# Tracking and Evaluation Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · MAINEHEALTH · 2021 · $345,666

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The overarching aim of the Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network (NNE-CTR) is
to establish the necessary infrastructure to conduct high-quality clinical and translational research that will
ultimately improve health outcomes for residents in this largely rural region. To achieve this ambitious aim,
NNE-CTR leadership and staff will need to develop systems to continuously assess progress and identify
opportunities for mid-course corrections. The Tracking and Evaluation Core (TEC) will provide the requisite
infrastructure to ensure that the NNE-CTR can establish its own value and efficiency, and enact needed
program improvements in a timely and effective manner. Led by a multidisciplinary team of evaluation,
outcomes research and quality improvement experts, the functions of the TEC will be to: 1) identify meaningful
and reliable performance metrics for the overall program, and the individual Key Component Activities; 2)
continually track and monitor these metrics; and 3) rigorously analyze, synthesize, and disseminate
performance information to NNE-CTR leadership and key stakeholders throughout the implementation
process. Working collaboratively with Maine Medical Center and the University of Vermont, TEC staff will use a
flexible, stakeholder-centered approach to facilitate the selection of performance metrics for each Core and the
broader NNE-CTR initiative; implement and customize the REDCap data portal to support tracking and data
collection; collect primary qualitative and quantitative data relevant to the conduct of clinical and translational
research; routinely analyze and report performance data to the NNE-CTR leadership and key stakeholders;
respond to evaluation consultation requests from other Cores; and produce summative reports of activities and
outcomes of the IDeA-CTR award. The TEC activities will be grounded in the Center for Disease Control and
Preventions' evaluation framework, which applies a population health model ideal for evaluating the health and
systems-level outcomes of clinical and translational research. To complement the CDC model, the TEC Core
will also adopt the “systems evaluation partnership” model to assess a broad range of process and short- and
long-term outcome measures. In addition, the TEC will apply quality improvement tools and techniques in
tandem with more traditional evaluation methods to provide the NNE-CTR leadership and stakeholders with
actionable rapid cycle feedback to help inform implementation efforts and identify opportunities for
improvement. Through these activities, the TEC will facilitate transparency, promote data-informed decisions
regarding the management of the initiative's many components, and thereby ensure the ultimate success of
the overall program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10205088
- **Project number:** 5U54GM115516-05
- **Recipient organization:** MAINEHEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Brenda Morissette Joly
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $345,666
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-03 → 2022-08-04

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10205088

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10205088, Tracking and Evaluation Core (5U54GM115516-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10205088. Licensed CC0.

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