The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded funding to the University of Louisville and the University of Washington to join the Center for Health Organization Transformation (CHOT) based at the Texas A&M School of Public Health. Additionally, the University of Nottingham in Nottingham, U.K., is the first international university to join CHOT. This makes CHOT an eight-university NSF Center.

[Photo: Dr. Bita Kash]

CHOT is an industry-university cooperative research center (I/UCRC) funded by the NSF and over 30 industry members. The Center is focused on producing major innovations in health care delivery by conducting collaborative research across eight university sites to support the implementation of evidence-based transformational strategies in healthcare. CHOT’s research model relies on the knowledge and experience of health care leaders and practitioners to guide academic research.

The University of Louisville adds access to a new geographic region and relevant population segments, such as elderly and minority populations.

“The University of Louisville will add to diversity among industry members, providing the ability to create strong and collaborative research relationships with both industry and researchers from all other CHOT sites,” said Dr. Bita Kash, CHOT center director. “Health care organizations in the Louisville-metro area have a long history of collaboration with health services researchers at the university and willingness to learn from each other, which is well aligned with the philosophy behind our program.”

Ranked number three in terms of research expenditures nationwide, the University of Washington has been an established home for health services research, innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration as part of their institutional culture.

“CHOT depends on the expertise and leadership that the University of Washington has already been able to provide over the last two years interacting with other CHOT university sites and researchers,” said Dr. Kash.

The Center for Health Organization Transformation is also very excited to add the first international site at The University of Nottingham. A CHOT site at a leading university in the U.K. with a national health care system allows for access to longitudinal population studies not currently available or possible in the U.S. healthcare environment.

“The concept of a public health care system is a black box to U.S. policymakers and health care providers. CHOT’s collaboration with researchers at the University of Nottingham will be able to shed some light into this black box from the U.S. perspective, addressing U.S. driven research questions using a diverse multinational patient population,” according to Dr. Kash.

Each new CHOT university site will significantly contribute to the leadership, innovative educational and research programs, and continued greater impact of CHOT.