CATALYST Center Research

Epic Cosmos

CATALYST researchers can use data from Epic Cosmos to ask and answer questions using electronic health record (EHR) data from institutions across the United States. Epic Cosmos is a continuously updated data set with information from EHRs for millions of patients in the U.S. The data can be used to assess national trends for various health conditions, medications, care received, and health outcomes. Many rare diseases and outcomes are difficult to study using data from only one institution, and Cosmos allows researchers and providers to pool data across medical centers nationwide to investigate research questions that were previously difficult to address. Research using Cosmos has the potential to improve patient care, identify and address care disparities, and enhance knowledge about rare diseases and treatments. CATALYST researchers value the data set’s ability to supplement their projects with national data, allowing for more robust trend analysis for topics including maternal and child health, vaccine uptake, diabetes care, and population health disparities. 

Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS)

The ever-increasing amount of data available publicly or generated via an institution presents opportunities for knowledge generation. HINTS is a national survey conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) examining the types of cancer information the American public accesses and consumes. Our group has generated a longitudinal dataset that combines multiple years of the HINTS data, allowing for the investigation of changes in how the U.S. population views and researches cancer-related information.

The Center for Accelerating Suicide Prevention in Real-world Settings (ASPIRES)

This center will hasten the implementation of effective and scalable evidence-based interventions to reduce youth suicide. ASPIRES is focused on integrated programs of research that span the continuum of care from early identification in primary and specialty health care settings, to acute and transitional care, and back into the community as part of routine health care practice. The target population is youth at elevated risk for suicide, the majority of whom are from lower socio-economic bracket households experiencing significant health disparities.

CrOss System Technical Assistance for Retaining Staff (COSTARS)

The epidemic of substance use disorder (SUD) and associated overdoses has led to a second crisis: children at increased risk of abuse and neglect because of parental SUD. Across Ohio, 53 county welfare agencies are implementing Ohio Sobriety Treatment and Reducing Trauma (Ohio START) to address this problem, which is delivered by child welfare case workers, family peer mentors, supervisors, and behavioral health clinicians. However, a third of these teams – many in rural or Appalachian areas – stopped serving families because of high staff turnover. COSTARS is a supervision coaching strategy that promotes supportive supervision practices, destigmatizing SUD, and increasing collaboration between child welfare and SUD treatment systems. In its initial phase, the project will tailor COSTARS to local needs through a community workgroup, a supervision needs assessment, and the development of a manual and fidelity measure. COSTARS coaches will then be trained through in-person and virtual courses, coaching, and fidelity feedback sessions. This project is being conducted in close partnership with the Public Children Services Association of Ohio (PCSAO).

Comparative Effectiveness of Two Aspirin Doses for Prevention of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (ASPIRIN)

High blood pressure during pregnancy can lead to complications for pregnant people such as liver and kidney damage, and Black people are at higher risk to have these complications during pregnancy. Currently, the only treatment for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is to deliver the baby, but preterm births increase the risk of health problems for both individuals. To help prevent these problems, aspirin is recommended, but the optimal dose is not known; some data suggest a dose higher than 81 mg may be more effective. The research team is enrolling more than 10,000 pregnant people who are at risk for high blood pressure and who are receiving treatment from clinics across the U.S. in a randomized controlled trial to receive either 81 mg or 162 mg of aspirin each day until they give birth. Participants will be interviewed and health records examined to review the overall health and well-being of participating pregnant individuals and their babies and to determine whether they have complications from high blood pressure during pregnancy and shortly after birth. In addition, the study team will interview people about their pregnancy and childbirth experiences as well as factors affecting their adherence to aspirin therapy. The project is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

Charting a Course to Leverage Community to Address Systemic Racism in Maternal Cardiovascular Health (CHART)

Racial disparities in maternal and infant pregnancy outcomes persist despite policy initiatives and research efforts. The CHART study is intended to learn how to best address systemic racism that affects maternal cardiovascular health, which is a leading cause of Black maternal morbidity and mortality. CHART includes Delphi rounds that facilitate conversations between (1) Black pregnant/postpartum individuals who experience cardiovascular disease and/or are disconnected from the health care system, and (2) key decision makers, including providers, administrators, and leaders from medical, social services, and public health systems. The results of this study will be used to develop recommendations to address disparities in maternal cardiovascular health that account for multiple forms of racism, such as access to help to address their social needs; the recommendations also will target neglected factors such as respectful maternal care, allostatic load, and forms of racism that affect Black individuals from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.

A Comparative Effectiveness Trial of Oral Metformin versus Injectable Insulin for the Treatment of Gestational Diabetes. (DECIDE)

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common issue during pregnancy that can lead to health complications for both the mother and the baby. Glycemic control decreases the risk of health complications for the affected pregnant person and the infant exposed in utero. One in four individuals with GDM will require medication to achieve this control, and while injectable insulin has been the go-to treatment, oral metformin is increasingly being used. Both insulin and metformin reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy, but there is not enough data from a well-characterized, adequately powered study comparing how effective they are in a diverse U.S. population. In a two-arm open-label, pragmatic comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial at 20 clinical sites across the U.S., DECIDE will assign pregnant individuals with GDM to receive either metformin or insulin and follow them for up for two years after they give birth. The study will assess various outcomes, including pregnancy complications, child health, and patient-reported experiences. The study team will also interview people about their pregnancy and childbirth experiences as well as factors affecting their adherence to their prescribed therapy. This project is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). More information is available at www.decidestudy.org.

Mothers and Equity Study (MORE)

MORE is a mixed methods assessment of social determinants of health (SDOH), lived experiences, and perceptions of the prenatal care experience of people experiencing their first birth who are at full term – also known as nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex (NTSV) individuals – who are undergoing an unscheduled primary cesarean section (PCS). The MORE project aims to promote health equity by (1) examining how clinical indication for PCS may vary by neighborhood-level SDOH and the extent to which individual-level SDOH moderate these relationships, (2) assessing how multiple factors in both of those categories interact to generate a composite and inclusive polysocial risk, and (3) engaging with NTSV individuals who have had an unplanned PCS to examine their perceptions about the care they received and their experience with a PCS.

The HEALing Communities Study (HCS)

HCS is a multi-state project supported by a $65.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health that aims to reduce opioid overdose deaths through the implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices. In cooperation with researchers at universities across the state, RecoveryOhio, and communities both large and small, HCS is working to build coalitions and infrastructure within Ohio counties to counter trends in opioid deaths seen across the state and nation. HCS is being implements in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and it is part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative (NIH HEAL Initiative), an effort to accelerate scientific solutions to address the opioid crisis. For more information, visit https://healingcommunitiesstudy.org.

Continuous Learning and Improvement Mastery Building (CLIMB)

The CLIMB Program is a training effort and infrastructure creation program that has been created to support a partnership among The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center's Rehabilitation Services, Ohio State’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and Catherine Quatman-Yates’s Leading Improvement-Focused Teams for Advancing Health Systems Outcomes Lab (LIFT Lab). By teaching the foundations of quality improvement science, CLIMB aims to improve the skills of program participants in continuous learning and improvement strategies while also addressing strategic initiatives for the partner organizations. By cultivating and integrating the research done by faculty, post-doctoral scholars, and students, Ohio State can take on a leadership role in quality improvement and outcome improvement. Culture changes instituted through CLIMB can then be lateralized to areas beyond rehabilitation while building momentum to move science forward. For more information, visit https://u.osu.edu/liftlab/.

Ohio State Quality Improvement Hub (QI Hub)

The Ohio State Quality Improvement Hub (QI Hub) project endeavors to build a statewide infrastructure that is focused on improving the delivery of health services to patients who are publicly insured in support of the Ohio Department of Medicaid’s population health strategy. Facilitated through CATALYST and under the direction of QI Hub Principal Investigator Catherine Quatman-Yates, PhD, DPT, PT, Ohio State’s QI Hub is one of several such hubs at medical colleges across Ohio. Supported by the Ohio Department of Medicaid and the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center, the QI Hub brings a learning health network mentality to infrastructure improvement that connects participating colleges and extends all the way from providers and clinics to statewide organizations. For more information, visit https://u.osu.edu/liftlab/our-work/lhs-qihub-medtapp/.