Creating a culture of research

Geisinger encourages everyone to consider how we can improve patient care.

When you think of Geisinger, you probably picture your family doctor’s office, a ConvenientCare clinic or one of our hospitals. But there’s another less visible, yet equally vital, component to our health system.

Research.

Last year, Geisinger supported about 1,400 research projects, including studies conducted by full-time research faculty, providers in our clinics and learners such as medical and nursing students, residents and fellows. These projects include clinical trials in areas ranging from brain disorders to pediatrics to women’s health, giving patients local access to innovative new treatments.

“We’re a ‘learning health system,’ which means research and innovation are integrated into patient care,” says Christa Lese Martin, PhD, chief scientific officer at Geisinger and vice dean for research at Geisinger School of Medicine. “A lot of health systems don’t have active research programs. We’re always looking for better ways to care for patients.”

The studies may be cutting-edge, but Geisinger has supported efforts to expand the horizons of medical knowledge for over a century. The hospital system was founded in 1915, and by 1916, research projects on diabetes, heart disease and polio were already underway.

The emphasis on scientific inquiry has steadily expanded since then, with the founding of the region’s first research laboratory in 1952, the launch of a dedicated research center in 1971 and the opening of the $21 million Henry Hood Center for Health Research in Danville in 2007.

The rural advantage

While it might seem like urban research centers would have an advantage in terms of resources and large populations for study, Geisinger’s mostly rural footprint is a plus in some ways, according to Dr. Martin.

“Families stay here, so we can often study health across generations,” she says, adding that Geisinger’s geography also provides researchers with a different lens that can improve patient care locally. “In a rural setting, people might have different needs.”

Geisinger was also an early adopter of the electronic health record (EHR). The EHR makes keeping track of each patient’s health easier. Data collected over time in the EHR can be analyzed as part of research studies, allowing trends and patterns to emerge that might not have been noticed otherwise.

And Geisinger is a leader in genomics research, thanks to the MyCode^® Community Health Initiative — the largest healthcare system-based study of its kind in the United States.

Genomic and health information supplied by MyCode’s now 350,000 patient-participants have been used to support research related to cancer, developmental disorders and other potentially life-threatening conditions.

Broad, varied inquiry

What gets studied at Geisinger?

The answer is as varied as the system’s network of providers and staff and their specialties and interests. A few examples include:

• Clinical trials by cardiologist Brendan Carry, MD, who seeks to improve care for patients with cardiac amyloidosis, a genetic disorder that can lead to heart failure
• Research led by neurodevelopmental pediatrician Scott Myers, MD, that established a link between genetic changes and cerebral palsy
• A study coauthored by Amitpal Johal, MD, Geisinger chair of gastroenterology, that determined that taking GLP-1s, the popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs, may make it unsafe for patients to undergo a common gastroenterology diagnostic procedure

Geisinger College of Health Sciences is also an active hub for research and innovation. Recently, the School of Medicine was 1 of just 5 study teams nationwide chosen to access certain public opinion polling data to conduct research about perceptions of health and health access in our Pennsylvania communities. And residents, fellows, medical students and nursing students are encouraged, if not required in some programs, to conduct original research across their disciplines.

The College also exposes local high school students to opportunities for pursuing careers in science and health professions. Last year, 93 students participated in the College’s REACH-HEI Pathway Programs and showcased results of their summer research in a symposium.

Advancing science — and care

The goal of research at Geisinger is to expand medical knowledge, sometimes incrementally but sometimes in big leaps, in ways that improve patient care — even save lives. To do that requires a systemwide mindset, Dr. Martin says.

“We’re always asking, ‘How can we open up research opportunities for more people?’” she says. “We don’t want anyone to say, ‘We’ve always done it this way.’ We want everyone at Geisinger to constantly be wondering, ‘How can we do this better?’”