HHRI News & Press Releases
September 22, 2026 -- A transition is underway in the management of the nation's transplant data infrastructure. Publicis Sapient, a global digital business transformation company, is in the process of taking over fundamental elements of the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) contract, from the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI). The transition is currently in progress. The IT infrastructure transition is expected to be fully completed by December 1, 2026, with other contract element timelines yet to be determined.
SRTR is a vital national resource that supports the transplant community through comprehensive data analysis, with a core mission of improving patient outcomes and experience. It operates under a contract from the Division of Transplantation (DoT), Health Systems Bureau (HSB), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The registry provides program-specific reports on transplant programs and organ procurement organizations, offering wide-ranging information to clinicians, researchers, and patients.
HHRI has been a cornerstone of medical research since 1952, supporting and overseeing research conducted at HCMC, the flagship acute care and teaching hospital of the Hennepin Healthcare System in downtown Minneapolis. As one of the largest medical research nonprofits in Minnesota, HHRI often ranks in the top ten percent nationally of institutions receiving research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The organization, through its Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG), has operated SRTR for over 15 years with a steadfast commitment to its mission of transforming health and health care for all through ethical research and meaningful community partnerships.
The transition from HHRI to Publicis Sapient is being conducted collaboratively to ensure a seamless transfer of responsibilities and the continued integrity of SRTR's operations. Both organizations are dedicated to ensuring that the registry continues to provide reliable, data-driven insights that are essential for the transplant community and the patients they serve.
Further updates will be provided as the transition progresses.
More HHRI Research Highlights
Healing Future Generations: One woman’s journey in helping expectant families and parents of young children
Imagine who you are now. Now imagine your identity completely changing. That is the stark reality for many women who choose to become mothers. For six-time Oscar nominee, Amy Adams in the 2024 book-to-film adaptation, “Nightbitch,” her newfound identity as a former artist turned stay-at-home mom has her barking at…
Read More
The Quorum for Community-Driven Wellness Research: Guiding research that promotes health equity for people experiencing homelessness and living with chronic illnesses
The Health, Homelessness, & Criminal Justice (HHCJ) Lab is embedded within the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI), the research arm of the Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS). The HHCJ Lab conducts research that focuses on the complex drivers of health for people experiencing homelessness and/or criminal justice involvement. Within this context,…
Read More
Restorative Neurotrauma Lab (RNL): A small lab making a big difference
The Restorative Neurotrauma Lab (RNL) describes itself as “a small lab making a big impact for those who have suffered.” The RNL is within the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) and is studying neuromodulation to improve the lives of individuals who’ve suffered neurotrauma. Neurotrauma is an umbrella term to describe…
Read More
A stand of its own: E-STAND study improves the lives of neurotrauma patients
In the blink of an eye, 24-year-old Evan Faucett’s world turned upside down during a motocross competition when his bike landed without him. That life-changing moment was over six years ago on July 9, 2018. It’s been a long road to recovery, but with the help of the Epidural Stimulation…
Read More
Growing and sustaining a diverse workforce that reflects the community
As Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) advances its mission of improving patient care and the health of our community through research and education, adding more professionals of color to its staff and boosting diversity in research will benefit all communities, reduce biases and disparities, improve patient care and build trust.…
Read More
HHRI researchers are here, there, and everywhere
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) investigators and staff connected with the community and shared their expertise at events and as guests on radio programs and podcasts throughout 2024. Here’s a compilation of some of those activities and interviews. Dr. Rachel Nygaard was interviewed on the Tiny Matters podcast December 11,…
Read More
Nephrology investigator Dr. Casey Dorr interviewed for the FDA’s OMHHE Health Equity Lecture Series for National Native American Heritage Month
Federal Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Associate Commissioner for Minority Health and Director for the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) Cheryl Anne Boyce, PhD, interviewed Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) Investigator Casey Dorr, PhD, MS, for the FDA’s OMHHE Health Equity Lecture Series for National Native American…
Read More
Lung Cancer Awareness Month: One Woman’s Story of Advocacy and Hope
In the United States, 20,000 to 40,000 people who have never smoked are diagnosed with lung cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) employee Renee Marrero’s journey with lung cancer has transformed her from a concerned family member to a passionate advocate working…
Read More
Ramping Up Diversity in Research; Enriching Hennepin Healthcare’s Representation
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) continue to be important elements of Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute’s (HHRI) and are values the organization is prioritizing with its research and in its staff. HHRI is heightening its emphasis on DEI by fostering a movement to include more communities of color in its mission…
Read More
HHRI investigators highlighted by CTSI as UMN Mothers Leading Science
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) investigator Kerry Sheets, MD, Geriatrician, was featured in the University of Minnesota’s Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI) news welcoming the sixth cohort of researcher-moms into Mothers Leading Science. This cohort is part of a yearlong leadership development program for research-intensive faculty in the health sciences…
Read More
Research study looks at improving treatments for trauma patients
Hennepin Healthcare is conducting a research study that will look at whether calcium, vasopressin, or both early in the course of treatment would help severely injured patients that lose a lot of blood survive their injuries. The CAlcium and VAsopressin following Injury Early Resuscitation (CAVALIER) trial will include approximately 1,050…
Read MoreHHRI Research Highlights Archives
Our Research Home » Newsroom » HHRI Communications Resources » HHRI Research Highlights Archives HHRI external newsletters August 2026 Read more about the Institutional Review Board’s 60th anniversary, researcher awards, and honors, and a Kare11 News story! July 2026 Read more about Dr. Gaylan Rockswold and his TBI work, Dr.…
Read More
How systemic barriers and social drivers significantly impact health more than other factors
The Health, Homelessness, & Criminal Justice (HHCJ) Lab is nestled within one of the largest medical research nonprofits in Minnesota, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI), which is connected to the Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS). HHCJ’s vision is “Thriving communities without health inequities driven by homelessness or criminal justice involvement.” This…
Read More
Cause of Death After Prison Release Differs from General Population
from Yale School of Medicine/Internal Medicine Reentry into the community can be an extraordinarily difficult process for the over 1 million adults incarcerated in U.S. prisons. These individuals face substantial barriers and strained social and familial relationships when returning to life outside of jail or prison that contribute to an…
Read More
HHRI in the community and on the air
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) investigators shared their expertise as guests on radio programs and podcasts in recent months. Here are a few of those interviews. All Things Brains May 26, 2024 Vascular neurologist Behnam Sabayan, MD, MSc, PhD, FAHA, was featured on Hennepin Healthcare’s Healthy Matters – with Dr.…
Read More
Nature Communications co-author Dr. Casey Dorr speaks about pharmacogenomics in Indigenous communities
After nearly three years of collaboration and enduring five rounds of peer review from the first submission, Casey Dorr, PhD, a nephrology investigator and descendant of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, has achieved a monumental milestone. His name now graces a coveted co-author credit in the prestigious scholarly journal,…
Read More
Dr. David Darrow talks the future of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Research
A study that makes you smarter? That is what Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) Principal Investigator David Darrow, MD, MPH, is working towards in the StiMulating After Recovery from Traumatic brain injury (SMART) study. The SMART study, which aims to develop noninvasive therapies to improve cognitive abilities and decision-making after…
Read More
Dr. Kristina Burrack completes year-long STEMM leadership program, Homeward Bound
Rewinding to May 2023, malaria and immunologist researcher, Kristina Burrack, PhD, embarked on a journey of self-discovery, leadership, and growth when she joined the Australian-based leadership program for women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine), Homeward Bound (HB). Dr. Burrack was part of the HB8 cohort, a year-long…
Read MoreHHRI Media Coverage – 2018
Our Research 2018 November Another drug crisis: Methamphetamine use by pregnant women – MPR News 11/29/18 Kristen Philman had already been using heroin and prescription painkillers for several years when, one day in 2014, a relative offered her some methamphetamine, a chemical cousin to the stimulant amphetamine. “I didn’t have any heroin…
Read MoreHHRI Media Coverage – 2019
Our Research 2019 October Lake St. victim benefiting from groundbreaking treatment – KARE-11 10/16/19 Doctors at Hennepin County Medical Center are working with a research team at the University of Minnesota in order to administer hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It’s part of a five year, $10 million national study funded by…
Read More