The explosion of medical knowledge and technology contrasts with inefficient and sometimes ineffective health care delivery. Translating scientific advances into better health requires more and better research at several steps leading from bench to practitioner's office and to health systems and communities. We therefore propose a Multidisciplinary K12 Patient- Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) Training Program at the University of Washington for post-doctoral and entry-level faculty Scholars.
Our aims are to train investigators who will develop depth in a specific area of PCOR, but also breadth of knowledge about the full spectrum of patient-centered outcomes research;provide them with methodological knowledge and practical skills for conducting high quality integrative research;and create an environment that infuses them with excitement, and nurtures their early career development. The program will involve faculty from the UW Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Pharmacy, and Nursing, as well as prominent affiliated programs such as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Group Health Research Institute and the Puget Sound Veterans Administration Health Services Research and Development unit. Post-doctoral fellows and entry-level faculty Scholars will be recruited from all health and related professions and other disciplines. A multidisciplinary core curriculum will expose all Scholars to the theories and methods of disciplines relevant to PCOR, and elective courses will allow depth of study in a focused area. Intensively mentored research experience will be the centerpiece of the program, and the UW and its Institute for Translational Health Sciences offers an extraordinary range of research cores, centers, and mentors to support this work. We will continuously evaluate program results, and if we are successful, our graduates will become research leaders prepared to conduct multidisciplinary comparative effectiveness research using the highest ethical standards and capitalizing on new technologic and informatics tools.
The issues facing healthcare systems in the United States today are complex and raise questions as to whether we are generating and using evidence of the benefits and harms of medical interventions wisely to improve health across the population. The answers to these questions require rapid, high-quality research that focuses on the needs and outcomes of patients. Our proposed program will train the next generation of Patient-Centered Outcomes Researchers who can efficiently and effectively answer these questions.
