Rochester Epidemiology Project
| Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) |
|
| Abbreviation |
REP |
| Motto |
Improving Community Health Through Research |
| Formation |
1966 |
| Type |
Community-based health research project |
| Legal status |
NIH-funded project |
| Purpose/focus |
Research |
| Location |
Rochester, Minnesota |
| Region served |
Southeast Minnesota |
| Principal Investigators |
Walter A. Rocca and Barbara P. Yawn |
| Website |
rochesterproject.org |
The Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) is a unique research infrastructure that has existed since 1966, and allows for population-based medical research in Olmsted County, Minnesota. The project has been continually funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1966. Specifically, the REP links together medical diagnosis and procedure information across all medical providers in the county. The project is a collaboration between Olmsted Medical Center, the Mayo Clinic, and Rochester Family Medicine Clinic.
History
The REP was originally funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences in 1966 under the direction of Dr. Leonard T. Kurland,[1] a neurologist who started his career at the NIH and moved to Olmsted County, Minnesota when he realized the great benefit to medical research that a population-based record linkage system could have.[2][3] More recently, the study funding source changed to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, and as of July 2010 the REP is funded by the National Institute on Aging. Olmsted County was an optimal location for such a population-based research infrastructure because the county is relatively isolated from other metropolitan centers, because almost all medical care is received within the county and all medical specialties are available to county residents, and because the Mayo Clinic already maintained a dossier-type medical record system dating to the early 1900s.
Scientific Contributions
The REP has contributed significantly to the understanding of many diseases, including epilepsy,[4] rheumatoid arthritis,[5] osteoporosis,[6] Parkinson’s Disease,[7] dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease,[8] heart failure,[9] stroke,[10] multiple myeloma,[11] and many others. Since its inception, the REP has supported more than 2,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications spanning almost every field of medicine.
References
- ^ Whisnant, JP; Mulder DW. (2002). "Leonard T. Kurland: 1921-2001.". Ann Neurol. (5): 663. PMID 12112123.
- ^ Melton, LJ III. (1996). "History of the Rochester Epidemiology Project.". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. (71): 266–274. PMID 8594285.
- ^ Kurland, LT; Molgaard CA. (1981). "The patient record in epidemiology.". Scientific American. (245): 54–63. PMID 7027437.
- ^ Annegers, JF.; Rocca WA, Hauser WA. (1996). "Causes of epilepsy: Contributions of the Rochester Epidemiology Project". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. (71): 570–5. PMID 8642886.
- ^ Maradit Kremers, H.; Crowson CS, Gabriel SE. (2004). "Rochester Epidemiology Project: A unique resource for research in the rheumatic diseases.". Rheum Dis Clin N Am (30): 819–34. PMID 15488695.
- ^ Richelson, LS.; Wahner HW, Melton LJ III, Riggs BL. (1984). "Relative contributions of aging and estrogen deficiency to postmenopausal bone loss.". N Engl J Med. (20): 1273–5. doi:10.1056/NEJM198411153112002. PMID 6493283.
- ^ Bower, JH.; Maraganore DM, McDonnell SK, Rocca WA. (1999). "Incidence and distribution of parkinsonism in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1976-1990.". Neurology (52): 1214–20. PMID 10214746.
- ^ Schoenberg, BS; Kokmen E, Okazaki H. (1987). "Alzheimer's disease and other dementing illnesses in a defined United States population: Incidence rates and clinical features.". Ann Neurology (22): 724–9. PMID 3435081.
- ^ Hellermann, JP; Goraya TY, Jacobsen SJ, Weston SA, Reeder GS, Gersh BJ, Redfield MM, Rodeheffer RJ, Yawn BP, Roger VL. (2003). "Incidence of heart failure after myocardial infarction: Is it changing over time?". Am J Epidemiol (157): 1101–7. PMID 12796046.
- ^ Whisnant, JP; O'Fallon WM, Sicks J, Ingall T. (1993). "Stroke incidence with hypertension and ischemic heart disease in Rochester, Minnesota.". Ann Epidemiol (3): 480–2. PMID 8167822.
- ^ Kyle, RA; Therneau TM, Rajkumar SV, Larson DR, Plevak MF, Melton LJ III (2004). "Incidence of multiple myeloma in Olmsted County, Minnesota: Trend over 6 decades.". Cancer (101): 2667–74. doi:10.1002/cncr.20652. PMID 15481060.
External links