THE SYSTEM FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION. CFRI CLINICAL TRIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE THIS COMMITTEE REVIEWS NEW UNFUNDED OR UNDERFUNDED INVESTIGATOR-INITIATED RESEARCH PROJECTS. THE COMMITTEE FACILITATES AND IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF INVESTIGATOR-INITIATED RESEARCH AS WELL AS THE EFFICIENCY OF CFRI RESOURCE USE. THIS FORMAL REVIEW PROCESS APPLIES TO PROJECTS THAT WILL REQUIRE A FULL BOARD IRB REVIEW. PROJECTS ARE REVIEWED BASED ON SCIENTIFIC MERIT, FEASIBILITY, IRB AND REGULATORY ISSUES, IMPORTANCE TO PROGRAM/INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AGENDA ADVANCEMENT, SYNERGY WITH OTHER ONGOING CLINICAL/TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH, LIKELIHOOD OF GENERATING SIGNIFICANT EXTRAMURAL FUNDING, AVAILABILITY OF OTHER FUNDING, BUDGET, AND USE AND AVAILABILITY OF CFRI RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL. THE COMMITTEE IS COMPOSED OF CFRI CORE LEADERSHIP AND A ROTATING SLATE OF ACTIVE FACULTY CLINICAL RESEARCHERS. COMPLETION OF THIS REVIEW PROCESS IS REQUIRED PRIOR TO IRB SUBMISSION. CFRI GRANTS AND CONTRACTS MANAGEMENT THE CFRI DIRECTOR OF GRANT ADMINISTRATION AND CONTRACT DEVELOPMENT ASSISTS RESEARCHERS BY IDENTIFYING FUNDING SOURCES AND COORDINATING PROPOSALS TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, FOUNDATIONS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. THE DIRECTOR ALSO FACILITATES THE CONTRACTING PROCESS FOR SPONSORED AND INVESTIGATOR-INITIATED CLINICAL RESEARCH STUDIES. CFRI PEDIATRIC CLINICAL RESEARCH UNIT LOCATED ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR OF THE RESEARCH CENTER, THE PEDIATRIC CLINICAL RESEARCH UNIT PROVIDES SUPPORT AND SPACE FOR PEDIATRIC CLINICAL STUDIES. THE UNIT'S STAFF INCLUDES RESEARCH NURSE COORDINATORS, REGULATORY SPECIALISTS, AND RESEARCH ASSISTANTS. THE PEDIATRIC CLINICAL RESEARCH UNIT PROVIDES ASSISTANCE WITH IRB SUBMISSION AND REGULATORY ISSUES, DATA MANAGEMENT, SUBJECT RECRUITMENT, PROTOCOL MONITORING PROCEDURES, PHLEBOTOMY SERVICES, AND CLINICAL TESTING. THE UTHSC IRB IS THE IRB OF RECORD FOR ALL HUMAN RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY UTHSC FACULTY MEMBERS. CFRI SCIENTIFIC EDITOR THE SCIENTIFIC EDITOR FOR THE CFRI HELPS FACULTY AND STAFF WITH PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS. THE EDITOR ALSO ASSISTS WITH FIGURES, GRAPHICS, STYLE, FORMATTING, AND SUBMISSION. ABOUT METHODIST LE BONHEUR HEALTHCARE METHODIST LE BONHEUR HEALTHCARE (MLH) HAS SERVED THE MEMPHIS AND MID-SOUTH REGION FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS. OUR FOUR ADULT HOSPITALS ARE LOCATED ACROSS THE CITY, AND ARE PART OF THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE. OUR CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IS THE REGION'S ONLY COMPREHENSIVE PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL. OUR PHYSICIANS, NURSES AND OTHER CLINICIANS LIVE IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY SERVE AND PROVIDE EXPERT CARE INSIDE THE HOSPITALS AND PREVENTATIVE SERVICES IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. OUR ORGANIZATION IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE, PROVIDING UNCOMPENSATED CARE, CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH. WE EMPLOY 250 HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY NEEDS AS THEY RELATE TO FOUR MAJOR AREAS: ACCESS TO SERVICES, RISK REDUCTION, CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND EFFECTIVE PARENTING AND CHRONIC ILLNESS MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION. EXAMPLES INCLUDE PROGRAMS THAT OFFER FREE OR DISCOUNTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, NON-BILLED, IN-HOME SERVICES, IN-HOME EQUIPMENT, TRANSPORTATION VOUCHERS, CHILDBIRTH CLASSES AND A VARIETY OF HEALTH FAIRS ALL AIMED AT KEEPING OUR COMMUNITIES HEALTHY. MLH HAS RECEIVED REGIONAL AND NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR THE CARE IT PROVIDES. METHODIST ADULT HOSPITALS IN THE MEMPHIS AREA, WHICH INCLUDE METHODIST UNIVERSITY, METHODIST LE BONHEUR GERMANTOWN, METHODIST NORTH AND METHODIST SOUTH, ARE RANKED AS A TOP HOSPITAL IN THE REGION BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT. METHODIST OLIVE BRANCH HOSPITAL IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI IS A CMS 4-STAR HOSPITAL, THE ONLY HOSPITAL IN THE REGION TO BE SO RECOGNIZED FOR BOTH QUALITY AND PATIENT EXPERIENCE. LE BONHEUR CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL HAS BEEN NAMED A "BEST CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL" BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT FOR ELEVEN/11 CONSECUTIVE YEARS. LE BONHEUR PROVIDES OUTPATIENT SERVICES IN WEST TENNESSEE, NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND EASTERN ARKANSAS TO ENSURE CHILDREN THERE HAVE ACCESS TO EXPERT PEDIATRIC CARE. LE BONHEUR IS ALSO A LEVEL 1 PEDIATRIC TRAUMA CENTER, AND SERVES AS THE REGION'S PRIMARY SOURCE FOR PEDIATRIC TRAUMA CARE AND TRAUMA EDUCATION FOR REGIONAL PROVIDERS. METHODIST ALSO SERVES THE COMMUNITY WITH DIAGNOSTIC CARE FACILITIES IN THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE AND ONE HOSPICE FACILITY COMMITTED TO CARING FOR OUR PATIENTS AT END-OF-LIFE.