The Team Science Landscape within the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C)

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES/GOALS As question complexity in science and medicine increase, the need for teams with diverse skill sets grows as well. We identify essential roles and barriers that define the team environment within the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), an initiative grounded in interdisciplinary team science. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION This work was compiled through a combination of observations, interviews, and survey responses involving members of the N3C research community, specifically those involved in N3C workstreams and clinical domain teams. Observational data was obtained through participation in N3C workstream activities and domain team research and meetings. The survey included five questions related to team science elements and barriers, as well as contrasting science-based teams and non-science-based teams, such as “What elements are common between both Team-Science and non-Team-Science teams?”, and was sent to members of two domain teams Immunosuppressed and Compromised and Social Determinants of Health. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Team science within N3C has a unique structure of roles and barriers that define the team environment of each project. Within each group, team and role management within team science is an ongoing process that occurs even after a team is formed. We obtained 8 survey responses that indicated communication, attribution, team management, collaboration, interdisciplinary diversity, and problem solving were key aspects to successful team science. Additionally, survey respondents identified prominent barriers to successful team science that included bandwidth constraints, lack of a shared scientific language, learning curves, funding, and lack of communication. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Communication was identified as a key component of team science and a prominent barrier, which indicates that successful team science relies on communication between team members. Thus, it is vital that teams identify and commit to using predefined methods of communication to function effectively.