About New Jersey Primary Care Research Network

(NJPCRN)

History of the Network

The NJPCRN, founded in 2001 by the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is New Jersey’s only Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-recognized Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN). It is one of the largest and most successful PBRNs in the U.S. including over 300 primary care physicians caring for more than 750,000 patients across approximately 120 primary care practices. Participating practices are located throughout New Jersey in a variety of urban, suburban, and semi-rural settings and serve one of the most diverse populations in the country.


The network was initially developed by the Department of Family Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in partnership with the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians and two other Departments of Family Medicine, the Departments of Family Medicine at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School (now Rutgers New Jersey Medical School) and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Osteopathic Medicine (now Rowan University, New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine) and led by Benjamin Crabtree, Ph.D. from 2004 to 2011. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) first provided infrastructure funding for the development of the network as a shared resource of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Over 20-plus years since its establishment, the network has served as the “laboratory” for a series of observational and intervention studies including those funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Cancer Institute, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.  These studies have brought more than $30 million in total research funding, led to numerous research presentations and publications, and have influenced primary care practice across the country. In 2015, the NJPCRN received an award from AHRQ as one of 173 PBRNs registered with the national AHRQ PBRN Resource Center.

Since September 2012, Jeanne Ferrante, MD MPH has served as Director of NJPCRN. Currently, the network is also led by Project Director Ann M. Nguyen, PhD MPH.

To learn more about AHRQ Practice-Based Research Networks, visit:
https://pbrn.ahrq.gov/

NJPCRN Infographic