Great Plains IdeA-CTR 10th Anniversary Conference

Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

Time 8 a.m. CT - 4:30 p.m. CT

Conference Agenda (Coming Soon)

In-Person Location
UNO Scott Conference Center
6450 Pine Street, Omaha, NE 68106

Virtual Attendance

Available via Zoom livestream
Instructions on how to join the livestream will be sent to registered participants via email a few days before the start of the conference.

The 10th anniversary of the Great Plains IDeA-CTR is a chance to celebrate a decade of progress and focus on what comes next: making existing research networks work together more effectively to support multi-site clinical and translational research.

“From Regional Strength to National Impact: Making Research Networks Work for Translational Science” will bring together leaders from NIGMS, NCATS, IDeA and CTSA programs, practice-based research networks, health systems, primary care, public health, rural communities, and data science.

The central question is simple: can we connect existing networks for multisite research instead of building a new one for every study? The meeting will explore how to link sites, data, expertise, and communities across regions and make that infrastructure easier to use.

Examples include expanding an environmental-health study across states, recruiting participants and sites for pragmatic trials through primary care networks, or validating AI models across multiple health systems. These approaches can help address priorities such as neurological disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, maternal and child health, mental health and addiction, and environmental health.

The goal is to identify practical partnerships, research questions, and next steps that put existing networks to work on regional and national health priorities while expanding research opportunities, strengthening the available evidence, and improving health in our communities.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

Identify the characteristics that make research networks and participating sites ready for multisite clinical and translational research.
Describe strategies for connecting CTRs, CTSAs, practice-based research networks, health systems, and community-based networks across institutions and regions.
Explain how shared protocols, interoperable data, regulatory and analytic support, recruitment resources, and real-world evidence can support collaborative research.
Apply strategies for engaging primary care practices, pharmacies, rural health systems, public health agencies, patients, and communities as research partners.
Identify regional and national health priorities well suited to multisite investigation.
Evaluate the suitability of observational, implementation, pragmatic, adaptive, and other interventional approaches for studies conducted through distributed research networks.

This meeting is intended for investigators, clinicians, research and health system leaders, data scientists, public health professionals, primary care and rural health leaders, community partners, and regional and national program leaders involved in clinical and translational research.

Participation from practice-based research networks, health systems, pharmacies, public health agencies, and community organizations is particularly encouraged so the discussion reflects the settings in which multi-site research has to work and the communities it is intended to serve.

In support of improving patient care, University of Nebraska Medical Center is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians
This live activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Nurses
This activity has been approved for ANCC contact hours.

Registration Information

There is no fee to participate in this activity. However, registration is required.

The deadline to register is Nov. 2, 2026.

Late Registration:

Beginning Nov. 3, all registrations—online or on-site—will be considered late.
In-person late registrants are not guaranteed meals or conference materials, and space is subject to availability.

Online registration will remain open after Nov. 2. On-site (walk-in) registrations will also be accepted if space permits. Dietary accommodations are not guaranteed for late or on-site registrants.

If you need assistance with online registration, please call our Registration Office at 402-559-5929.

Cancel/Refund Policy

If you are registered for this activity and now can’t attend, please email registrationCCE@unmc.edu so your registration may be canceled.

Conference Director

Matthew Rizzo, MD, FAAN, FANA

Frances & Edgar Reynolds Chair
Professor, Department of Neurological Sciences; Principal Investigator, Director, Great Plains IDeA-CTR, UNMC

Questions?

Missy Edwards

Educational Projects Coordinator

Center for Continuing Education, UNMC

Send Email

Phone: 402-559-5915