Guest Blogs

Putting Patients at the Center of Kidney Disease Research

Published: 
March 23, 2018
Author(s): 
Kelli Collins, MSW
Blog Topics: 
Research
Guest Blogs
One in three American adults is at risk for kidney disease. The problem already affects 30 million American adults, 90 percent of whom don’t know they have it. The National Kidney Foundation’s sole focus is to address those daunting statistics. NKF leads the charge in increasing awareness about...
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The Power of Collaboration in the Fight against Cardiovascular Disease

Published: 
March 14, 2018
Author(s): 
Joe V. Selby, MD, MPH,
Nancy Brown
Blog Topics: 
Research
Executive Director's Blog
Guest Blogs
Despite decades of progress in research and delivery of care, cardiovascular diseases continue to impose a heavy burden on our nation, even though the disease is manifesting later in life. These conditions cost the United States an estimated $555 billion in 2016 in healthcare expenses and lost...
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PCORI and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Take On Vital Research Questions

Published: 
March 13, 2018
Author(s): 
Cat Stappas
Blog Topics: 
Research
Guest Blogs
Receiving a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis can be frightening. I know firsthand—I was diagnosed in 2013 shortly after I turned 29, and after experiencing symptoms such as numbness, tingling and vertigo. I learned I had lesions on my brain and spinal cord. When I found out I had MS, I felt lost,...
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Changing the Landscape of Rare Disease Research

Published: 
February 28, 2018
Author(s): 
Vanessa Boulanger, MSc
Blog Topics: 
Engagement Blogs
Guest Blogs
A rare disease, by definition, affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States. Up to 30 million Americans have a rare disease, and most conditions are poorly understood. The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), the voice of the rare disease community, and PCORI are working...
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Patients Become Partners in PCORI Peer Review

Published: 
February 1, 2018
Author(s): 
Marina Broitman, PhD,
Kira Lesley,
Whitney McInvale, MPH,
Blog Topics: 
Research
Dissemination
Guest Blogs
Funding Awards
Peer review—independent assessment by recognized experts—is central to the research process, from deciding which study proposals to fund to evaluating articles for publication in scientific journals. At PCORI, our authorizing law requires the completed research we fund to undergo peer review, which...
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Four Questions for Trent Haywood

Published: 
January 4, 2018
Author(s): 
Trent Haywood, MD, JD
Blog Topics: 
Research
Guest Blogs
The research that PCORI funds aims to help patients and those who care for them make better-informed decisions about real-world health and healthcare issues they face. Many of those decisions involve patients, their families, and their clinicians. But other stakeholders also must consider various...
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Three Questions for Lawrence Becker

Published: 
December 5, 2017
Author(s): 
Lawrence Becker
Blog Topics: 
Research
Guest Blogs
The research PCORI funds aims to help patients and those who care for them make better-informed decisions about real-world health and healthcare issues they face. Many of those decisions involve patients, their families, and their clinicians. But other stakeholders also must consider various care...
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Empowering People with COPD to Better Manage Their Symptoms

Published: 
November 27, 2017
Author(s): 
Hanan Aboumatar, MD, MPH
Blog Topics: 
Research
Guest Blogs
As I talked with an elderly patient struggling with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), she recounted having been startled awake a few days earlier. Her daughter was bending over her bed close to her face, making sure she hadn’t stopped breathing. This wasn’t the first time it had...
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Pathways to Partnership: Helping Patients and Researchers Communicate

Published: 
October 30, 2017
Author(s): 
Bill Shuttleworth, PhD,
Pari Noskin, MSW
Blog Topics: 
Research
Guest Blogs
Sometimes, despite our best intentions, researchers aren’t aware of the needs and wants of the patients who volunteer to let us study their lives. And many of those people might feel too intimidated by the alphabet soup of degrees that follow their doctors’ names to speak up when they have a...
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Innovative Treatment Options for Underserved, Hard-to-Reach Populations

Published: 
October 27, 2017
Author(s): 
Annette Crisanti, PhD
Blog Topics: 
Research
Engagement Blogs
Guest Blogs
In December 2013, a participant in a study I was conducting arrived for what would be her 11th group therapy session for her substance abuse. She looked different this time: she was wearing lipstick, and she had braids and colorful barrettes in her hair. The woman explained that earlier in the week...
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