Improving Surgical Outcomes through Innovative Interventions
Outcomes research is applied clinical and population-based research that seeks to study and optimize the end results of healthcare in terms of benefits to patients and society.
This research identifies shortfalls in practice in order to develop strategies to improve care.
Outcomes research is critical to the field of surgery, as it directly impacts healthcare delivery and financial reimbursement, and will likely drive the consumer healthcare market to which we are currently transitioning.
To this end, our Surgical Outcomes Analysis Research (SOAR) Collaborative was founded in 2014.
Surgeons have to play an active role in identifying problems, developing outcomes measures that are appropriate, and actively engaging in the process of improvement.
Our SOAR Collaborative brings together faculty, residents, and students with an interest in outcomes-based research, clinical effectiveness, and healthcare policy.
SOAR aims to examine quality, delivery, and financing of healthcare in order to improve patient care through system improvements.
This group works together on addressing critical healthcare problems related to both specific surgical disciplines and to surgery as a whole.
Through analysis of data with both traditional and innovative research models, our SOAR group is driving improvements in healthcare and strives to significantly impact public policy and patient intervention.
SOAR requires a multidisciplinary team, and is open to all members of the Stony Brook faculty, residents, or students with an interest in healthcare outcomes and clinical effectiveness research — regardless of research experience.
We have numerous active research projects across several divisions of the Department of Surgery, with focus on vascular, plastic and reconstructive, colorectal, pediatric, hepato-biliary, bariatric, foregut, advanced gastrointestinal, and general surgery.
SOAR investigates diseases treated with surgery, analyzing factors that affect the outcomes, and providing innovative interventions.
Research from this collaborative has already gained national attention, and been presented at prestigious meetings, with the vast majority as oral presentations in plenaries and papers sessions.
These meetings include Digestive Disease Week via the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Obesity Week via the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Annual Meeting of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), and the Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons, among others.
Interested individuals are asked to attend biweekly meetings focusing on participant initiated research ideas that are either discipline specific or concern overarching healthcare issues.
Faculty participants are paired with either a resident and/or medical student to further develop and carry projects to completion.
Residents, medical students, and healthcare policy students may also present research ideas for discussion and will be partnered with a faculty mentor to aid with project design and execution.
To aid with this process, an experienced advisory board consisting of members of the Department of Surgery, Program in Public Health, Department of Economics, and Department of Preventive Medicine has been convened.
This board is charged with providing feedback and direction for SOAR’s research agenda and application of acquired data to health policy and intervention. The board will provide advice, expertise, and recommendations to interested parties presenting research concepts.
Current advisory board members are:
- Konstantinos Spaniolas, MD, associate professor of surgery and director of SOAR;
- Lisa A. Benz Scott, PhD, associate professor of health technology and management, and director of the Program in Public Health;
- John Rizzo, PhD, professor of economics and preventive medicine;
- A. Laurie W. Shroyer, PhD, MSHA, professor of surgery and vice chair for research.
If you are a member of the Stony Brook University community and are interested in participating in our SOAR Collaborative, or have questions about it, please contact Dr. Spaniolas via his email. To join our SOAR list serve to receive email reminders about meeting dates and locations, please email him as well.
