ABSTRACT Health systems struggle to consistently deliver care that is safe, effective, timely, efficient, equitable, and patient- centered. Pragmatically leveraging science to provide quality health care efficiently and equitably can profoundly impact population health. Undertaking the deliberate work of establishing a premier Learning Health System (LHS), we will build platforms and integrate Cores to enable investigators to perform cutting-edge Patient Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR), Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER), and Dissemination and Implementation Science (D&I) to improve healthcare delivery, health, and health equity. These foundational resources and services will also provide a nurturing environment to train the next generation of LHS Scientists. To expand and reimagine LHS across NJ, we propose creating an innovative, impactful LHS Scientist Training and Research Center in New Jersey (LHS STAR NJ) with distinct goals that: 1) trains the next generation of LHS Scientists; 2) accelerate improvements in the quality, safety, outcomes, equity, efficiency, coordination, and patient-centeredness of care delivered by a diverse alliance of health system and organizational partners (LHS partners); 3) models the value of LHS Science in driving continuous learning and improvement into real-world practice; and 4) improves the health and health equity of NJ. To accomplish these goals, we will develop the structure, resources and services, and cultivate LHS and community partnerships to support LHS training and science; create formal didactic and experiential education, training, mentorship and career development activities in LHS science for a diverse group of embedded investigators, clinicians, and health system personnel tailored to their professional interests to create the next generation of LHS Scientists in academia, industry, and government; support LHS Scientists’ and other researchers conduct of rigorous, impactful PCOR and CER in our LHS partners to improve the processes, outcomes, and equity of care among diverse patients, populations, and settings; and promote the communication and pragmatic use of our findings in LHS partners and to researchers, health systems, and other stakeholders regionally and nationally. As a natural laboratory, LHS STAR NJ combines the expertise of established LHS investigators and mentors with the assets of a Big 10 health sciences university with 7 health professions schools, 6 different health systems, the state’s largest insurer and home care agency, and 2 government agencies. To increase our cohort of LHS Scientists, we will provide disparate training pathways to expand and diversify our LHS workforce. In all endeavors, we will leverage approaches that embrace diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility (DEIA) in trainees, mentors, and study populations. LHS STAR NJ will also support scientist- and health system-generated LHS projects within which we can embed Scientists overseen by a jointly governed committee of academic-health system representatives. Our LHS projects will address the lifespan, diverse healthcare settings, populations, disease states, and AHRQ/PCORI priority areas with the goal to improve health and healthy equity in New Jersey.

PROJECT NARRATIVE Our LHS STAR NJ program will train future scientists and health professionals in the best ways to evaluate and improve the quality, outcomes, and patient-centeredness of care through educational classes, mentoring, and hands on learning. It makes available to a broad community all of the research knowledge and resources needed to do projects that will improve health and health equity. Our program combines the teaching and research knowhow of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (7 health professions schools) partnered with a 6 diverse health system partners, insurers, and government agencies.