Welcome!

I’m delighted to welcome you to PCORI’s redesigned website. We hope that you like the changes and find our new site easier to navigate and more user-friendly. I am excited and believe that it will enable us to better communicate and engage with all of PCORI’s stakeholders. You can let us know your thoughts about the new site through the “Provide Input” page. The website will continue to grow as PCORI’s work progresses.

PCORI’s work is quickly expanding. We have already issued four requests for proposals (RFPs) for foundational research to help us better understand, for example, best practices for engaging patients in setting research priorities and conducting research. We have announced six employment opportunities, including PCORI’s first scientist positions, a director of finance, and three communications position: Directors of Patient Engagement and of Stakeholder Engagement and a Director of Communications. These positions will ensure that we develop and maintain effective working relationships with PCORI’s diverse audiences and enable them to participate in all aspects of PCORI’s work.

We have completed our first two opportunities for public input – on the working definition of “patient-centered outcomes research” (PCOR) and on initial topics for PCORI pilot projects. We believe that these input opportunities begin to demonstrate our commitment to seriously include stakeholders in all of our work.

PCORI received nearly 600 responses on the working definition of PCOR. These responses will be posted on this website very soon. A bit later, we’ll post a summary report on this input. Additionally, one of the RFPs we issued seeks proposals for research to ensure the definition resonates with and reflects the interests of patients.

We know that website and email-based input opportunities alone will not satisfy our mandate to incorporate patient and stakeholder viewpoints into our work. Through surveys, focus groups, public forums and other methods, we will meet patients and other stakeholders where they are and in ways that allow them to provide substantive input on complex health and research issues.

At our Board meeting in Seattle next week (Sept. 19-20), PCORI will announce a roadmap to the creation of national research priorities. Establishing these priorities and a research agenda are critical first steps for PCORI, and they are required before PCORI can fund primary patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research. This process will include substantive plans for engaging stakeholders to ensure that we have robust input from patients, caregivers and the entire healthcare community. If you cannot attend the meeting in Seattle, I hope you can follow our proceedings through the webcast or teleconference. Details for connecting are in the “Meetings & Events” section.

Thank you for visiting pcori.org. We look forward to working with you to advance the quality and availability of healthcare information.