Department of Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Matern Child Health J. 2010 Jan;14(1):9-19. doi: 10.1007/s10995-009-0484-z. Epub 2009 Aug 22.
To describe the evolution, accomplishments, and limitations of a research consortium after 25 years of existence. A narrative historical account supplemented by data documenting citations to all group papers. In 1980 the Research Consortium on Children with Chronic Conditions was established. Since then, we have met 2-3 times a year to discuss issues related to research and policies for children with special health care needs. We describe the origin of the Consortium, its operation, and some of its accomplishments, as well as the difficulties it encountered. Our interactions helped promote and sustain research on an emerging topic and did so in an interdisciplinary manner. We include a citation analysis suggesting that group papers published by Consortium members are reasonably well cited by others. We believe our work has been of value in developing influencing research, clinical practice, and policy. This paper is intended to serve as a guide for others who believe that this type of interaction can do much to promote an emerging field. However, it also highlights some of the difficulties in forging and maintaining a productive, research-focused relationship over an extended period of time. The most important lesson learned is that a small group of committed individuals able to meet on a regular basis can accelerate movement in a new field. However, unless stable funding can be secured, maintaining a consortium is truly challenging.
描述一个研究联盟在 25 年的存在之后的发展、成就和局限性。这是一篇叙事性的历史叙述，辅以记录所有团体论文被引用情况的数据。1980 年，成立了儿童慢性病研究联盟。从那时起，我们每年开会 2-3 次，讨论与特殊健康需求儿童的研究和政策相关的问题。我们描述了联盟的起源、运作方式和一些成就，以及它所遇到的困难。我们的互动有助于促进和维持对一个新兴主题的研究，并以跨学科的方式进行。我们包括一项引文分析，表明联盟成员发表的团体论文被其他人合理地引用。我们相信我们的工作在发展有影响力的研究、临床实践和政策方面具有价值。本文旨在为那些认为这种互动可以在很大程度上促进一个新兴领域的人提供指导。然而，它也突出了在较长时间内建立和维持富有成效的、以研究为重点的关系所面临的一些困难。我们学到的最重要的一点是，一小群有决心的人能够定期会面，可以加速新领域的发展。然而，除非能够获得稳定的资金，否则维持一个联盟确实具有挑战性。
