Research Committee Update

The SOCCA Research Committee met in-person during the February 2020 SCCM Congress in Orlando. We arrived upon several goals further outlined below. While progress has been slower than planned for obvious reasons, we remain committed to gradually ramping up over the coming weeks.

The committee has long envisioned establishing a SOCCA Research Network: a multicenter research consortium dedicated to collaborative research in intensive care medicine. The primary focus would be on clinical research in the perioperative intensive care medicine domain (i.e., at the interface of surgery, anesthesiology, and critical care). The network would thus be highly interdisciplinary and inclusive. While clinical observational studies and clinical trials would be a natural fit, the network could also be leveraged for other types of research in the basic, translational, quality/safety, and educational spaces. The initial steps are to recruit a community of engaged SOCCA members, develop tools for multi-site data collection (e.g., REDCap, single IRB), establish a system of governance and oversight, and establish rules for data sharing. The medium- and longer-term goals are to position the network so that it can serve as an engine for highly competitive grant proposals to the NIH and other funding bodies.

The Research Committee would also like to facilitate the planning and writing of white papers on relevant topics in perioperative intensive care. The methodology of these might include deliberations of consensus conferences, clinical guidelines, and research agendas. Our plan is to engage with Research Committee members and, more broadly, SOCCA members on topics that would be appropriate.

Looking ahead, the Research Committee is engaged in supporting the Education Committee in planning the SOCCA Annual Meeting and other educational content. This fits within a broader strategic interest for SOCCA committees to align and integrate their efforts. This was discussed on a conference call between Chairs of the Research, Education, and Communications committees, as well as with Dr. Ashish Khanna, who is leading organization of the 2021 Annual Meeting. There is certainly a need for clinically focused educational material, as that is what the SOCCA members want and expect. The Research Committee could propose content concerning both methodology and original research. It could also help with vetting of meeting abstracts and selecting research award winners. Our plan moving forward is for the Research Committee, Education Committee, and Dr. Khanna to work together in planning further for 2021.

Author

Robert D. Stevens, MD, FCCM

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland