PS3-1: Marshalling Site-Specific Data in Multi-Site Studies: Lessons from the eMERGE Network

Background/Aims The Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network is a national consortium of nine institutions supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) to study genetic correlates of disease by pooling data from local biorepositories and electronic data ecosystems. Three HMORN sites participate. Twenty-one of >40 planned genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been completed, including GWAS for chronic, cognitive, cardiovascular, gastro-intestinal, hemotologic, infectious and other phenotypes, without patient contact. Transportable algorithms rely entirely on structured data from the EMR and, optionally, clinical text using natural language processing (NLP). Salient themes include bioinformatics, genomic medicine, privacy, and community engagement.