Sara Knight, PhD, Professor in the Division of Epidemiology, has received approval for research funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

This award, pending final review and contract issuance, is part of PCORI’s latest efforts to strengthen meaningful engagement in comparative clinical effectiveness research. PCORI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research that provides patients, caregivers, and clinicians with evidence-based information to make better-informed healthcare decisions.

About the Project

Testing a Novel Method of Engagement in Research Dissemination: Deliberative Collaboration Among Patients and Healthcare Leaders explores how to better include patients in conversations with healthcare leaders about implementing scientific discoveries in hospitals and clinics. The study will compare two deliberative engagement approaches—one involving patients and healthcare leaders together, and another involving patients only—to determine how these methods can reduce distrust in healthcare systems and improve collaboration. By doing so, the research aims to ensure patient perspectives, particularly from historically underserved populations, inform the dissemination and integration of genomic medicine innovations. The findings will provide evidence on how engagement strategies can build trust and promote equitable access to the benefits of medical research.