The Community Practice Core facilitates cancer research by offering DF/HCC investigators
access to a clinical laboratory of over nine million patients in community-based clinical settings.
Services include: connection to a large, diverse population; access to comprehensive
computerized patient and provider data; and support to develop research proposals for studies
within community practice settings.

Director: Larissa Nekhlyudov, M.D., M.P.H.
Phone: (617) 509-9983
Fax: (617) 859-8112
Email: larissa_nekhlyudov@harvardpilgrim.org

Other Staff:

Core Manager: Jane Colagiovanni
Phone: (617) 509-9883
Fax: (617) 859-8112
Email: jane_colagiovanni@harvardpilgrim.org

Location of Core:

The facility is located at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Department of Ambulatory Care and
Prevention, 133 Brookline Avenue, 6th Floor, Boston.

Pre-award services:

The CPC provides DF/HCC investigators with a connection to a large, diverse community of
over 9,000,000 patients in Massachusetts and nationwide.  The CPC offers investigators
support to develop research proposals for studies within the community practice settings,
including guidance through each step in the process.  For each project the CPC:

►Meets with the DF/HCC investigator and provides input on the feasibility of the project.

►Assists the DF/HCC investigator to find an internal co-investigator within the community
practice settings and introduces the investigator to the key clinical and administrative staff.

►Provides preliminary data needed for research proposals.

►Assists in completion of the required local Research Administration protocols including
preparation of the application budget.

►Facilitates Institutional Review Board submissions (if required by grant source prior to
funding).

►During the grant-preparation phase, services provided by the CPC are free-of-charge to
DF/HCC investigators. 

Post-award services:

The CPC offers DF/HCC investigators post-award services on a fee-for-service basis.  These
services provide structural supports to enable investigators to improve the efficiency of
conducting studies within the community practice laboratories by providing locally experienced
staff to perform institutionally- specific research tasks. The post-award services eliminate the
need to hire and train a research staff person early in the initiation of the project.  Fees are
reasonable and are available on request.   Examples of our services include:

►Preparation of the Human Studies application and assistance with IRB/HIPAA approval.

►Obtaining administrative and department approvals.

►Coordination of activities between the RSDC and investigators.

►Identification of resources within the community laboratory to facilitate implementation of
the study.

►Project set-up, maintenance and shut down by experienced staff.

The CPC is operated on an hourly rate basis of $50 per hour for post award services.  The
hourly rate includes fringe benefits and overhead.  A yearly increase of 4% is anticipated in the
hourly rate of the post award services. 

The CPC's post-award services greatly enhance the capability of DF/HCC researchers to
conduct research within the community laboratories represented by the Core by providing
experienced staff to perform institutionally specific research tasks.  The CPC staff offers
services that lay a path for DF/HCC researchers to get IRB and Privacy Board approval, set-up
and maintain a study, and provide closure to research with the community laboratories.  Use of
the CPC's post-award services can save researchers from dealing with numerous and always
changing administrations, department heads, staff, and IRB forms that may cause costly delays
in research.

To access the core, please contact Larissa Nekhlyudov at (617) 509-9983 or by email at
larissa_nekhlyudov@harvardpilgrim.org.

http://www.dfhcc.harvard.edu/core-facilities/community-practice/