Recognition December 2016

• PCORI showcases 2 GHRI studies
• Arterburn speaks at ObesityWeek

Dr. Cherkin, Dr. Wernli, and patient partner Mary Bush speak at PCORI annual meeting

Insights from two GHRI studies were recently featured at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) 2016 annual meeting:

On November 18, GHRI Senior Investigator (Emeritus) Dan Cherkin, PhD, was part of an expert panel that discussed “Comparative Effectiveness Research on Nonpharmacologic Approaches for Chronic Pain.” Dr. Cherkin shared findings from his March 2016 study that compared usual care to two alternative treatments for low back pain: mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Published in in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study found that both MBSR and CBT were significantly more likely than usual care to improve patients’ level of functioning and self-reported pain.

A November 19 workshop titled “Pre-engagement in PCOR: Incorporating Lessons from the Field” showcased GHRI’s Surveillance Imaging Modalities for Breast Cancer Assessment (SIMBA) study. Led by Associate Investigator Karen Wernli, PhD, and funded by PCORI, SIMBA examined the use of mammography and breast MRI in women who have finished active treatment for breast cancer. Included on SIMBA’s research team are two patient partners who serve as liaisons to the study’s patient advisory board. Since SIMBA launched in 2013, it has become a model for patient engagement in research. In PCORI’s interactive workshop, Dr. Wernli and SIMBA patient partner Mary Bush shared the strategies that have made the team’s approach to patient engagement so successful.

The 2016 PCORI annual meeting, “Changing the Conversation about Health Research,” was held November 17-19 in National Harbor, Md.

Dr. Arterburn talks big data and bariatric surgery studies at ObesityWeek 2016

GHRI Senior Investigator David Arterburn, MD, MPH, was recently in New Orleans for ObesityWeek 2016—the joint annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and The Obesity Society (TOS). ObesityWeek is an annual international event that brings together experts in obesity to discuss innovations in basic science, clinical and surgical approaches, and prevention efforts. Dr. Arterburn spoke November 4 at a session titled “Has the Era of Big Data Arrived? EHRs and Population Health Research.” His presentation, “Investigating short and long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery from large electronic databases,” drew from the many bariatric surgery studies that Dr. Arterburn is conducting with partners from Kaiser Permanente, other sites in the Health Care Systems Research Network, and the Veterans Adminis