Office of Research Focus
DHHA’s Coherent Research Platform focuses on reducing disparities within patient care by blending research with clinical innovation. As a safety net provider, meaning we help all patients regardless of their ability to pay, we are well-positioned to:
Implement different methods to deliver healthcare to patients with a focus on disparities and payment systems;
- Examine medical neighborhoods with focus on social risk factors;
- Learn constantly the developments in healthcare, its delivery, and methods to ensure its coordination and continuity to guarantee high quality care; and
- Investigate the effectiveness of different outreach efforts on engaging safety net populations, particularly those with barriers to enrolling in insurance programs for which they are eligible.
Office of Research Divisions
Center for Health Systems Research (CHSR)
The CHSR’s primary mission is to conduct and support research that fits within the framework of a learning health system. This includes patient-centered outcomes research, health services research, implementation and delivery system science and further research that enhances operational excellence and service at DHHA. CHSR aims to be the scientific hub within the Office of Research to facilitate participation and partnership.
CHSR investigators
have obtained funding through National Institutes of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Office of Population Affairs (OPA), Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (COEDIT).
Sponsored Programs and Research Office (SPARO)
DHHA provides grant management support through SPARO with the administrative, financial and regulatory compliance capacity necessary to manage a grant portfolio of over $67 million. SPARO is housed in the Office of Research and serves as DHHA’s official centralized research coordinating office. They assist in managing funding support for research, instruction, public service, and other special projects. SPARO also houses clinical trial services including comprehensive coverage analysis, budgeting, financial tracking, billing and Institutional Review Board (IRB) support, contracting, ClinicalTrials.gov support, audit preparation and facilitation, and clinical trials management system administration.
SPARO
monitors compliance with federal regulation, and institutional and sponsoring agency policies regarding financial management of sponsored research programs. SPARO functions as a liaison between sponsors and principal investigators in matters of policy, procedures, and regulations. SPARO also provides communication, education, and training on proposals, awards, and contracts.
Research Methods Core (RMC)
RMC aims to foster collaboration and engagement in research taking place at Denver Health. Throughout the year, RMC sponsors:
- A Research Seminar Series that includes 'Grand Rounds' style presentations, and
- Research Workshops, facilitated by subject matter experts, which provide a deeper dive into research topics. \
Embedded within a learning health system, the focus of RMC is to advance knowledge, highlight current evidence, and facilitate collaboration in our applied healthcare system. With the RMC, the Office of Research increases awareness of research, promote collaborations, provide learning opportunities for applied research methods, and accelerate the adoption of evidence-based services.
Surveillance, Quality, and Research Data (SQuRD) Steering Committee
DHHA is engaged in a broad array of quality improvement, research, and surveillance activities. As a learning health system, DHHA seeks to provide standardized data resources for clinicians, researchers, and public health stakeholders to use. The SQuRD Committee oversees the development, distribution, and maintenance of shared surveillance and research enterprise data resources.
Community Advisory Panel (CAP)
The Community Advisory Panel (CAP) was established in 2014 and consists of community members who represent the DHHA patient population. The CAP provides culturally responsive community perspectives to guide the development and implementation of initiatives at DHHA. CAP members directly advise on the design, conduct, and interpretation of research projects and organizational initiatives, provide input to Denver Health’s Ethics Committee, and serve on search committees for leadership positions.
Romana Hasnain-Wynia is the Chief Research Officer at Denver Health where she oversees Denver Health’s research and sponsored programs through the Office of Research and represents research interests as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. She also actively mentors junior investigators at Denver Health and the University of Colorado, Denver.
Prior to joining Denver Health, Dr. Hasnain-Wynia served as the director of the Addressing Disparities program at the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute where she was responsible for providing strategic oversight and leadership for the program’s funding priorities. Prior to PCORI, she was the director of the Center for Health Care Equity and Associate Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She spent a decade at the American Hospital Association’s Health Research and Educational Trust, where she was Vice President of Research.
She has been the principal investigator for a number of national studies focusing on advancing equity in health care with an emphasis on developing and integrating equity measurement in health systems. She uses mixed methods approaches in her research and has expertise in designing pragmatic trials in “real world settings.” Dr. Hasnain-Wynia serves on a number of committees for organizations, including the Brookings Institution, National Quality Forum, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Medicine. She currently serves on the board of trustees for the Colorado Health Institute and on the editorial boards of the journals Health Affairs and Health Services Research.
