Key personnel within the Advancement functional area and on both campuses provide input to and approval for a variety of CIBMTR materials prior to publication. Additionally, the NMDP/Be The Match Communication and Marketing staff contributes to the development and support of objectives and strategies, including content development of internal and external
communication tools for certain CIBMTR outreach activities.
15.4 KEY ACTIVITIES
Development and dissemination of information is a core activity of the CIBMTR. Information must move effectively and efficiently from the Coordinating Center and between and within Working, Steering, and Advisory Committee members; investigators; transplant center staff; and others to promote high-quality HCT research.
The CIBMTR is committed to collaborative work with all its partners and works to overcome communication barriers, including geographical and time zone differences, language, security concerns, and research goals. To ensure productive communication among collaborators, the CIBMTR encourages face-to-face meetings when feasible as well as teleconferences, and it supports several communication mechanisms.
15.4.1 SharePoint
The CIBMTR uses password-protected SharePoint websites for secure document sharing, internal communication between campuses, and use by employees working off-campus. The SharePoint sites are also used for departmental, functional, process-related, and collaborative project activities.
SharePoint remains under development to strengthen internal and external communication. Examples of these activities include collaboration to enhance products, including--FormsNet, AGNIS and other application developments; and collaboration on projects like data
consolidation. SharePoint also supports collaboration on data governance, data quality management, Standard Operating Procedures process and document management, BMT Tandem Meetings and other meeting administration, Working Committee collaboration, and knowledge management. Workflow processes and Working Committee study collaboration features are also being expanded (Chapters 6, 11, 14 and 16). The SharePoint websites are available to registered users only, and users are assigned privileges for specific site and / or file access depending on their role and credentials.
15.4.2 Conference Attendance
National conferences are key opportunities to interact in person with many audiences. They not only provide a wide range of educational opportunities for CIBMTR staff members, they also help educate others about the range of research and educational activities of the organization. The CIBMTR hosts exhibit booths at selected conferences, which provides opportunities to share CIBMTR publications and informational brochures / flyers and to network with colleagues and interested investigators.
15.4.3 Websites
The CIBMTR “Web Presence” initiative includes three distinct websites, each with its own purpose and security model:
The Public website (www.cibmtr.org) is unrestricted and provides information about the CIBMTR and its research;
The Collaborate website (https://collaborate.cibmtr.org) promotes connectivity among CIBMTR staff members and a communication platform for specific studies and
initiatives;
The Portal website (https://portal.cibmtr.org) delivers custom applications and data to CIBMTR staff and partners, including Investigators, Transplant Centers, and Clinical Research Coordinators.
For more information about these websites, see Chapter 14.
15.4.4 Summary Slides
Each year, the CIBMTR publishes Summary Slides on the state of the art in blood and marrow transplantation. Using information from the CIBMTR Research Database, an MS-level
Statistician and a CIBMTR Senior Scientific Director prepare these charts summarizing current uses and outcomes of allogeneic and autologous HCT. These valuable and highly anticipated slides are used by clinicians and researchers in the transplant community. They are posted on the CIBMTR website (http://www.cibmtr.org/ReferenceCenter/SlidesReports/SummarySlides) in a downloadable format.
15.4.5 Publications
The CIBMTR produces increasing numbers of peer-reviewed publications as well as book chapters. Most are submitted from the Coordinating Center. All National Institutes of Health requirements, including PubMed citations, and specific journal guidelines are followed, including proper acknowledgment of funding resources. See Chapter 3 for authorship rules. A current list of publications with citations is maintained on http://www.cibmtr.org/Reference Center/PubList/Pages/index.aspx.
CIBMTR Manual of Operations Chapter 15: Communication 15.4.6 Patient Summaries
The Consumer Advocacy Committee recommends the CIBMTRscientific articles that are useful for patients to have and understand. Once selected, the articles are summarized in patient- friendly language and made available through http://www.cibmtr.org/ReferenceCenter/ Patient/PatientSummaries/pages/index.aspx.
15.4.7 Post-Transplant Guidelines
The CIBMTR, along with several other organizations, publishes post-transplant guidelines that provide recommended post-transplantation treatment strategies. NMDP/Be The Match
converted these guidelines into an easy-to-use reference guide for physicians and patients. It is available in print, online, and in a mobile application (for iPhone® and AndroidTM). The
guidelines can be accessed at (http://www.cibmtr.org/ReferenceCenter/Patient/Guidelines), Be TheMatchClinical.org, and are also published (Majhail NS, Rizzo JD, Lee SJ, et al. Recommended screening and preventive practices for long-term survivors after hematopoietic cell
transplantation; CIBMTR, American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Asia-Pacific Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group, Bone Marrow Transplant Society of Australia and New Zealand, East Mediterranean Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group and Sociedade Brasileira de Transplante de Medula Ossea. Co-published in Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 2012; 18(3): 348-371; Bone Marrow Transplantation, 2012; 47(3): 337–341; and Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Therapy, 2012; 5(1): 1-30).
15.4.8 Progress Reports
The CIBMTR publishes two progress reports annually. Both fulfill requirements of cooperative agreements with NCI, NHLBI, and NIAID, as the major source of funding for the fundamental work of the CIBMTR, and with the NHLBI and NCI for the DCC of the BMT CTN (Chapter 8). Two versions are prepared for each of the progress reports: one is submitted to the
government to fulfill grant requirements, and a second version is prepared for website posting and distribution at public meetings. The primary audience for the public versions is the
scientific transplant community, researchers, and the general public. Printed copies and CDs are created for distribution of the public versions. Electronic copies are posted on these web pages:
http://www.cibmtr.org/About/AnnualReports/Pages/index.aspx and https://web.emmes.com/ study/bmt2/Progress%20Reports.html.
The CIBMTR government progress report, due to NCI on January 1 each year, details
accomplishments and goals of the previous calendar year. The public version is published and distributed during the BMT Tandem Meetings in February. The prominent feature of each document is the detailed review of progress on all clinical outcomes study activity performed by each of the 15 Scientific Working Committees.
The BMT CTN Progress Report, due to the NHLBI on May 1 each year, details accomplishments and goals of the DCC during the previous 12-month reporting period. The public version is distributed for the first time during the annual summer meeting of the BMT CTN Steering Committee. The prominent feature of it is the detailed review of each clinical trial: completed trials, those actively accruing patients, and those under development or consideration.
15.4.9 Newsletters
The CIBMTR publishes a quarterly newsletter for the blood and marrow transplant community. It is distributed via email and posted on the http://www.cibmtr.org/ReferenceCenter/
Newsletters/Pages/index.aspx website. The primary audience is transplant center physicians and staff who participate in CIBMTR research by submitting data. Newsletters feature updates on CIBMTR Working Committees, research programs, data collection and management, and newsworthy events in the blood and marrow transplant community.
15.4.10 Social Media
The CIBMTR maintains Twitter (https://twitter.com/CIBMTR) and Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/theCIBMTR) accounts to increase awareness of the organization, collaborate with various individuals both within and outside the HCT research community, and share resources. Coordinating Center staff members monitor, update, and post content to these accounts on a regular basis, providing information and supporting the CIBMTR’s network.
15.4.11 Flyers and Brochures
Any program, department or committee can have need for materials to inform or explain. The communications staff at either campus may produce these materials with input from
appropriate personnel on either campus. These materials may include flyers for distribution at meetings, the CIBMTR overview brochure, the CIBMTR Immunobiology Working Committee flyer, documents for Working Committee members and transplant centers, and others. For example, the BMT CTN distributes two versions of its annual report (described above) as well as protocol flyers, distributed each year during the BMT Tandem Meetings, which list the treatment schemas of ongoing protocols and those near activation.
15.4.12 Phone, Video, and Web Conferences
Conference calls, video conferencing and Web conferences are utilized by many functional areas of the CIBMTR. This optimizes communication and productivity between groups that may be spread apart geographically. Teleconferencing helps create interpersonal relations and increased collaboration between the CIBMTR, its associate institutions, and its research partners. For example:
CIBMTR Working Committees utilize conference calls for communication between
Scientific Directors, PIs, and various committee members for discussion of current studies and proposals for future studies.
The CIBMTR IT department, which has members on both campuses, utilizes conference
calls and video conferencing for collaboration between the Milwaukee and Minneapolis campuses as well as with NMDP/Be The Match Operations staff.
The CIBMTR Coordinating Center also has members on both campuses as well as in the Department of Biostatistics at MCW and brings these members together for weekly teleconferences to discuss ongoing statistical development of research protocols. Clinical Research Coordinators, Data Entry staff, Program Coordinators, and
Administrative staff utilize conference calls for completing a wide range of responsibilities.
The following groups also use conference calls and video conferencing as a primary interface: Executive Committee, Consumer Advocacy Committee, Affiliation Board,
CIBMTR Manual of Operations Chapter 15: Communication
Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Executive Committee and Board members, Protocol Writing Committees, and many more.
15.4.13 Dissemination through NMDP/Be The Match
CIBMTR research results and outcomes data are also routinely highlighted through the medical education activities of NMDP/Be The Match, reaching US and international audiences online at BeTheMatchClinical.org, through newsletters, medical education programs, clinical resources, and more.