Overview

To improve health for patients and populations, Tufts CTSI’s signature program in Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) seeks to establish evidence for the relative benefits, harms and resource consumption for alternative prevention, screening, diagnostic testing, treatment strategies, delivery systems, and health policies.

We focus on developing resources and services that facilitate CER in partnership with stakeholder and community engagement, aimed at improving the relevance of research questions, transparency of research activities, and adoption of research evidence into clinical practice.

Tufts CTSI’s CER program provides consultation services to access resources that span the six stages of the translational spectrum:

CER spectrumOpen larger image view

Description of Translational Spectrum diagram

For successful translation to occur, researchers and research institutions should actively engage and integrate stakeholders and communities into their work, as outlined in the framework of the 7 Ps of Stakeholders:

  1. Patients and the Public
  2. Providers
  3. Purchasers
  4. Payers
  5. Policymakers and Advocates
  6. Product Makers
  7. Principal and Other Investigators

Services

The CER Program provides consultation, available by submitting a service request:

  • Basic Consultation (1 hour): addresses the development of a provisional research question and study design, including:
    – Patient-centered topic development and question refinement
    – Stakeholder engagement methods.
  • Advanced Consultation (1-3 hours): follows the completion of a provisional research question and study design, and assists with determining the most relevant methodological and domain-specific mentors and collaborators.

Who is eligible?

Consultations and connections to collaborators, with specific expertise in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR), are available to faculty members at Tufts CTSI-affiliated academic, industry, and hospital partner institutions.

Tools and Resources

Tufts CTSI is committed to building capacity among researchers and stakeholders to participate in community-engaged research. We work with our partners to develop materials, seminars, workshops, and symposia that support community-engaged research:

  • Online courses in CER and Stakeholder and Community Engagement via our educational website, I LEARN
  • Engaging Stakeholders in Comparative Effectiveness Research website
  • Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) funding opportunities and worksheet.

To find out about upcoming events related to CER, sign up for our weekly e-newsletter, Tufts CTSI Happenings.

Contact

To contact us, please submit a service request.

John B. Wong, MD
Director, Comparative Effectiveness Research

Thomas W. Concannon, PhD
Associate Director, Comparative Effectiveness Research