Overview 

PC-BRIDGE is a program at the Southwest Center for Advancing Clinical and Translational Innovation that connects rural primary care clinics, community organizations, and researchers with practical research support. We focus on building infrastructure that helps clinics take part in studies that improve local healthcare and health equity. 

Mission 

We partner with clinics and communities across New Mexico & Arizona to develop, operate, and share results of pragmatic health studies that address rural priorities, build local capacity, and expedite improvements in care. 

How PC-BRIDGE supports community-engaged, practice-based research: 

• Assessing the Landscape: We work with clinic champion teams and community partners to collect their local healthcare priorities. 
• Bidirectional Communication: We share health priorities, challenges, and study opportunities between local primary care clinics and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 
• Study execution: We make local protocol adjustments and help coordinate research efforts between clinics and study teams. 
• Community engagement: We maintain community outreach and recruitment relations, developing a hub presence in community health councils, local organizations, and medical provider networks. 
• Federal reporting: We share our insights with recruitment strategies, data collection methods, and community feedback so research is better tailored to the communities we serve. 

Who We Work With 

• Primary care clinics
• Community organizations
• Researchers and research teams
• Health systems and partners 

Note: You don’t need prior research experience to work with us. We are trying to build research capacity in sustainable ways and recognize that most clinics have little to no research experience or staff capacity. 

CARE for Health™ at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

CARE for Health™ is a national NIH program testing the feasibility of a Primary Care Research Network. CARE for Health™ funds six hubs nationwide, each housed at an academic health center with existing translational research infrastructure.