Southern New England Partnership In Stroke Research, Innovation and Treatment (SPIRIT)

We propose to renew the Southern New England Partnership In Stroke Research, Innovation and Treatment (SPIRIT), a StrokeNet Regional Coordinating Center (RCC) anchored previously by 3 leading institutions: Yale School of Medicine, the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, and Hartford Hospital. During the prior cycle, SPIRIT was the 4th highest national enroller of a high quality patient population. It is now further augmented by the addition of Northwell Health in Long Island and New York, with a proven track record of recruitment and collaboration. SPIRIT captures a geographic area that provides access to 8.7 million people, including most adult and pediatric stroke patients in Connecticut and Rhode Island. This robust patient volume (over 6000 total stroke patients in 2022) is combined with an exceptionally strong collaborative and organizational framework. Principal Investigators Dr. Kevin N. Sheth (Yale), Dr. Karen Furie (Brown), Dr. Mark Alberts (Hartford Hospital), and Dr. Richard Temes (Northwell) bring a complementary set of leadership and high-level clinical trials experience in stroke. Each leader brings well recognized expertise in international multicenter studies and implementation of stroke systems of care, as well as a track record of high-quality stroke trial recruitment and retention. In various capacities, they have worked together for over 17 years, and each PI leads an enthusiastic cadre of faculty across disciplines, to create a highly collaborative environment focused on stroke research, multicenter trials, membership on Institutional Review Boards, clinical trial committees, and extensive mentoring in patient-oriented research. SPIRIT maintains strong connections to NIH funded CTSA networks and is further strengthened by the following characteristics: 1) A pool of talented investigators with nationally recognized clinical and translational research expertise in stroke; 2) A large population of stroke patients in Southern New England and New York; 3) Active leadership and participation in stroke communities and stroke systems of care in the areas of statewide policy, continuity of care, American Heart Association collaborations and regional education; 4) Deep investigator and patient pools for all three areas of StrokeNet initiatives – prevention, acute treatment, and recovery; 5) Access to a range of specialized tools already harmonized across centers including a common electronic medical record system (EPIC), enhancing data sharing and collaboration; 6) Continuous commitment from all four institutions to the central IRB model and use of a Master Trial Agreement; 7) Rich science core with ongoing SPIRIT initiated, NIH funded stroke studies (ASPIRE, CAPTIVA-MRI) and other proposals currently under review; and 8) An education core designed to identify, support and accelerate the development of tomorrow's stroke investigators. The Yale, Brown, Hartford and Northwell stroke teams together – where the sum of the collaboration is even more exciting than each part – is poised to continue leading, making significant contributions to further the mission of NINDS StrokeNet to reduce the burden of neurological disease.