Application of team science best practices to the project management of a large, multi-site lung cancer screening research consortium

• Published in: Journal of clinical and translational science Vol. 7; no. 1; p. e145
• Main Authors: Steiner, Julie S., Blum-Barnett, Erica, Rolland, Betsy, Kraus, Courtney R., Wainwright, Jocelyn V., Bedoy, Ruth, Martinez, Yannica Theda, Alleman, Elizabeth R., Eibergen, Roxy, Pieper, Lisa E., Carroll, Nikki M., Hixon, Brian, Sterrett, Andrew, Rendle, Katharine A., Saia, Chelsea, Vachani, Anil, Ritzwoller, Debra P., Burnett-Hartman, Andrea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Cambridge University Press 2023
• Subjects: Accountability; Agreements; Authorship; Best practice; cancer; Cancer screening; Collaboration; Compliance; consortium; data management; Efficiency; Human subjects; Implementation, Policy and Community Engagement; Infrastructure; Interdisciplinary aspects; Lung cancer; Managers; Medical screening; Project management; Research centers; Review boards; Science; Special Communications; Team science; Teams; Translation; Transparency; project management; cancer; data management; Team science; consortium
• ISSN: 2059-8661; 2059-8661
• DOI: 10.1017/cts.2023.566

Research is increasingly conducted through multi-institutional consortia, and best practices for establishing multi-site research collaborations must be employed to ensure efficient, effective, and productive translational research teams. In this manuscript, we describe how the Population-based Research to Optimize the Screening Process Lung Research Center (PROSPR-Lung) utilized evidence-based Science of Team Science (SciTS) best practices to establish the consortium’s infrastructure and processes to promote translational research in lung cancer screening. We provide specific, actionable examples of how we: (1) developed and reinforced a shared mission, vision, and goals; (2) maintained a transparent and representative leadership structure; (3) employed strong research support systems; (4) provided efficient and effective data management; (5) promoted interdisciplinary conversations; and (6) built a culture of trust. We offer guidance for managing a multi-site research center and data repository that may be applied to a variety of settings. Finally, we detail specific project management tools and processes used to drive collaboration, efficiency, and scientific productivity.