Every few weeks, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from an OCRI team member. The work our staff does on a daily basis is what moves research forward and ultimately improves patient care. We are grateful for their hard work and excited for you to get to know the people that run this research institute. Without further ado…
Meet our newest Registry Manager, James Lastra!
James co-leads a robust team responsible for planning, building, and maintaining many large data registries. This is where OrthoCarolina Research Institute (OCRI) houses information for distinct patient populations (e.g., amputees, infected total joint replacements) in an effort to track their outcomes, and as a means to inform research studies. These databases are integral to current and future research at OrthoCarolina.
James also has the highly esteemed role as OCRI’s official Trivia Tuesdays MC.
Let’s get to know James…
Q: How long have you been at OCRI?
A: 2 years
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: You mean, when I’m not selecting Tuesday’s trivia topics and tracking data? You’ll find me hiking, camping, traveling, playing guitar, paintball, practicing yoga, and/or drinking good bourbon.
Q: You just started your new role of Registry Manager, what did you do before?
A: I’m currently transitioning from my former role as the Data Coordinator. Historically as Data Coordinator, I have been responsible for running queries to identify patient cohorts for Physician Initiated retrospective or retro/pro studies. About 96 percent of the research conducted at OCRI depends on these retrospective queries.
Moreover, I was responsible for cleaning the data up and building the infrastructure in our data collection software program, REDCap, so our physicians here at OrthoCarolina can efficiently review the patients’ medical history and answer research questions. There are many other responsibilities as Data Coordinator, but I’ll save those so my successor has something to talk about when it’s their turn to do the spotlight!
Q What is something that you’re currently working on that particularly excites or interests you?
A: I am currently working on a resiliency study here at OCRI, which I think is a really cool study.
(Editor’s Note: Read more about that study here» What if we were able to customize care based on patient behavior?)
Patient satisfaction is an important part of outcomes research in healthcare. The primary aim of this study is to determine if a patient’s psychological “resiliency” and “grit” can predict their post-procedure satisfaction. Every patient is different, and I think allowing key aspects of our patient’s psychology to help inform how we care for them during their follow up period (just as we do if the patient has diabetes or hypertension) can go a long way in improving the already amazing practice we have here at OrthoCarolina.
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