About Us

“In healthcare, we must not only do our work, but also improve our work. This requires the evidence base we will build through the Improvement Science Research Network.” Dr. Kathleen R. Stevens, ISRN Principal Investigator

Purpose

The Improvement Science Research Network (ISRN) aims to accelerate the development and dissemination of interprofessional improvement science in a systems context across multiple hospital sites. Across the country, healthcare experts, administrators, researchers, and clinicians are devising and testing new strategies to improve the safety and quality of patient care.

Yet, while patient safety and quality improvement in bedside care are clearly-stated national priorities, improvement science remains in a nascent stage, particularly in the area of multidisciplinary care processes within the hospital setting.

The ISRN actively drives advancements in improvement science by:

• Creating an infrastructure for multidisciplinary acute care providers to collaborate on improvement science projects through ISRN membership
• Directing national improvement science research priorities
• Supporting Network members in developing theories, methods, and designs for achieving rigorous improvement science research
• Offering central data management and expert analysis for improvement science research studie

Creation of the ISRN

The need for a large-scale and multi-site improvement science research network has long been evident to healthcare practitioners. While a solution in the form of a national research network seemed logical and desirable, the resources required to develop human capacity and collaborative technology infrastructure were largely unavailable.

The unprecedented availability of sizable funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) presented the unique opportunity to form such a network. On May 29, 2009, a plan was submitted to, accepted, and subsequently funded by the National Institute of Nursing and the National Institutes of Health, and the Improvement Science Research Network was created.

The ISRN’s aims and key strategies are described in the abstract of the proposal.

ISRN Governance

The ISRN is guided by two groups of experts:

The Steering Council

The Steering Council is composed of 16 healthcare experts from both private and public organizations. The aggregate expertise of this multidisciplinary group reflects advanced knowledge of healthcare improvement and guides the ISRN’s research priorities and activities.

The Coordinating Center

The ISRN Coordinating Center is housed within the Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. Founded upon a longstanding commitment to clinical and translational research, the ISRN Coordinating Center partners with the Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science (IIMS) to further reduce barriers to research and to strengthen the science of quality improvement.

Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice (ACE) Staff

Kathleen R. Stevens, EdD, MS, RN, ANEF, FAAN – Principal Investigator of the NIH-Funded ISRN.

Darpan I. Patel, PhD, is the clinical research project manager for the NIH-Funded Improvement Science Research Network. He will serve as research manager, infrastructure administrator and assistant to the network director. Dr. Patel will serve as the primary contact for the network.

Frank Puga, PhD, is a research scientist and the coordinator for the ISRN's Research Collaboratives. His primary role is to guide ISRN Research Associates in the conduct of rigorous scientific research using principles grounded in the Science of Team Science (SciTS). Additionally, Dr. Puga is involved in grant development, experimental design, protocol implementation, data analysis and generating scientific reports for the Network Studies.

Grace Willard, PhD, RN, is a nurse scientist whose work primarily focuses on development of taxonomy for the Improvement Science Research Network. The taxonomy development methodology includes assuring a dynamic, current taxonomy through a robust database that houses the ISRN's research data as well as communications activities. Dr. Willard also brings important knowledge and skills to the development all of the ISRN research studies, our grant applications, and the everyday activities required to sustain a strong Network for Improvement Science.

Tiffany Luna, BA, is a Research Assistant II. She provides support to the ISRN research team in preparing documents, arranging telephone conferences, meeting announcements and other arrangements as an assistant to the PI and other team members.

Ellen Hanks, MLS is a Research Associate IV and conducts literature searches, provide information management, and guides development of the overarching taxonomy and language for the ISRN online resources.
 

Joan Feller, BA, is an Administrative Assistant I in ACE. She provides support for all activities that fall within ACE, including the ISRN.

Kandice Hall is an Administrative Assistant I and is the Event Planner for the ACE. She works with Westat to coordinate the first annual Improvement Science Summit and also coordinates all activities for the Summer Institute.
 

Jessica Garza, BA, is a Virtual Communication Specialist. She assists in the coordination of techonology based approches for ACE, including the ISRN.

UTHSCSA Support Team

Cynthia Ortiz, Systems Analyst IV, provides support to the UTHSCSA IT in guiding, developing, and transferring the ISRN electronic network into the IIMS/CTSA, assuring interoperability of the systems.

Holly Hayes, MPH, is the Project Coordinator for the IIMS PBRN core. She works with the ISRN Coordinating Center to provide staff support and project coordination to align the ISRN with IIMS PBRN activities, opportunities, and resources.

Joel Michalek, PhD, Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, serves as the primary statistician for the ISRN infrastructure development and advisement to primary types of analyses suitable in improvement science at the microsystem level. He will design the statistical analysis plan for the pilot study and conduct the analyses.

Alicia Hernandez, Administrative Assistant II, will provide technical writing assistance in producing reports and manuscripts for publication.