‘All-hands-on-deck’: Four Idaho institutions partner to address healthcare needs across the state

In a rural state with no academic research-based medical school, Boise State, Idaho State University, the University of Idaho and the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center collaborated to address the need for clinical and translational research in Idaho.

The National Institute of Health recently awarded the four institutional partners $10.7 million to form the Healthy Idaho Clinical and Translational Research Development Program (CTR-D). Under the CTR-D, these institutional partners will work with four clinical affiliates, St. Luke’s, St. Alphonsus, Kootenai Health and the Idaho Community Health Center Association to support clinical and translational research across the state and healthcare access for Idaho residents.

“It was an all-hands-on-deck, full-court press effort. With multiple institutional partners, clinical affiliates and community health centers involved, it required extraordinary coordination, attention to detail,and constant communication,” said Director of Research and Development Chad Watson.

With these institutions and clinical affiliates working together, the CTR-D plans to enhance clinical and translational research while addressing healthcare needs in rural and urban Idaho populations.

Jana LaRosa, the assistant vice president for research advancement and strategy at the university, said Boise State and Idaho State University first requested funding in November 2023, and then submitted a revised proposal in October 2024. The final proposal, which LaRosa said exceeded 600 pages, earned a notice of award funding on Sept. 1.

The Healthy Idaho CTR-D comprises four clinical cores, each addressing different program needs: community engagement and outreach, research design compliance and data management, professional development and healthy research.

“For a highly rural state like Idaho that is big geographically and so spread out … one of the ways that you can start to build the network capacity to do this kind of research is to build a Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN),” LaRosa said.

A PBRN is “a network of hospitals, usually clinics, that work together to solve a clinical problem”, said Boise State’s Director for Clinical and Translational Research, Cheryl Jorcyk. 

Jorcyk noted the community engagement and outreach core is working to form an Idaho PBRN, which will work with the state to identify the main health issues in Idaho, creating opportunities for the CTR-D to focus on these needs in the future.

“The CTRD creates efficiencies and allows the ability to focus our priorities on Idaho health means,” LaRosa said, noting the partnership creates infrastructure for and funding research across health systems, PBRNs and research institutions.

Now, researchers across Idaho can write letters of intent for Pilot and Developmental Grants. Assistant professors, “young researchers” and investigators will be selected by the institution or clinic they are a part of to submit letters of intent, Jorcyk said. These letters will then be reviewed by a panel modeled after the NIH within the CTR-D.

The final applicants selected for funding will then need to be approved by the NIH. Half a million dollars worth of funding will then be awarded to these finalists to conduct their proposed clinical research, which is estimated to begin in the fall of 2026.

“If they don’t get their letter of intent approved, we have a professional development core, and they’re getting set up to help those people who don’t get selected, so they’re in a better position next year,” Jorcyk added.

During this time, the CTR-D’s research design compliance and data core (RDCD) is creating a secure enclave for research, a highly protected cloud-based system for holding patient data. The enclave allows Pilot grant recipients to work with biostatisticians in tracking and analyzing patient data, designing studies and maintaining patient anonymity.

“We have to come together and develop the governance on how we’re going to work together,” LaRosa said, noting this is especially important when it comes to working with the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA).

Partnering with the VA allows the partners to work with its non-profit branch for academic-style research, LaRosa said. Jorcyk emphasized this sentiment and said the partnership expands the CTR-D’s network and ability to facilitate research not just in health clinics and hospitals, but with veterans whom the VA serves. 

“Between the VA having researchers that do clinical research, having an education mission and being able to work with other people and collaborate with other researchers, it was a good fit for us to include them,” Jorcyk said. 

Because the VA is a federal organization, veterans’ data is protected and will not be a part of the enclave. Instead, this partnership requires researchers in the CTR-D’s network to address clinical research needs for veterans by working on-site at the VA. 

Jorcyk highlighted opportunities to expand the CTR-D’s network, partner with other groups and ultimately bridge gaps in the research capacity throughout the state. Watson relayed this sentiment, noting his excitement at seeing the CTR-D gain momentum.

“Through initiatives like the Healthy Idaho CTR-D, students can be part of research and community-engagement efforts that contribute to the health and well-being of Idaho’s communities,” he said. “These experiences can be career-defining for students and life-changing for the people and places their work touches.”