Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) Scholars Program

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) helps people make informed health care decisions and improves health care delivery and outcomes by producing and promoting high-integrity, evidence-based information that comes from research guided by patients, caregivers, and the broader health care community. PCOR gives patients and the public information they can use to make decisions that reflect their desired health outcomes.

The PCOR Scholars Program is a multidisciplinary, comprehensive, and individualized career development K12 program funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). It is a distinct program with unique elements that are not found in any other institutional K awards at the University of Pittsburgh. The main objectives of the PCOR Scholars Program are to (1) provide training in clinical effectiveness research (CER) and PCOR methods; (2) immerse scholars in multidisciplinary PCOR research and training, working closely with stakeholder groups from conceptualization of research to dissemination and implementation of results at the practice and community levels; and (3) provide scholars with multidisciplinary mentoring, career guidance, and experiences in the conduct of CER and PCOR projects so that scholars can ultimately transition to independence.

In this program, the scholars will use CER methods to become experienced researchers who will design and conduct studies that respond to the needs of stakeholders for the types of clinical and health-system interventions that are most effective under various circumstances. The scholars will be able to improve health outcomes by developing and communicating evidence-based information to patients, clinicians, and other decision makers. The major goal is to train highly accomplished investigators who use CER methodology to conduct PCOR and who couple CER tools with PCOR methodology and processes to carry out research.

The PCOR Scholars Program is directed by Wishwa N. Kapoor, MD, MPH, Distinguished Service and Falk Professor of Medicine, Health Policy, and Management and Clinical and Translational Science. It is co-directed by Sally C. Morton, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biostatistics in the Graduate School of Public Health and Director of the Comparative Effectiveness Research Core in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

The program provides scholars with two or three years of support including partial salary, tuition, and pilot research funds. During this time, scholars are prepared and encouraged to seek independent funding with another career development award or other mechanism (e.g., R01 grant). The program is designed for junior faculty from diverse disciplines. The faculty should generally be in their first four years as an assistant professor at the University. They must also have 75% protected time to devote to PCOR Scholars Program activities. Scholars are encouraged to have as many mentors as appropriate who are approved by the program directors. PCOR scholars may not exceed five years of support on AHRQ-funded institutional K12 or independent mentor awards. Applicants have already submitted letters of interest and five of those have been invited to submit full applications.

Visit the PCOR Scholars Program page here http://www.icre.pitt.edu/PCORK12/index.aspx

< Top of Page >