The ATHENA Breast Health Network (ATHENA) is an unprecedented partnership within the University of California (UC) system that aims to revolutionize breast cancer care and molecular diagnostics by merging research, technology, financing and health care delivery to reduce the time needed to translate research findings into patient care. ATHENA will create a repository of clinical and biological information, specimens, and a set of analytic tools to conduct comparative effectiveness studies that will provide feedback and opportunities to accelerate learning and continuously improve treatment and intervention options. Ultimately, the information obtained will serve as the backbone of ongoing and future efforts to create rapid learning systems and provide safe and effective personalized breast cancer treatment. Funding for the CMTP’s role in ATHENA has been provided by a grant from the Safeway Foundation.
Additional ATHENA partners include the UC-Berkeley School of Public Health, the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UC-San Francisco, and the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) BIG Health Initiative. CMTP is facilitating the stakeholder engagement process for the project. In Fall 2010, CMTP brought together experts in a Biomarker Stakeholder Advisory Group (BSAG), which provided feedback to inform research priorities, study designs, and dissemination and translation of study results into their respective communities.
As a result of the feedback from the BSAG, CMTP drafted a business plan for sustainable partnerships between ATHENA and health care stakeholders. Part of this business plan was the creation of the ATHENA Center for Stakeholder Engagement (ACSE). The ATHENA team intends to extend the ATHENA model to other areas of the health care system.
For more information, contact Reza Alavi.