{"id":3471,"date":"2023-01-06T18:22:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T18:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/?page_id=3471"},"modified":"2024-10-29T18:35:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T18:35:23","slug":"what-sets-ariadne-apart","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/what-sets-ariadne-apart\/","title":{"rendered":"What Sets Ariadne Apart"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-010a2685 alignfull\">\n<div class=\"gb-grid-wrapper gb-grid-wrapper-ec2446a2\">\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-6e4593e2\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-6e4593e2\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-c74c98f6\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-c74c98f6\">\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"201\" height=\"208\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/03\/5of7.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3900\" style=\"width:111px;height:114px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-e986db3f gb-headline-text\"><strong>Ariadne Labs&#8217; design, test, and spread methodology translates to real-world impact. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>By Erin Lawler and Stephanie Schorow<\/em><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:18px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Early in his career, Asaf Bitton was studying public health issues in the South Pacific trying to understand the rapid rise of noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity related conditions, in low- and middle-income countries. He once hiked into a remote mountain village where nearly half the adult population had amputations due to diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe didn&#8217;t really have much in the way of offering care. I had the realization that an academic focus solely on describing problems and theories was not enough for me,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to be of service to people in communities. The reason that I was drawn to primary care was that it seemed to be the connection point between clinical medicine and public health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many staffers at Ariadne tell similar stories \u2013 that dealing with medical issues they saw around them pushed them to pursue work that aimed to transform health care in the short term, not as some distant goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even in medical school, <strong>June-Ho Kim, MD, MPH, <\/strong>Interim Director of the Primary Health Care program at Ariadne Labs, realized that he wanted to focus on implementing systemic changes. This drew him to primary care.&nbsp;\u201cBasically primary care is not about being in the lab and developing the newest drug, but rather when you have that breakthrough drug, how do you make sure that it&#8217;s implemented responsibly and equitably and widely in a way that can reach everyone,\u201d Kim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many Ariadne staff and faculty are motivated by the idea that it\u2019s not enough to do research and wait for someone to implement it. The lab focuses on solutions that, once rigorously tested, are disseminated and spread.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Asaf Bitton - 10 Year Anniversary\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/U4lybfFVkQU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAriadne is not an academic center in the sense you create papers and wait for someone else to do something about it,\u201d said Weintraub. \u201cOur premise is to hone in on a problem, understand the problem deeply, and bring interdisciplinary expertise to think about a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lab uses a unique approach to developing its innovations, something called the Ariadne Arc, which is based on the concepts of \u201cdesign,\u201d \u201ctest\u201d and \u201cspread.\u201d<strong> <\/strong>To support this cycle, the lab has established platform teams to guide projects through the phases of the Arc. As solutions move across the Ariadne Arc, the Innovation, Science and Technology, and Implementation Teams collaborate with content and scientific experts at Ariadne Labs, as well as end-users, and bring methodologic expertise to ensure scalability, usability, and dissemination of solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the outset of every project, Ariadne applies<strong> <\/strong>human-centered design \u2013 a process that focuses on the experience of the end user to ensure that solutions and tools are practical and effective. \u201cHumans are at the center of health care,\u201d said <strong>Meghan Long<\/strong>,<strong> MHA<\/strong>, Assistant Director of the Innovation Platform. \u201cDesigning solutions with humans in mind creates lasting and sustainable change for patients and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These solutions and tools are then rigorously tested \u2013 through trials, studies, focus groups, and other means \u2013 and are adapted as needed. \u201cWe want to make sure that the work we do is rigorous and sound, and that we\u2019re confident in our solutions,\u201d said <strong>Robbie Singal,<\/strong> <strong>DrPH,<\/strong> who leads the Science and Technology Platform.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, the lab promotes implementation and spread of the solutions to systems around the world,&nbsp; something considered from the very start of the design process. \u201cWe work with the teams to think about how we are trying to get the tool or problem we are trying to solve done in real-world environments,\u201d said <strong>Francine Maloney<\/strong>, MPH, Director of the Implementation Platform. Maloney said she is \u201cinspired by the direct impact we have on patients and clinicians.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Said Weiseth, \u201cWe don&#8217;t just create a solution and then figure out what populations that works for. It has to work for everyone everywhere, and that forces you to think differently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the lab has an impressive publication record, with studies published in major peer-reviewed journals nearly every month, those who publish also work on implementing what they discover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To quantify the impact of Ariadne Lab\u2019s efforts, every year the lab measures the number of solutions or knowledge products released, the number of times these tools are accessed, and how many lives the solutions have touched in the real world. Using these measurements, in 2021 Ariadne Labs touched 88.8 million lives; developed and disseminated 105 tools; and reached 400 health systems and 27,000 health care providers. More than 100 countries all around the globe accessed the lab\u2019s work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The concept of \u201clives touched\u201d is paramount to Ariadne\u2019s self-assessment process. This metric tracks how many patients Ariadne Labs\u2019 tools and solutions reach in a clinical setting, not accounting for clinicians reached or patients reached outside of traditional health care settings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mary Brindle, MD, MPH<\/strong>, Director of the Safe Surgery Safe Systems Program at Ariadne Labs has been enthralled with the Ariadne Labs approach since she began a fellowship at the lab as a pediatric surgeon. \u201cThe idea that Ariadne\u2019s priority wasn&#8217;t the publication, but was actually touching human lives, was tremendous, and it wasn&#8217;t just words. You could see it, you could feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mary Brindle - 10 Year Anniversary\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0N8uN-nrgTA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;What also distinguishes Ariadne is that its researchers don\u2019t hesitate to address tough issues. \u201cI think the thing that&#8217;s different about Ariadne is we ask really big questions and really hard questions and answer tricky problems,\u201d Semrau said. Or as Bitton put it, \u201cWe tend to run toward hard things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Certainly, a difficult problem facing health systems is how to respond in cases of medical harm.&nbsp; Benjamin has long been keenly interested in the topic of&nbsp; patient safety. In 2021, he and other stakeholders launched the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/pact\/\">Pathway to Accountability, Compassion and Transparency <\/a>(PACT) Collaborative. \u201cPACT is really taking a lot of those skills of Ariadne&#8217;s Arc and applying it to improving the way health care responds to patient harm, to take it to a new level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bitton explained that Ariadne Labs\u2019 \u201cadaptable and agile\u201d methodology allows the lab to gravitate to thorny problems, even in new clinical areas. \u201cWe are gaining momentum and understanding that even as we spread out into wider varieties of use cases, there&#8217;s a convergent synthesis on how we approach that and what our utility is in driving change forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The versatility of Ariadne\u2019s methodology is exactly what allowed the lab to play a role in developing solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. \u201cWe realized that we could actually be pretty nimble and support the gap that we saw in communicating and educating about COVID-19,\u201d said Benjamin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ariadne Labs\u2019 faculty and staff \u2014 though not experts in infectious disease \u2014 jumped in to design, test, and spread desperately needed solutions. Weintraub, who had expertise in polio, smallpox and measles vaccine delivery, led work devoted to efficient and equitable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/covid-19-response\/vaccine-delivery\/\">vaccine delivery<\/a>; Benjamin led work to develop evidence-based guidance for the general public and, later, a conversation guide for clinicians to use with those hesitant to get vaccinated. The Serious Illness Care Program launched a set of COVID-19-focused conversation tools that have been downloaded more than 10,000 times, and the lab organized a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/global-mass-vaccination-collaborative\/\">coalition<\/a> of large vaccine distribution centers to exchange information and recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During a phase in the pandemic when clinicians in India were reaching a breaking point, Ariadne and mental health experts in Mumbai worked out programs for confronting stress and burnout. Said Brindle, \u201cWe weren&#8217;t the experts in mental health, nor were we the experts in the country. But what we could do is we could provide them this way of thinking about the problem that could allow them to bring in their expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ariadne\u2019s methodology is what sets it apart and allows the lab to achieve impact. \u201cI think that we&#8217;re making progress farther and faster, and that&#8217;s notable in a field where it takes on average 17 years to go from the breakthrough moment to widespread use,\u201d said Bitton. \u201cI think we&#8217;re shortening that and if we find ways to replicate this structure, we&#8217;ll do more good faster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach allows Ariadne to continually explore new areas of innovation and keep pace with the changing challenges facing health care systems around the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:48px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/safe-equitable-integrated-health-care-for-every-patient-everywhere\/\" style=\"border-radius:5px\">&lt; SAFE, EQUITABLE, INTEGRATED<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/meeting-changing-demands\/\" style=\"border-radius:5px\">MEETING CHANGING DEMANDS &gt;<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:48px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-71dc8384\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-71dc8384\"><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":3345,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-3471","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3471"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4053,"href":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3471\/revisions\/4053"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ariadnelabs.org\/10-years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}