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Cellular Senescence Network (SenNet) Program
A national initiative to comprehensively identify and characterize senescent cells across tissues, health states and the human lifespan, the Cellular Senescence Network (SenNet) Program will produce publicly accessible atlases documenting the diversity of senescent cells, their distinguishing molecular features and the factors they secrete. To detect and profile these rare cells, SenNet develops innovative tools that build on advances in single-cell analysis and works to establish common terminology and classification standards to unite the broader cellular senescence research community. Led by Jonathan C. Silverstein, MD, MS, in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, the Consortium Organization and Data Coordinating Center serves as the organizational and computational hub for the entire SenNet consortium.
Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP)
The University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center lead the infrastructure component and coordinating center for the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP). Under the direction of Jonathan C. Silverstein, MD, MS, the team develops a flexible, scalable hybrid cloud environment that connects HuBMAP with the storage and computing resources needed to deposit, access, query, search, analyze and visualize both raw and processed data, in close coordination with the HIVE Collaboratory, the HuBMAP Consortium and stakeholders worldwide.
Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) Global Data Hub
Designed to foster data sharing, enable new analyses, and catalyze collaboration, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) Global Data Hub is a centralized research portal aggregating molecular and clinical data from breast cancer studies worldwide. The University of Pittsburgh developed and operates the hub in partnership with BCRF, with Jonathan C. Silverstein, MD, MS, leading data coordination, ensuring that regulatory and privacy standards are met, and simplifying data access for investigators worldwide.
PaTH Clinical Research Network
Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, PaTH is focused on building a learning health system for the mid-Atlantic region. The network brings together Geisinger Health System, Johns Hopkins University and Health System, Penn State College of Medicine and Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Temple Health System and Lewis Katz School of Medicine, the University of Utah and University of Utah Health Care, and the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. The University of Pittsburgh serves as the network's coordinating center and leads the informatics component of PaTH, with Kathleen M. McTigue, MD, MS, MPH, of the School of Medicine serving as co-principal investigator and Michael J. Becich, MD, PhD, leading the informatics infrastructure.
National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB)
The National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB) is a multi-institutional virtual biospecimen registry whose mission is to accelerate basic science, clinical and translational research on mesothelioma. The University of Pittsburgh serves as the coordinating site and houses the NMVB in the departments of Biomedical Informatics and Pathology, with Michael J. Becich, MD, PhD, as principal investigator. By linking biospecimen resources across partner institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, NYU Langone Medical Center, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the University of Maryland, the NMVB supports investigators working to advance understanding of mesothelioma pathophysiology and to expedite the discovery of preventive measures, novel therapeutic interventions, and ultimately, cures.
All of Us (AoU) Research Program
The University of Pittsburgh leads the All of Us (AoU) Pennsylvania as an enrollment site in the national AoU Research Program, a landmark National Institutes of Health initiative to collect health data from 1 million people across the United States. Steven E. Reis, MD, professor of Medicine and founding director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, leads the enrollment effort, and Shyam Visweswaran, MD, PhD, leads the informatics effort. The AoU program aims to transform the prevention and treatment of disease by accounting for individual differences in lifestyle, environment and genetics. Notably, Pitt enrolled the first adult and pediatric participants in the program.
Evolve to Next-Gen Accrual of Clinical Trials (ENACT) Network
The Accrual to Clinical Trials (ACT) Network and its successor, the Evolve to Next-Gen ACT (ENACT) Network, form a federated network connecting academic medical centers nationwide through shared electronic health record (EHR) data. Funded through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences' Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program, ENACT is built on the i2b2/SHRINE platform and operates under shared data standards, common terminology, and a governance framework designed to ensure regulatory compliance and institutional accountability. The project is led by Steven E. Reis, MD, and Shyam Visweswaran, MD, PhD, from the University of Pittsburgh. Data available through the network are used to identify patient cohorts for clinical studies and to support a broad range of biomedical research.
Genomic Information Commons (GIC)
As founding members of the Genomic Information Commons (GIC) consortium, the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh helped to establish this federated network alongside Boston Children's Hospital, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Washington University in St. Louis. Shyam Visweswaran, MD, PhD, leads the project at the University of Pittsburgh. The GIC provides researchers with two complementary access pathways: a Prep-to-Research Portal, through which investigators can execute genotype, phenotype, or combined queries and receive aggregate results in real time; and a Study Portal, through which patient-level data are transferred to a cloud-hosted analytic environment for investigators with appropriate approvals.
Medication Error Avoidance at Regional Scale (MEARS)
The Medication Error Avoidance at Regional Scale (MEARS) initiative is a University of Pittsburgh effort dedicated to advancing patient safety at a regional scale. Operating within the framework of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation's Regional Autonomous Patient Safety (RAPS) program, MEARS works to identify, analyze, and reduce medication errors across health care settings, with a particular focus on preventable adverse drug events among patients transitioning between hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. The MEARS team, led by Richard Boyce, PhD, collaborates with Carnegie Mellon University's Initiative for Patient Safety Research to develop and test artificial intelligence-powered predictive models to prevent medication errors.
Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS) Network Coordination Center
Mathematical models of infectious disease progression can provide public health officials and policymakers with valuable projections of the timing and magnitude of both emerging outbreaks and recurring waves of seasonal infections. The Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS) is a global network of scientists and practitioners who develop and use computational, statistical and mathematical models to improve understanding of infectious disease dynamics. Launched by the National Institutes of Health in 2004 to help the nation prepare for infectious disease threats, the network has grown into a broad, open research infrastructure. The University of Pittsburgh leads the MIDAS Network Coordination Center under Harry Hochheiser, PhD, who directs a multidisciplinary group of computer scientists, biostatisticians, and biomedical informatics experts.