Boston HealthNet (BHN) Research Collaborative

BHN Research Collaborative

BHN is an integrated health care system consisting of Boston Medical Center and 11 Community Health Centers dedicated to improving the health of Boston’s low-income and minority populations. Boston University and Boston Medical Center researchers collaborate with the Community Health Centers of the BHN.
Click here to submit a research request to one of our health center partners after reading through the tabs below.

Note: If you are a researcher who plans to work with the Collaborative, submitting a request is only the first step in this process. The responsibility to build relationships with your intended health center partners and move the research forward is dependent on you!

BHN Patient Population Snapshot

2021 Uniform Data Systems (UDS) Data

Research Collaborative Participating CHCs
  • Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
  • Codman Square Health Center
  • DotHouse Health
  • Greater Roslindale Medical & Dental Center
  • Manet Community Health Center
  • Mattapan Community Health Center
  • Neighbor Health
  • South Boston Community Health Center
Steps for Partnering with Health Centers in Research Projects
  1. Step 1: Review the Health Center Bios to identify potential partners
    • Health Center Bios include patient demographics of the CHC, the CHC’s research priorities, and best practices of research methodology

    Step 2: Review the Guiding Principles and Rules of Engagement and complete the BHN Project Request Form

    Use the BHN Project Request Form to outline your proposed project as soon as you have a project in mind, ideally one month before grant submission.

    • Submitting the form automatically sends an email to the Research Liaison for each Health Center checked in the survey
    • The Guiding Principles and Rules of Engagement is utilized by CHCs in decision-making for research participation. By including Health Centers in planning, we aim to turn participation into equitable partnership and ensure regular and transparent communication and that Health Center workflow impact and necessary supports are being considered
    • Questions populated in the form will depend on which category your project falls under. This question is essential to make sure the appropriate information is collected. Categories include:
      1. Planning for grant submission and would like to partner with a BHN CHC
      2. Funding awarded, but project has not started and would like to partner with a BHN CHC
      3. Active research project in which you would like to add an addendum to include a BHN CHC
      4. Data only: Request for CHC data use in active research study (to be abstracted from the CDW)
      5. Data only: Request for CHC data use in feasibility analysis (to be abstracted from the CDW)
    • Special cases to consider:
      1. If you are in the process of completing or have already completed an IRB application, the BHN Project Request Form will replace the old Project Summary Form. The Research Liaison will return the Request Form with the appropriate signature to the IRB once the Health Center(s) Leadership has approved participation in the project.
      2. Requests for data from the Clinical Data Warehouse (CDW) must first be submitted and approved by the CDW
      3. Aggregate count requests are approved by the BHN Research Data Review Committee and will have a 2-business day turnaround time.

          Step 3: Research Liaisons will provide a written decision on research participation within 2 weeks of receiving requests.

          Step 4: Once the partnership has been established and both parties are in agreement, the CHC will provide a signed Approval Letter for you to submit to the IRB. At that point research activities may begin within the CHC.

        Where to Direct Inquiries

        If you have any questions about the BHN Research Collaborative or would like to schedule a consultation, please reach out to bhnrc@bu.edu

        Forms and Resources