Medical innovation equity centered by Dr. MacEwan
The assistant professor is at the forefront of research on the use and usefulness of patient portals
The Center for the Advancement of Team Science, Analytics, and Systems Thinking in Health Services and Implementation Science Research (CATALYST)
Ann Scheck McAlearney, ScD, MS, is the Executive Director of CATALYST, Associate Dean for Health Services Research, and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine.
In the news
Dr. McAlearney to co-lead BETTER, a $2.2M study to address infant mortality
CATALYST Executive Director and Family and Community Medicine Distinguished Professor Ann Scheck McAlearney, ScD, MS, will work alongside study co-leader William Grobman, MD, MBA, a maternal fetal medicine physician as well as professor and vice chair of Clinical Operations in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, to design and test new ways to improve the health of pregnant people and their babies by targeting social determinants of health. The effort, Better birth outcomes and Experiences Through Technology, Education and Reporting (BETTER), is part of a $20 million American Heart Association (AHA) effort to build in a health equity research network to identify solutions that can improve outcomes and reduce health disparities experienced by pregnant people and infants of color or those who are born into poverty.
College of Medicine profiles project examining food insecurity, diabetes control
A project to examine the effectiveness of health system attempts to address the social needs of people facing food insecurity and, in turn, increase their diabetes control is ready to get underway. The effort is spearheaded by CATALYST faculty member and co-Principal Investigator Daniel Walker, PhD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, along with counterpart Joshua Joseph, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Internal Medicine. Their work, which is supported by a $3.32 million grant from the National Institutes of Health through the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, was recently profiled by the College of Medicine.
Center to STOP COVID studying long-term effect of pandemic on first responders
CATALYST Executive Director Ann Scheck McAlearney, ScD, MS, also serves as a co-principal investigator for the Center to STOP COVID, a Serological Sciences Center of Excellence supported by a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Cancer Institute in the National Institutes of Health. The effort is studying the long-term effect of COVID-19 on first responders, health care workers and the general population.
See more about the Center to STOP COVID
Our publications
At CATALYST, our faculty and staff are always hard at work on a number of projects related to team science, analytics, and systems thinking. Our research has been published in a variety of journals, and it is regularly cited in other scholarly work.
Among our most recent publications, appearing in the American Journal of Infection Control, is "Identifying management practices for promoting infection prevention: Perspectives on strategic communication" by Ann Scheck McAlearney, ScD, MS; Sarah MacEwan, PhD; Megan Gregory, PhD; Lindsey Sova, MPH; Courtney Hebert, MD, MS; and Alice Gaughan, MS. The article details an extensive study that involved interviews of 188 administrative and clinical leaders across 18 U.S. hospitals regarding the management practices employed to help prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). By identifying and describing these practices, the authors offer insight into how strategic communication can support improvement.
For more details about our continuing efforts to advance research and discovery, click on the links below.
View our publications and citations Learn more about our current research
About us
What is CATALYST?
CATALYST is a center focused on advancing research and discovery in the delivery of health services across the continuum of care using a team science approach.
Who works with us?
Our faculty includes experts in a number of fields, as well as many skilled staff members who support their work.
What's the latest news?
There are always dozens of projects in progress at CATALYST. Stay up to date with everything going on at the center with our news page, where we post information about grant awards, projects and our overall focus.
How can I join in?
CATALYST is interested in working with well-trained individuals in health management, health services research, implementation science, public health, or other related T3 research fields.Stay updated on everything new with CATALYST
Survey uncovers barriers to HCC surveillance
A study examines methods for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma early to maximize clinical outcomes
Effort building capacity for hearing research
An Ohio State project is engaging with the parents of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing
CATALYST partners with Palliative Medicine team
CATALYST is working in partnership with the Division of Palliative Medicine to support research
Infant mortality reduction effort creates excitement
An Ohio initiative to reduce infant mortality in the state is seeing real results, an evaluation shows
Health services research expands to neurology
Kevin Kerber, MD, and Jim Burke, MD, will lead a new Neurological Health Services Research Division
Our mission
To catalyze faculty at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to engage in meaningful health services research (HSR) and implementation science.
In achieving this mission, CATALYST seeks to complement the mission of The Ohio State University College of Medicine “to improve people’s lives through innovation in research” by ensuring that the work of research faculty is impactful for the organization and the populations they serve. CATALYST is being created as a means of fostering a collaborative culture of research while providing the environment that supports success.
In achieving this mission, CATALYST seeks to complement the mission of The Ohio State University College of Medicine “to improve people’s lives through innovation in research” by ensuring that the work of research faculty is impactful for the organization and the populations they serve. CATALYST is being created as a means of fostering a collaborative culture of research while providing the environment that supports success.
Our vision
To develop the infrastructure necessary to ensure extramural funding, improve the quality of scholarship, develop faculty in the area of health services and implementation science research, and increase the educational capacity of the institution while serving to extend the research, education and clinical enterprises of The Ohio State University College of Medicine.Our values
- Success through collaboration and sustained productivity
- Leadership with integrity and personal accountability
- Respect of diversity of people and ideas through openness and mutual trust
- Innovation through creativity
- Passion in what we do by engaging with each other through kindness and fun
Our aims
Guided by its mission, CATALYST aims to:- Provide a shared HSR infrastructure to provide expedited access to highly trained research support staff and data
- Promote a team science-based, collaborative environment in which faculty and postdoctoral researchers are highly mentored by successful HSR faculty to be highly productive (both in papers and grants)
- Enhance the quality and quantity of published research in HSR and implementation science
- Identify opportunities for extending the educational mission of the College of Medicine
- Improve the success rate of applications for funding through initial scoping, review and critical assessment so as to improve submitted proposals