LA Net Advisory
Council Members

John A Kotick, JD (Chairman)
Family Health Care Centers of Greater Los Angeles

Mohsen Bazargan, Ph.D.
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science

Condessa Curley, MD
Eisner Pediatrics and Family Medical Center

Ignacio DeArtola , MD
Cleaver Family Wellness Center

Grace Floutsis, MD
Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero

Lillian Gelberg, MD, MSPH
University of California, Los Angeles

Ricardo G. Hahn, MD
University of Southern California

Sally Hur, Pharm. D.
QueensCare, Echo Park

Sarah Ingersoll, MSN, MBA, RN
American Medical Informatics Association
University of Southern California

Cristina Jose Kampher, PhD
AltaMed

June Levine. RN, MSN
Access to Care Collaborative

Carmela Lomonaco, PhD

Imelda Meza, MA
The Children’s Clinic

Kiki Nocella, PhD
University of California, Riverside

Felix Nuñez, MD, MPH
Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County

Elise Pomerance, MD
East Valley Community Health Center

Jehni Robinson, MD
The Los Angeles Free Clinic

Michael A. Rodríguez, MD, MPH
University of California, Los Angeles

Richard Seidman, MD, MPH
LA Care

Maureen Strohm, MD
California Hospital Medical Center

Ava Lenda Waldman
AIDS Research Alliance

There are four governing bodies for LA Net. Our advisory committee provides expertise in local, state and national issues surrounding health care for underserved populations. The Network Governance Council provides leadership to the network and its members. Issues surrounding implementation and maintenance of the network including the development of policies and procedures are handled through the Network Governance Council. The third committee, Research Advisory Council, is composed of leading researchers from various disciplines with expertise in primary care research methods and will provide assistance to network members on the design, implementation and interpretations of the network studies as well as assess the feasibility of the study proposals. The four committee, Member Services Council, is comprised of practice members of the network including representatives from the various professions within a practice. This committee will act as the liaison between the network membership and the other network councils. This committee will also propose ways to better implement research into practice.

LA Net Bylaws

The bylaws have not been ratified by the LA Net Governance Council as of November 2007.

Article I. Name
The name of the organization shall be the LA Net. The organization’s maxim is “Reducing health disparities in Southern California through Participatory Research."

Article II. Mission
As a practice based research network (PBRN), the mission of LA Net is to reduce minority health disparities is especially relevant in the current setting of Los Angeles County and throughout California. LA Net is committed to conducting grass-roots provider-driven research on primary care, patient outcomes and community health.

Article III. Membership
Membership in LA Net is voluntary and is open to primary care providers. There are many benefits to becoming a member. Some of these include:

• Propose and participate in regional research as well as state-wide or nation-wide research
• Opportunities to collaborate with other researchers, primary care practitioners and community-based organizations
• Assistance in developing and review individual research projects by experienced researchers
• Increase quality of services provided to patients
• Increase opportunities to apply for local, state and federal funds
• Methodological assistance in study design
• Opportunities for mentorship
• Participation in yearly convocation of network practitioners

Article IV. Governance
There are four governing bodies for LA Net. Our advisory committee provides expertise in local, state and national issues surrounding health care for underserved populations. The Network Governance Council provides leadership to the network and its members. Issues surrounding implementation and maintenance of the network including the development of policies and procedures are handled through the Network Governance Council. The third committee, Research Advisory Council, is composed of leading researchers from various disciplines with expertise in primary care research methods and will provide assistance to network members on the design, implementation and interpretations of the network studies as well as assess the feasibility of the study proposals. The fourth committee, Member Services Council, is comprised of practice members of the network including representatives from the various professions within a practice. This committee will act as the liaison between the network membership and the other network councils. This committee will also propose ways to better implement research into practice.

Article V. Meetings

LA Net Annual Forum
The network hosts an annual forum for community providers and researchers to develop ideas for locally relevant, high-impact studies to improve the health of California residents.

Support

Network staff provides support that enables busy community clinicians to formulate and conduct studies of immediate relevance to their practice. Network staff also provide grant writing support and statistical and database management services, and trained “practice enhancement assistants” to undertake data collection.

Any member is welcome to submit ideas for research to be undertaken by the network. Outside researchers with an interest in primary care or health disparities research are also invited to put forward ideas for collaborative projects.

Article VI.  Initiation of Studies
There are three methods a study is initated by LA Net. Once a study has been proposed it must be accepted by the Governance Council and then decided upon by general members of LA Net. Once approved by members of LA Net, the proposal is submitted to an IRB.

The first method is top down. A call for papers or bid for funding is announced. LA Net staff respond by developing a study which is then presented to the members of the Governance Council. If accepted by the Governance Council, the proposal is sent to members of LA Net, if not accepted the proposal can be re-written and re-submitted.

The second method is bottom up. A member of LA Net can design a proposal, with the assistance of LA Net staff if so desired, to submit to the Governance Council. Generally, these proposals are based on a percieved need in the LA Net patient population. The third method is similar in that an non-member of LA Net submits a proposal to the Governance Council based on a persieved need in the community. Again, the proposal would then be accepted and passed on for approval to LA Net members or the author of the proposal would be asked to re-submit.

Article VII. IRB
Studies must undergo Institutional Review Board (IBR) review before being accepted by the LA Net Governance Council. LA Net assists with completion of IRB applications. Researchers with LA Net have HIPAA certification and experience working with human subjects.

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