PCORI has a total of 12 Topic Themes that will inform focused funding opportunities for patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) over the next several funding cycles — in addition to the regular calls for proposals through the Broad Pragmatic Studies, Phased Large Awards for Comparative Effectiveness Research (PLACER), or other PFAs.

A set of eight broad Topic Themes, approved by PCORI’s Board of Governors in July 2022, speak to health issues facing large numbers of people in the United States including children, youth, and older adults and address urgent topics such as violence and trauma, substance use, and mental and behavioral health, as well as widespread conditions including cardiovascular disease, pain management, and sleep health. These themes joined four that were ongoing—preventing maternal morbidity and mortality, improving outcomes for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD), addressing COVID-19, and addressing rare disease.

These 12 Topic Themes arise from a variety of inputs, including PCORI’s authorizing legislation and the wealth of public input received from a broad spectrum of stakeholders during PCORI’s recent strategic planning effort. The themes include many challenges ripe for patient-centered CER and span from research topics on chronic conditions to emerging needs.

The themes are intentionally broad and intersectional, and additional stakeholder engagement will drive further refinement of the themes over time. We encourage but do not limit submissions to research questions aligned to these Topic Themes. Applicants may continue to propose projects that do not directly align with the themes as long as they meet our core mission of patient-engaged and patient-centered CER and advance our National Priorities for Health.

The examples below illustrate opportunities for CER that could fall under each Topic Theme. They are intended to serve as springboards for applicant idea generation.

Populations

Improving outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Approaches to treatment of co-occurring chronic physical health conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, gastrointestinal conditions)
• Interventions to support caregivers of children and youth with IDD
• Models of care to support transitions toward increased independence (e.g., models of supported living, employment)
• Treatments to improve mental health outcomes for IDD
• Treatment of sleep disorders in individuals with IDD

Promoting health for older adults

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Approaches to screen, diagnose, treat, or manage dementia
• Approaches to screen, treat, or manage eye conditions associated with visual impairment
• Care models to facilitate coordination between primary and specialty care and community resources for older adults with multiple chronic conditions
• Interventions to address loneliness and social isolation
• Interventions to support caregivers of individuals with dementia and other serious illnesses
• Prevention and management of urinary incontinence

Promoting healthy children and youth

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Approaches to improve mental health care and crisis prevention for children and youth
• Approaches to support healthy weight management
• Interventions to improve physical and mental health outcomes for youth with IDD
• Interventions to support caregivers of children and youth with chronic illness
• Interventions to support vaccine confidence and uptake
• Models of care for children transitioning to adult care with complex medical conditions, including rare diseases

Health Behaviors

Addressing substance use

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Approaches to address barriers to effective treatments for substance use
• Prevention, identification, and treatment of substance use, including nicotine, in youth
• Strategies to prevent overdose in at-risk populations
• Treatment of coexisting substance use and mental health conditions
• Treatment of substance use in adults across the aging continuum

Addressing violence and trauma

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Community-based interventions to address existing structural and/or social determinants of health to prevent violence
• Interventions to improve quality of life and access to care for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder
• Models of trauma-informed care to optimize health outcomes
• Systems-based approaches to identify and support individuals experiencing interpersonal violence, such as intimate partner violence, child abuse, or elder abuse

Health Conditions

Addressing COVID-19

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Management strategies and models of care for individuals with long COVID
• Strategies to increase primary and booster vaccination rates among populations with low uptake of vaccination
• System or community-based interventions to prevent transmission and acquisition of COVID-19
• Treatment strategies for acute COVID-19 infection (e.g., antivirals, thromboprophylaxis)

Addressing rare diseases

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Approaches to improve primary care for individuals with rare disease unable to access care in specialty centers
• Approaches to symptom management for individuals with rare disease
• Approaches for timely diagnosis of rare diseases
• Integrated multidisciplinary models of care for management of rare diseases
• Models of care for children with rare disease transitioning to adult care

Improving cardiovascular health

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Approaches to improve access and adherence to prevention treatments for individuals with cardiovascular disease
• Prevention and treatment of hypertension during pregnancy and postpartum
• Prevention strategies, risk factor reduction, and treatment approaches for cardiovascular conditions such as atherosclerotic disease, arrythmias, and heart failure
• Treatment and management strategies for primary hypertension in children, adolescents, and younger adults

Improving mental and behavioral health

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Approaches to addressing maternal mental health during pregnancy and in the postpartum period
• Approaches to improve mental health care and crisis prevention
• Systems-level interventions to address mental health and burnout in people who work in health care
• Treatments to improve mental health outcomes for individuals with IDD

Managing pain

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Approaches to address systemic and structural barriers to equitable access to effective pain management
• Approaches to managing pain and other symptoms in chronic or advanced illness
• Approaches to pain management in community-dwelling older adults
• Prevention and treatment of chronic pain conditions such as migraine
• Treatment interventions for acute pain

Preventing maternal morbidity and mortality (MMM)

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Approaches to addressing maternal mental health during pregnancy and in the postpartum period
• Community-based interventions to address existing structural and/or social determinants of health to improve maternal outcomes
• Health system strategies for the incorporation of and partnership with a broad maternal health care workforce including midwives, doulas and community health workers
• Prevention and treatment of hypertension during pregnancy and postpartum
• System- or state-level interventions to address MMM

Promoting sleep health

Example opportunities for CER include:

• Approaches to leveraging technology (e.g., "wearables") for management of sleep disorders
• Approaches to screen, treat, and deliver interventions for insomnia in high-need and/or medically underserved populations
• Approaches to screen, treat, and increase adherence to treatment for obstructive sleep apnea
• Combination and sequential treatment strategies for insomnia
• Treatment of sleep disorders in individuals with IDD and other understudied populations

View All PCORI Funding Opportunities

Posted: December 9, 2022; Updated: April 7, 2023