A nationwide research team led by UNMC investigators has been recognized by the Journal of Rural Health for its article documenting higher COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality rates in rural America.
The journal awarded the team’s submission as its 2023 Article of the Year, commending its “vital and timely research.” The research team was honored at the National Rural Health Association’s annual meeting in San Diego on May 16-19.
The research team’s study, published in January 2023, used the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) to document COVID-19’s impact on rural areas. Led by Jerrod Anzalone, a clinical research informatics specialist in the UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences and PhD candidate in biomedical informatics, the investigator team assessed more than 1 million patients from 44 U.S. hospital systems diagnosed with COVID-19.
Said Anzalone, “This study highlights the need for continued understanding of the underlying origins of the growing health divide in rural America. UNMC is at the forefront of efforts to leverage real-world evidence to best understand challenges faced in rural America.”
The N3C Data Enclave is a secure platform through which harmonized clinical data provided by contributing member health care institutions are stored. The enclave includes demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who have been tested for or diagnosed with COVID-19 and further information about the strategies and outcomes of treatments for those suspected or confirmed to have the virus. It represents the largest limited data set gathered in U.S. history.
Along with UNMC, the N3C Rural Health Domain Team includes participants from more than 15 institutions.
The Great Plains IDeA-CTR, a UNMC-led collaboration between nine regional institutions to advance clinical and translational research in Nebraska, is among the organizations supporting the effort.
Said Matt Rizzo, MD, principal investigator of the Great Plains IDeA-CTR and chair of the UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences, “We’re deeply committed to care for all, everywhere, including our underserved rural community members, who have suffered disproportionately from the pandemic and its aftermath. Our UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences is proud of Jerrod’s leadership in this work, particularly in light of the great emerging burden on the mind and brain health and other adverse neurological outcomes associated with the SARS-CoV-2 infection that causes COVID.”
UNMC also is involved in a pilot project among 10 academic medical centers to expand the N3C beyond COVID-19. The pilot, which runs through the end of 2023, has three research arms focused on COPD, renal disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Congratulations, Jerrod and team!
Well done Jerrod !
Congrats Jerrod and Team!!!
This is fantastic! Congratulations Jerrod & team!
Congrats. I am so proud of you. I knew you were special. I just didn’t know how special. I am glad I worked with you as long as I did.