The MassCPR Federated Data Network overcomes long-standing barriers to accessing high-quality clinical data by enabling secure, local analysis of electronic health records across participating institutions. Its first phase connects EHRs from Beth Israel Lahey Health, Mass General Brigham, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, providing real-time insights on more than 10 million patients for research, surveillance, and clinical decision-making.

Researchers from BIDMC, MGH, and BWH, with support from MassCPR, are collaborating on the CDC-funded CHARM Network, a five-year, multi-site study to monitor respiratory viruses and enhance pandemic preparedness. The Boston team, led by Kathryn E. Stephenson, MD, MPH, will contribute to understanding virus transmission, immune responses, and behavioral factors, helping guide real-time public health responses. The network also includes teams at the University of California San Diego and the University of Washington.

MassCPR becomes part of the Northeastern PGCoE, one of five CDC-sponsored regional Centers of Excellence for pathogen genomics across the United States over a five-year period. Led by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in collaboration with key academic and industry partners throughout the Northeast, the PGCoE advances innovation and builds technical capacity in pathogen genomics, molecular epidemiology, and bioinformatics.

MassCPR announces a new research focus on three areas that reflect the evolving nature of the pandemic—viral variants, long COVID, and the collection of biospecimens for shared use across member institutions—along with $8.5 million in funding to support 35 to 40 research projects within these focus areas.

MassCPR makes the strategic decision to focus Year Two efforts on PASC (Long COVID-19) and viral variants.

A weekly working group meeting forms to address emerging variants.

In response to the emergence of Omicron, MassCPR quickly launched research on viral variants and held weekly press briefings through February 2022, providing essential insights and context to both the media and the public. MassCPR investigators were quoted in leading outlets, including The Boston Globe, Time, Nature, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, Bloomberg News, Reuters, and many others.

MassCPR researchers hold a Congressional briefing on vaccines for Capitol Hill staffers.

MassCPR scientists and colleagues from China, Italy, and South Africa present “Global Perspectives on COVID-19” as part of Worldwide Week at Harvard.

First MassCPR Public Briefing held via Zoom with over 460 participants from 9 countries, with six more public briefings held through April 2021.

MassCPR announces 62 awards (including 16 key research resources) representing over $16.5 million in total research funding.

In response to MassCPR’s first RFP, nearly 450 proposals are received from investigators representing local institutions, hospitals, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

MassCPR announces an initial Request for Proposals with the most accelerated timeline in Harvard Medical School’s history.

The inaugural seminar, “A Coordinated Boston-wide Response to COVID-19,” launches the MassCPR Scientific Seminar series. This event also marks the first collaboration in the seminar series among the Departments of Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital, under the umbrella of Harvard Medical Grand Rounds.

Historic COVID-19 Response Workshop held at Harvard Medical School launches the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness (MassCPR).

Harvard announces that its scientists will join forces with colleagues from China to study the newly identified SARS-CoV-2 virus and to develop ways to detect, treat and prevent the disease that it causes (with initial support by China Evergrande Group).

Initial reports begin to emerge of a mystifying pneumonia of unknown origin.