Abstract
Background: Networks are frequently viewed as important for moving innovation beyond the boundaries of individual organizations, especially for enhancing translational research. This study used social network analysis to discover the extent and nature of involvement in collaborative relationships among the key organizations participating in cancer research activities in Arizona.
Methods: Data were collected in 2007 from 18 of 21 organizations involved in research in the Arizona Cancer Coalition, including academic institutions, private research institutes, and organizations dedicated to healthcare delivery, public health and support/advocacy. Key informants in each organization reported their collaborative relationships with every other organization in the Coalition for each of three types of cancer research activities, discovery, development, and delivery (3D). Data were analyzed using network analytic software (UCInet). Network measures included two global ‘whole network’ measures (network centralization and density) and one organizational level measure (degree centrality).
Results: The results of the network analysis showed the most highly connected, or dense, network ties were found when cancer research focused on delivery, closely followed by discovery. Organizational centrality in the development network is highly and positively correlated with both centrality in the discovery (r=.71, p<.001) and the delivery networks (r=.77, p<.001). In contrast, the relationship between centrality in the discovery and delivery network is quite weak (r=.33, not significant).These findings are consistent with the fact that discovery and delivery are at opposite ends of the research continuum, and thus, the central actors in each network are less likely to overlap. In addition, the importance of cancer research to an organization's mission is strong and positive, but only for the discovery (r=.61, p≤.01) and development (r=.51, p≤.05) networks
Conclusions: The research demonstrated how network analysis can be used to understand the extent to which organizations involved in cancer research are able to collaborate both within and across the 3D continuum. Findings suggested substantial differences in network involvement, depending on the type of research being conducted, while also demonstrating the key role played by a comprehensive cancer center in connecting organizations that might be involved in very different aspects of the research process.
Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):B13.
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