Bill Clark, Director of Community Outreach, Appointed to PCORnet Patient Council

June 09, 2014

The COPD Foundation is proud to announce that Bill Clark, Director of Community Outreach, has been chosen to serve as one of six representatives on the PCORnet Patient Council (PPC). He was selected out of a pool of more than 100 candidates. The PPC is a patient advisory group to the PCORnet Steering Committee and Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) leadership. PCORnet is being developed as an innovative health data network designed to explore the questions that matter most to patients and their families.

Bill Clark, who had a part in the creation of the COPD Foundation, will bring his invaluable expertise to this new role. He is a community liaison for the foundation, and regularly oversees screening events across the country.

The COPD Foundation is at the ground floor of this initiative through the development of our COPD Patient-Powered Research Network (COPD-PPRN). As a representative on the PCC, Clark will help ensure that COPD patients’ priorities will be represented and have a voice within the development of this innovative network. He will also serve as an internal monitor to make sure that patient input is appropriately represented across all key PCORnet policies and procedures at every step of the way.

The PCC will be a deliberative body that provides feedback and recommendations on key PCORnet policies to enable full consideration of both the highest patient engagement standards and issues related to protection of patient engagement and research. The PPC will review and assess draft policies to ensure they appropriately address issues related to the protection of patient privacy, consent and autonomy. They will also address key patient concerns or issues with respect to these polices, and provide sufficient guidance on incorporating patient input into PCORnet decision-making.