New York City Collaborative Regional Coordinating Center (NYCC-RCC)

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT

Stroke is a leading cause of disability and mortality with risk stratification based on socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity. The New York City Collaborative Regional Coordinating Center (NYCC-RCC) will unite three complementary research-intensive biomedical institutions (Einstein, NYU, Mount Sinai), three organizationally linked partners, and a network of high-volume clinical performance sites to further Stroke Net’s mission and to reduce the disproportionate burden of stroke in vulnerable and under-served populations.

The NYCC-RCC has a record of leadership in community engagement and partnerships that will facilitate high-risk and under-studied patients’ enrollment in Stroke Net trials. The NYCC-RCC has significant expertise in the conception, development, and execution of clinical trials. The revamped NYCC-RCC will utilize a number of key design features to fulfill Stroke Net’s mission, including: 1) Organizational diversity through the integration of three leading academic health systems with targeted organizationally linked partners and clinical performance sites enhancing specific focus areas; 2) Recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations through com- munity engagement and strategic partnerships; 3) Focus on vulnerable pediatric stroke patients by integrating established pediatric stroke leadership with centers of excellence treating diseases known to confer high stroke risk; 4) Coordination of multiple high-volume thrombectomy centers to facilitate STEP platform enroll- ment; 5) Establishment of programs/infrastructure to facilitate hyper-acute stroke trial participation; 6) Comple- mentary, multidimensional MPI structure including an imbedded career development program; 7) A structured trial development process coupled with senior trialist guidance to generate a pipeline of Stroke Net trial sub- missions; 8) Pre-clinical expertise in evolving translational areas, including epigenetic and regenerative/stem cell therapeutic applications; 9) RCC connectivity via an advanced information technology and network perfor- mance group (IT/NPG).

The NYCC-RCC will employ an integrated mentorship model to ensure career devel- opment of promising stroke investigators, including a structured education plan for StrokNet fellows utilizing the breadth and sophistication of our CTSA’s educational curriculums. The NYCC-RCC will train junior and mid-career investigators, as well as clinical research coordinators, toward productive careers in stroke re- search.

In summary, the NYCC-RCC will leverage established clinical trials expertise with extensive scientific and organizational excellence to fulfill the Stroke Net’s mission. Therefore, this proposal seeks funding for an NIH Stroke Net – Regional Coordinating Stroke Center U24 – RFA-NS-23-010.