Hopkins Business of Health Initiative: Request for Pilot Proposals (RFP)

Data-Driven Research to Advance Health and Health Care:

Leveraging Truveta, a National EHR Data Platform

 

Overview
The proliferation of data platforms standardizing Electronic Health Record (EHR) data across health systems presents a major opportunity for exploring new innovative research ideas that could not previously be addressed. This RFP aims to capitalize on this opportunity for researchers at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) by funding promising research and by fostering a user community to develop best practices for research using these new data platforms.

The Hopkins Business of Health Initiative (HBHI), the host of this initiative, welcomes proposals on any research topic, including those advancing the HBHI vision of a healthier nation supported by an affordable and equitable, high-value health system.  All research topics are welcome among principal investigators who are faculty members of Johns Hopkins University.

Truveta Overview
HBHI’s Hopkins Data Analytics Platform (HARP) has evaluated several Multi-Site EHR Data Platforms and selected Truveta for this pilot. While all platforms have trade-offs, Truveta will support our collaborative JHU user community through this pilot program.

Truveta provides person-level EHR data for over 100 million patients across 30+ U.S. health systems, standardized for comprehensive analysis. It links EHR data with claims, social determinants of health (SDOH), and mortality data. To learn more about the data beyond the Truveta website, you can log into a JHU-specific portal for codebooks, detailed data descriptions, training, and videos. Go here: Truveta.com/login and enter your [JHED_ID]@jh.edu in the email address to trigger JHU single sign-on (note, you are not creating a new account, you already have one, it needs to be activated by following these directions).

To continue learning as you put your application together, please join Truveta User Community meetings by emailing [email protected]; these will be held on the Second Thursday of each Month at 2pm starting February 12, 2025.

Truveta operates in a secure, cloud-based environment known as Truveta Studio, facilitating data exploration and analysis through three components: Prose for cohort creation, Snapshot to freeze the cohort and generate (and access) relevant data on that cohort and Notebooks for analysis.

  • Prose: A Truveta created SQL-like query builder where researchers define cohorts based on criteria. Prose usage is free.
  • A Snapshot: creates a fixed dataset for analysis. Fees are incurred upon creating the snapshot; these fees are determined by several factors, including the population size, sample proportion (1%-100%), number of tables selected, and the size of data the population contributes. More advanced users can create custom snapshots, with more limited data, and variables generated inside of Prose.
  • Notebooks: Advanced analysis tools (Spark, R, Python, SQL). Fees apply based on computational resources consumed, which depend on the size of the data snapshot, and complexity (and time spent) on the analysis.

 

 

Pilot Grant Program Intent and Structure

The pilot program is meant to facilitate use of the platform to learn the capabilities and limitations of the Truveta data.  To be a part of this learning community, we seek investigators with promising ideas that are likely to lead to external research funding and/or high-impact publications.  We will ultimately award up to six projects a total of $30,000 in pilot funds.

The RFP will proceed in two phases. Phase 1will award 10+ projects, at a maximum of $5,000, to cover the Truveta fees incurred learning the platform, exploring the feasibility of the project, and developing a rigorous approach to complete a full pilot project application and/or secure external funding.  $5,000 should provide sufficient funding to build a cohort of 50,000 patients or less and conduct basic analyses, but note that there is a risk of overages during this phase.  We will work with you to minimize these risks which is why participation in JHU Truveta user group meetings will be a requirement of pilot participation. This user group will support Group learning with data and vignettes from the platform, and presentations of JHU researchers work in progress.

Initial RFP (Max of $5,000 in covered Truveta fees): Due March 1, 2025    

Final RFP (an additional max of $25,000 to cover Truveta fees and personnel costs): Due Sept 1, 2025, but awards will be granted on a rolling basis.

Instructions for Initial RFP

Please submit proposals to [email protected] with subject line “2025 Truveta Pilot Proposal.” Proposals should include Biosketches of PI and Co-investigators and a one-page project description (single-spaced, 11-point font) with the following information:

  • Statement of the project’s significance, specific aims, and impact
  • Role of Truveta data in accomplishing aims
  • Statement of future potential such as how this step will lead to a larger external funding project or agenda.  Is this work part of a center or larger research agenda?  If so, please describe along with any relevant mentorship.
  • We are not requesting an approach section, a budget, nor a timeline.  These would be a part of the Final RFP Application.
  • SCORING CRITERIA:
    • Significance and impact: The importance of the research question within the investigators area of scientific inquiry.
    • Appropriateness.  The degree to which the Truveta data is appropriate for advancing stated aims.
    • Potential. The prospect that this initial RFP and the investigative team will continue to advance this agenda with Truveta data and/or obtain external funding.   

Reminders:

  • Deadline: March 15, 2025.
  • Awards start April 15, 2025.
  • PI must be a faculty member of Johns Hopkins University.
  • Award will be a maximum of $5,000 of covered Truveta use fees until Sept 30, 2025.
  • Awardees must agree to the Terms of Use Agreement

Instructions for Final RFP

Please submit proposals to [email protected] with subject line “2025 Truveta – Final Pilot Proposal.” Proposals should include Biosketches of PI and Co-investigators and a two-page project description (single-spaced, 11-point font) with the following information:

  • Statement of the project’s significance, specific aims, and impact
  • Role of Truveta data in accomplishing aims
  • Statement of future potential including how this pilot will lead to a larger external funding project or agenda
  • The approach: the sample sizes, key variables and their construction, approach to addressing missing data issues, and analytical methods. This should include the details developed during the initial phase.
  • Project budget. Describe and justify the specific items to be funded by the grant (one page). Most critical is an estimate of the Truveta payments that will be required to accomplish aims. Funds are intended to support these fees plus personnel time for analysis. Faculty salary support is permitted. Timeline limited to 12 months. Formal budget and application approvals will be required after the proposal is selected. Indirect costs are not permitted.
  • SCORING CRITERIA:
    • Impact. The significance of the problem and the potential for new insights advancing health and/or health services and/or the science your topic seeks to advance. 
    • Methods. The appropriateness and methodological rigor of the scientific plan and the use of Truveta data as the optimal source of data for the question.
    • Contributions to Collective Learning. Consider how the project will contribute to shared knowledge within the research community and beyond.
    • Future potential. The likelihood that successful completion of this pilot project would lead to external funding.
    • Investigators. The qualifications of the investigators and the degree to which they will support or be supported by the user community.

Reminders:

  • Deadline: Sept 1, 2025.
  • Awards granted by Oct 15, 2025.
  • PI must be a full-time faculty member of Johns Hopkins University.
  • Award will be a maximum of $25,000.

Awardees must agree to Terms of Use Agreement