The COVID-19 era has cast a light on several public health topics, from health disparities to emerging technologies to the disease itself. The three-day 2021 PCORI Virtual Annual Meeting will feature rich discussions about these topics and more when the meeting opens on November 17. Registration is free.

Blending plenary discussions, breakout sessions, and poster presentations, attendees will learn about results from PCORI-funded studies; discover ways to disseminate and implement research findings; explore the power of engagement; and network with clinicians, patients, caregivers, and other health stakeholders.

Image

Achieving Health Equity

Following a welcome from PCORI Executive Director Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH, the opening plenary will focus on achieving health equity, one of PCORI’s proposed National Priorities for Health. Healthcare sector leaders will discuss how they are working to bring about this transformation and share how stakeholders and research organizations can partner in realizing health equity for all Americans.

A quartet of breakout sessions will examine various facets of health equity. A roundtable discussion will set the stage for a frank dialogue on building diverse, equitable, and inclusive health research partnerships, including lessons to help empower different points of view, address bias, and potentially increase trust in scientific results. Another breakout session will discuss investments PCORI can make to best support research in critical equity areas, such as social determinants of health.

A third breakout session will focus on the disproportionate rates of maternal morbidity and mortality for Blacks, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and rural populations. Speakers will describe barriers stakeholders face in addressing issues related to maternal morbidity and discuss how PCORI and others can support research focused on improving health outcomes.

Researchers and funders will reflect on their experience with and best practices for collecting sexual orientation and gender identify data in another breakout session. They will also discuss why such vital demographic information is needed to ensure relevant treatment and preventive services are provided to all patients.

Beyond the plenary and breakout sessions, eight posters on health equity will be presented as well.

PCORI and the Pandemic

One plenary, two breakout sessions, and 12 posters will center on the COVID-19 pandemic. A plenary panel of health professionals will discuss lessons learned from the pandemic, offer best practices, and share what role evidence has played in their response to COVID-19. They will also examine PCORI’s work in helping to address challenges stemming from the pandemic through stakeholder-engaged research and how to mitigate future public health crises.

During the pandemic, electronic health records have been collecting information about COVID-19 diagnoses, comorbidities, and outcomes. In a breakout session, attendees will hear how these records reflect the effects of comorbidities, treatment strategies, and patient characteristics on COVID-19 outcomes and the challenges and opportunities of leveraging them to improve patient-centered outcomes research.

A second breakout session will center on the pandemic’s devastating effects on those experiencing dementia, including national challenges as a result of a reduced ability to access community-based services, caregiver resources, protective equipment, and quality care. Speakers will also share insights from the field on engaging stakeholders and implementing research.

A Full Agenda Awaits

This year’s agenda includes four more plenaries, which like the health equity session, focus on PCORI’s proposed National Priorities for Health. Topics include:

• Emerging healthcare innovations
• Dissemination, implementation, and communication
• Patient-centered outcomes research infrastructure
• Learning health systems

Breakout sessions span the healthcare horizon, from engagement in research to healthy aging and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Learn more about the meeting program and the PCORI-funded research that transforms the delivery of health care and results in better outcomes for patients. You can register today for PCORI’s free 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting.