The UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine is spearheading the creation of a multisite primary care research network hub across the Deep South. The pilot award to establish the Primary Care HEART-NET — Health Equity through Access and Research in Transformative Networks — brings together research teams at UAB, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and the University of Alabama.
With combined access to more than 45 primary care clinics and multiple practice-based research networks, HEART-NET’s goal is to create a coordinated platform to strengthen research infrastructure in primary care, engage stakeholders to design research processes that incorporate community feedback and enhance access to research that supports population health and reduces health disparities.
The network will address barriers to access to clinical research participation by implementing a sustained infrastructure that integrates innovative research with routine clinical care in real world settings.
MPI: Irfan Asif, M.D., UAB Associate Dean of Primary Care and Rural Health, Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine
MPI: Laura James, M.D., University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical and Translational Research, Director, Translational Research Institute
MPI: Tapan Mehta, Ph.D., UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine, Vice Chair of Research
Current HEART-NET Studies
Research-based weight control program for rural adults delivered 100% online
Improving access to hearing health care in rural communities across Alabama's Black Belt