Big news: I've been approved for PCORI funding!

As some of you know, I've served as a lay reviewer for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute since last spring. It's been an incredible learning experience that has empowered me to reach out to experts in melanoma research to see what I can do as a patient to improve melanoma survival rates.

Today, I found out that the project I've been working on with researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the founders of SolSurvivors Utah has been approved for a "Pipeline to Proposal" award from PCORI. The project is one of 30 proposals approved for these seed funds intended to build communities interested in advancing patient- and stakeholder-driven health research.

Our project, "Developing Infrastructure for Patient-Centered Melanoma Research," unites patients from Oregon and Utah—two Western states with abnormally high melanoma rates—with researchers from Oregon Health & Science University and the University of Utah. Ultimately, our goal is to find a way to engage significant numbers of patients and caregivers in research design, project governance, and dissemination of findings. Be sure to check back this spring to learn more about how you can become involved!

This award is among the first to be made through PCORI’s new Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards program. These Tier I Pipeline to Proposal awards provide seed funds to encourage the development of partnerships and research project ideas among individuals and groups who want to take an active role in health research but may not have opportunities to do so.

Our project was selected by review panels made up of patients, stakeholders, and researchers. All projects are approved pending a programmatic and budget review by PCORI staff and negotiation of a formal contract.

PCORI is an independent, non-profit organization authorized by Congress in 2010 to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health care decisions. PCORI's expanding portfolio now includes 279 patient-centered studies and initiatives. PCORI has awarded a total of $464.4 million since it began funding patient-centered comparative effectiveness research in 2012. For more information about PCORI, visit http://www.pcori.org.