Learn about the winning project of the 2022 Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Golden Award, “Connecting Patients & Researchers with UC Clinical Trials,” thanks to an inquisitive project team and ChatGPT.
The UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Research Technology team has been experimenting with ChatGPT (which is currently free) We have ideas for how to use this to improve research infrastructure and hope to write another blog post when we have success with this new tool (and we know we will).
In the meantime, our testing has included using ChatGPT to rewrite the original 2022 UC Tech Tevis UC Collaboration Award submission project called “Connecting Patients & Researchers with UC Clinical Trials.” The project demonstrated excellence in collaboration across UC locations, thanks to UCSF CTSI efforts, in partnership across the 5 UC Health campuses and UCOP, to share innovations that foster matching patients and researchers with UC-based clinical trials. Ultimately, we launched 10 easy-to-navigate websites (see line-up in the “Resources,” listed below). Our team (see names, listed below) thought you would enjoy seeing what ChatGPT could do with our original write-up if we instructed the tool to rewrite our words. Of course, you are welcome to reach out to any of us directly to learn more about the project as well.
Approach
I pulled a portion of the original 2022 UC Tech Award project submission and tried ChatGPT with several different prompts to see what we would get. The following four results provide some of the more entertaining and impressive outputs (with one error – see the strike-out. ChatGPT is not always correct even though it sounds authoritative). Each of these were generated by ChatGPT in less than 20 seconds, and currently free to use. It is both fun and useful.
1.Request for ChatGPT: “Too Long; Didn’t Read (tl; dr)”
(aka “Please summarize”)
The Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has been working on solutions to various complex problems in the field of biomedical research. These problems include: the time-consuming nature of research and publishing, which can make it difficult for researchers to keep up with their colleagues and the published literature; the difficulty of recruiting enough eligible and diverse participants for clinical trials, which can lead to delays, early termination, and insufficient data to generate meaningful results; and the challenges of conducting clinical trials at multiple sites, including difficulties in identifying suitable principal investigators and engaging inexperienced investigators, which can result in low recruitment, poor data quality, and lower overall study quality. To address these problems, the CTSI has developed software solutions such as UCSF Profiles, a researcher networking platform, and UCSF Clinical Trials, a comprehensive list of clinical trials at UCSF and affiliated sites. The CTSI has also worked to share its knowledge and experience with other institutions through partnerships and collaborations, including the UC BRAID initiative and the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) (Note: Strikethrough is incorrect.) Result from ChatGPT = 174 words, versus the 1,085 words input, less than 20% of the length of the original publication.
2. Request for ChatGPT: “Rewrite for a kindergartener”: We had some problems in research and clinical trials. One problem was that it was hard for researchers to find out what other people were doing and what they had published. Another problem was that it was hard to find enough people to participate in clinical trials. This made it hard to do the trials or get good results. We also had problems when we tried to do trials at different places. It was hard to find the right people to lead the trials and sometimes the people we found weren’t very good at it. So, we made some tools to help. We made a website for researchers to share information and connect with each other. We also made a website for people to find clinical trials and learn about the people doing them. We linked these websites together and made them easy to use on phones and computers. We also shared our tools with other people so they could use them too.
Write like a comedian: As a comedian, it’s my job to find the humor in even the most complex problems. And let me tell you, the Research Technology (RT) team at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) had their work cut out for them. For starters, they had to figure out how to help researchers keep up with all the published literature and the work of their colleagues. Talk about a headache! But the RT team came up with a solution: they partnered with some smarty-pants at Harvard to create UCSF Profiles, a researcher networking platform that makes it easier for people to connect and stay up-to-date on each other’s work. It’s like LinkedIn, but just for researchers. And let me tell you, it’s been a hit. It even won a fancy award in 2013. But the RT team didn’t stop there. They also had to deal with the issue of recruiting enough participants for clinical trials. You know, because if you don’t have enough people, you can’t really tell if your new wonder drug actually works or not. So they created UCSF Clinical Trials, a website that lists all the clinical trials going on at the university and its affiliated sites. It’s a one-stop shop for patients and doctors to find studies and see if they’re eligible to participate. And it’s been a big success, with over 200,000 visits per year and 5,500+ people referred to studies annually. But wait, there’s more! The RT team also integrated UCSF Profiles and Clinical Trials, linking the two platforms and making it even easier for people to find and learn about studies. And they even use search engine optimization so their software products are easier to find online. And if that wasn’t enough, they also share their knowledge and experience with other researchers across the University of California system through UC BRAID. So basically, the RT team is a group of superhero problem-solvers. They take on the complex issues facing the world of research and come up with innovative solutions that make a real difference. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
4. Request for ChatGPT: “Rewrite as haiku”:
Tackling complex problems
Research and publishing demand
Keep up with colleagues
Failure to recruit
Clinical trials at risk
Adequate numbers, diverse
Multiple trial sites
Additional challenges to start
Suitable PIs, experience
UCSF Profiles launched
Researcher networking software
Automatically updated
UCSF Clinical Trials
Comprehensive list of all trials
Easy search, call to action
Integrated platforms
Find studies, learn about researchers
Search engine optimization
Sharing knowledge and experience
UC system, UC BRAID networks
Scaling up, improving research
About the Award Winners
“Connecting Patients & Researchers with UC Clinical Trials,”
Winner of the 2022 UC Tech Yvonne Tevis UC Collaboration Golden Award
Project team members:
- Anirvan Chatterjee, Director of Data Strategy, UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
- Brian Turner, Senior Product Director, UCSF CTSI
- Eric Meeks, CTO, UCSF CTSI
- Leslie Yuan, CIO and Research Technology Program Director, UCSF CTSI
- Moisey Gruzman, Senior Database Analyst, UCSF CTSI
- Zeanid Noor, Program Manager, Research Technology and Informatics Programs, UCSF CTSI
Resources:
About the Author:
CIO and Research and Technology Program Director, Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), UCSF
[Cover photo: Winners of the inaugural UC Tech Yvonne Tevis Golden Award for UC Collaboration. Left is UCSF CIO John Bengfort, Center is Brian Turner, Product Director, UCSF CTSI, and on right, Eric Meeks, CTO, UCSF CTSI.]