The Center for Health Organization Transformation, or CHOT, was an industry-university cooperative research center (I/UCRC) funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (in the period 2010-2023) and industrial partners to conduct research supporting major management, clinical, and information technology innovations in healthcare.
CHOT conducts research to support the implementation of evidence-based transformational strategies within healthcare organizations. Our research model relies on the knowledge and experience of healthcare leaders to guide academic research. This cooperative model ensures that the research is both meaningful and applicable to the healthcare industry and provides immediate decision support for CHOT members. CHOT has engaged with more than 25 industry partners to conduct a broad range of health and healthcare research. Our industry partners have been diverse and included large healthcare systems, insurers, non-profits, and long-term care facilities.
During the period of 2010-2023, Penn State engaged several industry partners (e.g., AT&T, Highmark, Siemens, Hershey Medical Center, PA Office of Rural Health, Susan G. Komen), totaling more than $2.0 million in research contributions. Some examples of past research projects led by Penn State University Site include (1) Virtual Reality For Health Systems Simulation; (2) Privacy-Preserving Data Analytics for Smart and Interconnected Health Systems; (3) Data-enabled Predictive Modeling and Intervention Optimization of Breast Cancer; (4) Prediction and Intervention Models for Combating the Opioid Epidemic; (4) Covid-19 Epidemic Informatics and Control; (5) Telemedicine in Primary Care & in the Management of Chronic Conditions: Exploring Patient & Provider Perspectives. The research conducted through all of CHOT’s projects helps healthcare administrators, policymakers and other key decision-makers facilitate knowledge generation and innovation within their organizations.
Furthermore, CHOT focuses on student training and workforce development. Penn State CHOT trained and graduated a large cohort of undergraduate students, master students and doctoral students. CHOT engages students in research, allowing them the opportunity to experience the significance and importance of industry partnership to drive practical applications of research. This training provides students with the necessary skills to design and implement real-world research in their future career. These students are now working in the healthcare industry (e.g., Siemens Healthineers, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Highmark), joining US universities as faculty members (e.g., University of Miami, University of Oklahoma, University of Tenessee, University of Connecticut), or pursuing an advanced degree. Research outcomes of CHOT faculty and students are broadly disseminated in peer-reviewed publications, university seminars, conference presentations, industry talks, social media (e.g., YouTube, Twitter and Linkedin).