PCORI Board Approves New Advisory Panel and New PCORnet Demonstration Project

PCORI will offer up to $9 million to fund two PCORnet demonstration studies

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Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

Jan 27, 2015, 05:17 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today approved the charter for a new Advisory Panel on Communication and Dissemination Research (CDR). The Board also approved the commitment of up to $9 million to fund a pair of obesity-related demonstration studies testing the resources of PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network.

The new advisory panel will have 12 to 21 individuals with the knowledge and experience to help identify and prioritize key health communication and dissemination research topics for possible funding, and provide overall guidance for PCORI's communication and dissemination research, among other tasks.

At least two panelists will have a background in health literacy, numeracy, or risk communication and at least two will have expertise in dissemination and implementation research. At least a quarter of panelists will be patients, caregivers, or representatives of patient advocacy organizations. Visit the advisory panel page on PCORI's website for more information on the panel and the application process.

"This new advisory panel will help PCORI's Communication and Dissemination Research Program to continue our efforts to fund research studies that investigate the comparative effectiveness of communication and dissemination strategies to promote the use of patient-centered outcomes research findings by patients, caregivers, and clinicians," said Jean Slutsky, PA, MSPH, PCORI's Chief Engagement and Dissemination Officer and Director of the CDR Program. "We're looking forward to the value that our future panel members' background and expertise will bring to the program."

The Board also approved PCORI preparing and issuing a funding announcement that will provide up to $9 million in total costs for two observational studies designed to answer key questions about obesity while testing the technical capacity and function of the health data networks that comprise PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network.

One of the demonstration studies will explore the comparative effectiveness of different bariatric surgical procedures while the other will compare the risk of childhood weight gain associated with various antibiotics given between infancy and age 2.

"These pilot observational studies will enable us to evaluate PCORnet's ability to answer these types of research questions using data from multiple networks," said Rachael Fleurence, PhD, Director of PCORI's CER Methods and Infrastructure program. "In addition, we aim to find answers to important questions about obesity and weight gain that could improve the outcomes of both children and adults."

The funding opportunity will be open to research teams affiliated with PCORnet's 29 partner networks and is the second demonstration project to be undertaken in PCORnet. PCORI previously committed up to $10 million to fund a randomized controlled trial using PCORnet to assess whether low- or high-dose aspirin is better for preventing heart attacks or other cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease.

Presentation materials and an archive of the webinar from today's Board meeting are available on PCORI's website.

About PCORI
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions. PCORI is committed to continually seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work. More information is available at www.pcori.org.

SOURCE Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute