# Clinical Practice Network

> **NIH NIH P50** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $178,040

## Abstract

Abstract – Clinical Practice Network
The Clinical Practice Network is the vehicle that will facilitate clinical intervention and data collection for the
Scalable TELeheaLth Cancer CARe (STELLAR) Center’s research program and then translate study findings
into comprehensive cancer care. The Center’s research program can be seen as filling gaps in knowledge
about how to optimize the cancer care sociotechnical system to deliver telehealth treatment for obesity,
physical inactivity, and tobacco use in cancer patients and cancer survivors in a manner that maximizes cancer
care access, quality, patient-clinician communication, and cancer treatment outcomes. The network will
leverage the same clinical practice network that we established for the population-based Lurie Cancer Center
Tobacco Cessation Program, which has been part of the NCI Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) since
2018. Our practice network will comprise 11 hospitals across the 4 Northwestern Medicine (NM) Regions
(Central, North, Northwest, West). NM’s 52 oncology clinics are fully integrated by a single telehealth
infrastructure (Doximity), a single EHR-system (Epic), and a single, comprehensive, and integrhoated
repository of all clinical and research data (Enterprise Data Warehouse). The Clinical Practice Network
will implement and maintain the Center’s electronic and clinical infrastructure in close collaboration with the
Administrative and Research and Methods Core and with administrators, quality leaders, oncology clinical and
operations leads, and nurse navigators across NM. The Clinical Practice Network will include two working
groups to facilitate the implementation of STELLAR’s telehealth research program. The technical aspect of this
optimization will be carried out by the Infrastructure Workflow Team that will align Epic, the patient portal
(MyChart), and the wearable and app components of the system to support seamless integration of
technologies needed for STELLAR. The human aspect of the optimization will be carried out by a
Stakeholder/Clinical Workflow Team that will align treatment of cancer risk behaviors seamlessly into existing
workflows for cancer care delivery. Guided by the Policy Advisory Group and Internal Advisory Board, the
Clinical Practice Network will mount STELLAR Center’s Pilot Studies and Pragmatic Clinical Trial. These will,
in turn, provide a robust evidence base to drive the translation and the integration of sustainable telehealth
treatment of cancer risk behaviors across NM.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10682527
- **Project number:** 5P50CA271353-02
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Brian L Hitsman
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $178,040
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10682527

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10682527, Clinical Practice Network (5P50CA271353-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10682527. Licensed CC0.

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