COPD Patient-Powered Research Network Led by the COPD Foundation Approved for $1.68 Million in Second Phase of Development of PCORnet, a New National Clinical Research Network
WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 23, 2015 - The COPD Patient-Powered Research Network (COPD PPRN) led by the COPD Foundation (COPDF), announces today that it has been approved for a three-year $1.68 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) as part of the second phase of the development of PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. This funding award continues PCORI's support for the COPD PPRN's participation in PCORnet, a large, collaborative research initiative designed to link researchers, patient communities, clinicians, and health systems in productive research partnerships that leverage the power of large volumes of health data maintained by the partner networks. PCORnet will enable the nation to conduct clinical research more quickly and less expensively than is now possible, and will ensure that research focuses on the questions and outcomes that matter most to patients and those who care for them.
PCORI provided $1.0 million to the COPD PPRN during the first phase of PCORnet’s development, which began in the spring of 2014.
As one of 34 health data networks that together make up this national clinical research resource in Phase II, the COPD PPRN is focused on expanding the COPD PPRN and furthering COPD research. The inclusion of patients is essential to success, and patients are involved in all aspects of the COPD PPRN. As the COPD PPRN moves into Phase II of PCORnet, our network is continuing to enroll individuals with COPD and individuals at risk for COPD into a registry with a scalable data hub for the purpose of supporting patient-driven, patient-centered outcomes research. Enrolled patients will represent the spectrum of COPD severity – most with multiple morbidities, across diverse geographic regions, broad age and socio-economic ranges, both genders, and all racial and ethnic groups.
“On behalf of the COPD Foundation and also as someone living with COPD, I am delighted that we have been approved for Phase II funding for this monumental endeavor. COPD is the third leading cause of death in America and initiatives like this will help us move much more quickly in better understanding the disease and moving towards a cure,” says John W. Walsh, principal investigator and president of the COPD Foundation.
“We’re pleased that the COPD PPRN has been approved for this funding support to continue our productive mutual efforts to build what we intend to be a premier national resource for conducting high-quality, patient-centered clinical research,” said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH. “I greatly appreciate the contributions of all the PCORnet partners during Phase I, which readied PCORnet for a robust start on an exciting second phase of expansion and the launch of several research studies.”
The funding award to the COPD PPRN has been approved by PCORI’s Board pending completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and negotiation of a formal award 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 they need to make better-informed healthcare decisions. PCORI is committed to continuously seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work. More information is available at www.pcori.org.