CMTP has applied for funding to present the 2013 Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) Institute to provide participants with an in-depth understanding of CER approaches and methodologies, and enable them to evaluate and apply a broad range of CER tools to their own professional endeavors. The target audience will be young investigators who are currently enrolled in a doctoral level program and early post-doctoral investigators. Mid-career investigators without prior experience in CER who want to apply CER methods to their research will also be invited to attend. The Institute will be held in the Mid-Atlantic region (TBD). It aims to lay the groundwork for collaboration among CER investigators across institutions. Attendees will learn from top experts in the field through case studies and interactive group discussions. CMTP 2011 CER Institute attendees reported high levels of satisfaction and expected use of the didactic presentations and interactive group discussions of that program, so a similar format is planned.
The Institute will expose participants to a variety of methods for CER. Faculty will use as their framework the translation tables created by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute and by CMTP that were both developed in order to better match research questions with methods of investigation. Additionally, the faculty will discuss emerging policy trends to ensure that participants better understand effective strategies for translation and dissemination of the results from CER studies into policy. Sessions will address a wide range of topics, including alternative experimental designs, the use of observational data and registries, conduct of systematic reviews, methods for indirect comparisons, health economics, and translation and dissemination of CER studies. The Institute will focus in particular on methods for conducting CER among underrepresented populations, including low-income communities, minority groups, and inner city populations.