CTSA Evaluation Social Network Analysis Workgroup

1. Interim Chair Julie Rainwater, Ph.D. University of California, Davis CTSC Evaluation Director February 8, 2008 CTSA Evaluation Social Network Analysis Workgroup

2. Overview • SNA Workgroup Activities & Goals • Session discussion • Examples of SNA in CTSA Institutions • Steve Lurie, MD, PhD – Evaluation, University of Rochester • Steve Johnson, PhD – Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University • Open Discussion/Q&A

3. The Value of Social Network Analysis • “Network analysis becomes a useful way of making relationships visible, and, once visible or identified, network analysis can be used to develop and support network relationships as well as intentionally create them, all for the purposes of generating shared learning or shared meaning.” David M. Introcaso, AHRQ New Directions for Evaluation 2005 (107) Special Issue: Social Network Analysis in Program Evaluation

4. Goals • Support interest in the use of SNA since it is particularly suitable for looking at the patterns of CTSA-related relationships and interactions • Interaction among individual scientists, programs, disciplines, institutions, consortium • Share expertise with primary data collection, existing data sources, techniques, software • Serve as a forum to develop and collaborate on studies using SNA (informatics & evaluation)

5. Membership • 26 Members (15 Evaluation; 11 Biomedical Informatics) • Represent 10 institutions • Case Western University • Columbia University • Cornell University • Oregon Health Sciences University • University of California, Davis • University of California, San Francisco • University of Rochester • University of Washington • University of Wisconsin

6. Activities • Conference Calls • June 18, 2007 • October 30, 2007 • January 18, 2008 • Use of the Wiki • Post minutes • Relevant articles • Written descriptions of analysis • List SNA programs & tools

7. SNA Programs and Tools Pajek- a commonly used application for analyzing social networks (free): http://vlado.fmf.uni-lj.si/pub/networks/pajek/default.htm UCINET - another common application for the analysis of social networks (free for 30 day trial): http://www.analytictech.com/ucinet/ucinet.htm NetDraw - A program written by Steve Borgatti for visualizing social network data, works well with data from UCINET and Pajek (free): http://www.analytictech.com/Netdraw/netdraw.htm MdLogix- Developer of a suite of software applications for the analysis and visualization of social networks, including Visualyzer (fees vary): http://mdlogix.com/solutions/ ORA- open-source application developed by Kathleen M. Carley at Carnegie Mellon University (free): http://www.casos.cs.cmu.edu/projects/ora/software.html SemaSpace- web-based application for analysis of knowledge networks (free): http://residence.aec.at/didi/FLweb/

8. Issues Discussed • Challenges: • Data collection is complex • Programs are technically difficult • Can we identify some experts as shared resources? • What should be done with the results? • Confidentiality issues and need for IRB approval • Is there a minimal data set we would want to define as inputs into a network analysis? What are the relevant measures? • Collaborating on an application for funding to conduct a study using SNA that is cross-institutional

9. Two examples • SNA as a diagnostic or management tool; program implementation and improvement (S. Lurie) • SNA as a tool to identify key research collaborations and to look at topological change over time (S. Johnson)