On Contracts: Happy Anniversary to Our Merit Reviewer Mentor Program

PCORI’s commitment to engaging the healthcare community in all aspects of our work is particularly evident in our merit review process, where patients and other stakeholders join scientists to evaluate the research proposals we receive.

We can’t overstate the need for this community involvement, which reflects our overarching commitment to seeing that all phases of our research funding are patient-centered. And to ensure that we not only maintain but enhance that sense of community, we established the PCORI Merit Review Mentor program, so experienced reviewers can help patients and other healthcare stakeholders who volunteer to work with us feel comfortable and can be effective in the review process.

A few weeks ago, we celebrated the first anniversary of our Merit Review Mentor program by training an additional 20 mentors, bringing the team to almost 50. So it seemed like a good time to thank them and all of our reviewers and celebrate the critical role they play in our work.

Patients and other stakeholders fill half the positions on our review panels. All of our reviewers complete written critiques of the research proposals we receive and then meet to discuss and rank them. In addition to evaluating proposals, patients and other stakeholders may help us identify future research questions, serve as partners on the research teams we fund and disseminate research findings.

To ensure they have no unintended influence on the review process, mentors don’t have access to applications. Instead, they help the patient and other stakeholder reviewers better understand the specifics of our review criteria and scoring system. They also assist reviewers in developing strategies for completing written critiques that meet our high standards. Finally, mentors prepare reviewers for our in-person review panel meetings, so their perspectives are effectively communicated to the other panel members and, ultimately, to applicants.

Mentors complete a two-day training consisting of hands-on practice and mock reviews. The training, provided by our Contracts, Science, and Engagement teams, is led by educators with expertise in patient and other stakeholder involvement in the research process. During and after the training, mentors provide feedback to help us continually improve and expand the program. Their input so far has been overwhelmingly positive and helpful.

As we enter a new merit review cycle, we look forward to our continuing collaboration with our mentors. They serve a vital role, and their constant support only strengthens our review process.

Tafari is PCORI’s Senior Program Officer for Merit Review
Schrandt is PCORI’s Deputy Director for Patient Engagement
Solomon is PCORI’s Director of Contracts Management
Hulbert is PCORI’s Pre-Award Manager