Ohio stands at the forefront of innovative healthcare research, due in part to collaborative efforts within the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Three key entities— the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center (GRC), the Center for the Advancement of Team Science, Analytics, and Systems Thinking in Health Services and Implementation Science Research (CATALYST), and Research Information Technology (RIT)—are driving transformative change in healthcare access, equity, and quality across Ohio's diverse communities.
GRC is steadfast in its mission to not only identify, but rigorously research and widely disseminate trusted data-driven practices to improve healthcare policy, access, and quality for all Ohioans, including Medicaid enrollees. GRC leaders have clinical, academic, and health and human services government experience. In close collaboration with partners such as CATALYST and RIT, the GRC engages in a range of public health projects and initiatives, including offering technical support, crafting insightful data visualizations, and fostering survey results.
One example of such a working relationship is the Ohio Equity Institute (OEI), established in response to alarming racial disparities in birth outcomes. Black infants in Ohio were found to be 2.8 times more likely to die than white infants in 2020 and the state implemented interventions to target disparities such as infant mortality, preterm birth, and low birth weight.
OEI operates in 10 counties, where Community-based Organizations (CBOs) implement programs focused on CenteringPregnancy, Home Visiting, and Community Health Workers. These efforts are evaluated by collecting and statistically analyzing participant-level data from over 60,000 OEI participants. This evaluation is supplemented by linking data with birth records and Medicaid claims, as well as conducting qualitative interviews and surveys with CBO staff to assess the impact of these programs on healthcare utilization and birth outcomes.
"Catalyst has been a valuable partner on the OEI project, working with participating community-based organizations to gather data, maintain a project dashboard, and support analytical work. GRC and Catalyst staff working on the project meet regularly to coordinate their efforts on the evaluation, and Catalyst has been helpful in developing new tools to reduce the data collection burden for participants and in identifying areas of interest for additional data collection,” said Doug Spence, GRC Research Consultant and OEI Principal Investigator.
CATALYST is a pioneering interdisciplinary research program dedicated to driving solutions for healthcare improvement. CATALYST plays a central role in the OEI project, conducting research, collecting statewide data, and collaborating with GRC to ensure project timelines and objectives are met. With approximately 30-40 staff members, including medical professionals as consultants and collaborators, CATALYST is included among the organizations that lead in research funding and quality, driving meaningful progress in healthcare delivery and statewide outcomes.
In an interview with Christine Swoboda from CATALYST, she emphasized the critical role of data in gathering positive health outcomes.
"I love that we are able to see we are collecting so much data. We can really see trends and opportunities. It's empowering to witness improvements in people's lives through data-driven interventions," Swoboda remarked.
RIT, a collaborative endeavor between The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and The Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science, provides cutting-edge data collection, data science, and informatics resources. By empowering the Ohio State research community with state-of-the-art tools and technologies, RIT enables researchers to tackle complex research agendas with precision and impact.
A conversation with Tim Huerta from RIT uncovers his multifaceted background as well as various organizational expertise. Huerta, a faculty member, holds multiple titles and carries responsibilities encompassing research, information technology, and data-driven decision-making.
“RIT is a research infrastructure group that provides software development, data management, user experience design, and integration services for researchers, “said Huerta during a lively virtual interview.
RIT has both the expertise and capacity to build data collection systems, dashboards, and tools that are tailored to the needs and contexts of community-based organizations and participants.
“We are separate entities with different funding streams and missions, but we collaborate on some projects, each organization bringing what we do best to the table,” added Tim.
The partnership between CATALYST, GRC, and RIT equips state agencies like the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Medicaid with informed insights to shape policy and financial decisions, ultimately advancing health equity and access statewide.
As Ohio continues to navigate evolving healthcare challenges, collaborative research initiatives led by GRC, CATALYST, and RIT continue to drive meaningful progress in healthcare access, equity, and quality for communities across the state. Through the synergy of interdisciplinary collaboration and data-driven insights, Ohio's health potential is unlocked, paving the way for a healthier, more equitable future for all.