Merit Review Blogs

What's New in PCORI's Latest Funding Announcements?

PCORI has completed eight cycles of research funding since our inception. We very much appreciate the time and resources that our applicants commit when proposing projects to us and that our reviewers devote to evaluating applications. So with each cycle, we work to improve and refine our processes...
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Planning Your Cycle 2 Letter of Intent

Published: 
July 14, 2015
Author(s): 
James Hulbert, MS,
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS,
Tsahai Tafari, PhD
Blog Topics: 
Research
Merit Review Blogs
Application Process
As part of our mission to fund studies that will provide useful information to patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders, we continually evaluate PCORI’s application process. So with the opening of Cycle 2 of our 2015 funding, we want to draw your attention to some new...
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An Application's Journey from Merit Review to Project Funding

Published: 
June 10, 2015
Author(s): 
James Hulbert, MS,
Diane E. Bild, MD, MPH,
Scott J. Yoo, JD,
Blog Topics: 
Merit Review Blogs
Application Process
We receive many questions about how PCORI selects applications for funding. We have documented our rigorous merit review process , which includes input from scientists, patients, and other healthcare stakeholders. But applicants often want to know what happens next. How, they ask, do we make final...
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Mental Health as a Major Focus of PCORI Funding

Published: 
May 8, 2015
Author(s): 
Bryan R. Luce, PhD, MBA,
Marina Broitman, PhD
Blog Topics: 
Research
Merit Review Blogs
During May, which is Mental Health Month, we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight the importance of patient-centered clinical research aimed at improving the lives of people with mental illness. Seeking better ways to prevent, diagnose, or treat mental illnesses is a major focus of PCORI’s...
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Addressing Protection of Human Subjects in PCORI Applications and Merit Review

Published: 
February 5, 2015
Author(s): 
Marina Broitman, PhD,
Tsahai Tafari, PhD
Blog Topics: 
Merit Review Blogs
Application Process
At PCORI, we are always working to improve the way we do our work. As part of that work, we are now providing additional guidance and resources for applicants and reviewers to ensure that applications for our research funding and review of applications appropriately address the protection of human...
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PCORI Merit Review: Our Evolving Approach to Review Panels

Published: 
January 13, 2015
Author(s): 
Tsahai Tafari, PhD,
Kimberly Marschhauser, PhD
Blog Topics: 
Merit Review Blogs
PCORI’s process for evaluating research funding applications is a unique aspect of our commitment to producing evidence that helps patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders make better-informed decisions. From our earliest days, we sought to include patients and other...
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On Target: Continuing to Focus PCORI's Research Portfolio

Published: 
December 19, 2014
Author(s): 
Joe V. Selby, MD, MPH
Blog Topics: 
Research
Merit Review Blogs
Executive Director's Blog
When PCORI began funding comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) two years ago, we issued broad funding announcements seeking the best ideas of researchers and their partnered stakeholders. We looked for comparative studies conducted in everyday settings that could change current practice...
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Filling Our Pool of Merit Reviewers

Published: 
December 19, 2014
Author(s): 
Kirstin Margosian, MA,
Kelly Bahng,
Tsahai Tafari, PhD
Blog Topics: 
Merit Review Blogs
At PCORI, we’re serious about engaging patients and other healthcare stakeholders in the research process from start to finish. That includes the merit review process we use to identify the high-quality, patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research projects we support. Unlike most...
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In New Process, PCORI Will Invite Resubmission of Selected Applications

Published: 
December 11, 2014
Author(s): 
Tsahai Tafari, PhD,
Kimberly Marschhauser, PhD
Blog Topics: 
Merit Review Blogs
With each of PCORI’s research funding cycles we have a unique opportunity to improve our process for supporting studies that will provide patients, caregivers, and their clinicians with evidence-based information to improve healthcare decision making and outcomes. For our upcoming Fall* 2015 cycle...
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What’s Happening in Merit Review

Published: 
June 26, 2014
Author(s): 
Tsahai Tafari, PhD,
Kirstin Margosian, MA
Blog Topics: 
Merit Review Blogs
To promote patient-centeredness while ensuring high-quality scientific research, we include patients, their caregivers, and other healthcare stakeholders on our panels that review applications for research funding. Participants other than researchers fill half of the positions on these panels. In...
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