Kevin A. Peterson, MD, MPH, FRCS(Ed), FAAFP, is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He has directed the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians Research Network, a group of 200 family physicians involved in research, for 18 years and served two terms as chair of the Federation of Practice Based Research Network representing over 8000 primary care physicians involved in practice based research. Dr. Peterson is Co-Director of the PBRN Resource Center and chairs the Executive Committee. Dr. Peterson's research focuses on diabetes, chronic disease management, and integration of electronic health records in practice-based research. He is principal investigator for the electronic Primary Care Research Network (ePCRN) sponsored by the NIH Roadmap: Re-engineering the Clinical Research Enterprise.

Mr. Durako, BA, is a Westat Vice President and the Director of the Westat Clinical Trials Area, which has a staff of approximately 400 that coordinates a wide variety of clinical and epidemiological research projects. He is Co-Director of the PBRN Resource Center. As VP of Westat, he will oversee the Westat staff, and ensure satisfactory performance of Westat responsibilities. Mr. Durako brings to this project 30 years of experience providing coordinating center support to research networks and other multicenter studies. He has extensive management experience, and he has access to a broad pool of Westat experts who can serve as technical resources if needed for specific Resource Center tasks.

Carol Lange, MPH is Administrative Coordinator of Research Services in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota. She has an extensive clinical background as well as over 10 years experience coordinating primary care based research with special emphasis in chronic disease and quality improvement. Her role for the Resource Center involves the overall coordination of activities with special emphasis on consultations and support, PBRN listserv and development of the extranet.

Nancy Dianis, RN, MS, is an Associate Director in the Westat Clinical Trials Area. Her role on the Resource Center is on a consultative-basis. She is currently Project Director for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Inventory and Evaluation of Clinical Research Networks contract. She is the project director for two Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tuberculosis consortia, the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium (TBTC) and the Tuberculosis Epidemiological Studies Consortium (TBESC). Ms. Dianis is also a corporate officer for several commercial projects. Prior to joining Westat she was Director of Medical and Psychiatric Nursing at Johns Hopkins Bayview. Previously she was Nursing Service Chief at the NIH Clinical Center.

Patricia A. Fontaine, MD, MS is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School. She is a board-certified family physician with a Master's Degree in Clinical Research and expertise in family medicine obstetrics and practiced-based research methodology. She was site principal investigator for the National Children's Study Pilot Project in Practice-based Research Networks. For the PBRN Resource Center, Dr. Fontaine will lead the Peer Learning programs and assist in consultations.

Paula Darby Lipman, Ph.D. is a Senior Study Director with almost 20 years of experience in applied research, program evaluation, and survey development. Her role on the Resource Center is to lead all evaluation efforts. At Westat, she is part of the evaluation team for the Inventory and Evaluation of Clinical Research Networks project, a key component of the National Institutes of Health Roadmap Initiative, and is involved with other efforts related to practice-based research. In previous work, Dr. Lipman directed health program evaluations and research projects for clients such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Ellen Dodds, MS, RD is a study coordinator at the University of Minnesota with over 5 years experience with practice based research. Ms. Dodds holds a Master's Degree in Scientific and Technical Communication. For the PBRN Resource Center, she will assist with website and extranet development as well as consultations and support in her areas of expertise.

Sheri Fong, BS is a research assistant in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota. Ms. Fong has experience as a study coordinator in both primary care based and academic health center research projects. Her role at the Resource Center is to support the consultation and support functions and assist with listserv management.

Lauren Laimon, MS, is a senior clinical research associate with 7 years of clinical trials experience at Westat. Her role on the Resource Center involves the PBRN registry, the Resource Center website, and the annual conferences. Ms. Laimon oversees the Westat team. Ms. Laimon also assists with the Networks for Clinical Research Inventory where close to 300 clinical research networks have their profiles posted on a public website hosted by Westat. Ms. Laimon also assists with the ongoing effort to search for and evaluate additional networks for inclusion in the Inventory. Ms. Laimon has her Masters of Science in Clinical Research Administration from George Washington University.

Nicholas Buck, BA, is a research assistant at Westat. His role on the Resource Center involves support with the PBRN registry, annual conferences and the Resource Center website. Mr. Buck works with key members of the PBRN Resource Center to ensure that all communication materials disseminated by the group are accurate and that all networks registered with the PBRN receive assistance promptly.

In addition to the named resources above, the University of Minnesota and Westat have additional staff resources identified to assist with consultations for writing, IRB, statistical methods, OMB and health information technology. An additional panel of experienced PBRN leaders is available to the Resource Center as consultants to assist with development of resources to meet the needs of both developing and experienced PBRNs.