Strategic Landscape Assessment of Health Workforce Initiatives
Problem
There is a need to expand a workforce trained in conducting and partnering in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR).
In 2021, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s (PCORI) Board of Governors adopted the National Priorities for Health, a set of long-term goals that informs PCORI’s research agenda. The National Priorities for Health and PCORI’s Strategic Plan provide a roadmap for PCORI activities. PCORI is leading efforts to enhance research infrastructure to accelerate patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER), including expanding workforce capacity to lead or partner in CER.
PCORI sought to understand the current landscape of health research workforce initiatives to inform its workforce development priorities. A well-prepared research workforce is foundational to generating rigorous and relevant evidence. This project advances NORC’s mission of advancing social science research that improves public health and strengthens scientific capacity.
This work aligns with PCORI’s commitment to building a strong and sustainable workforce trained in conducting and partnering in patient-centered CER.
Solution
NORC conducted a comprehensive landscape assessment of health research workforce initiatives.
PCORI engaged NORC to provide a strategic assessment of health research workforce initiatives to inform PCORI’s strategic priorities in workforce development. This work supports PCORI’s efforts to build a sustainable patient-centered CER workforce. NORC employed a multi‑modal approach combining environmental scans, structured data abstraction, and analysis of training programs, funding mechanisms, and workforce development models across the health research ecosystem. NORC also developed a framework to identify gaps, highlight emerging needs and inform strategy for PCOR workforce training.
Our approach showcased NORC’s strengths in analytic rigor, structured qualitative synthesis, and strategic insight. The result was a tailored strategic assessment providing PCORI with actionable guidance aligned with its long-term goals.
Result
Our work highlighted opportunities for PCORI to strengthen and expand PCOR workforce.
NORC’s assessment identified clear opportunities for PCORI to build a sustainable PCOR workforce. Key deliverables included:
- Articulated areas of opportunity for PCORI to lead or partner on initiatives
- A set of strategic priorities for PCORI's workforce development in patient-centered CER
- A conceptual framework of PCORI’s strategic priorities for workforce development initiatives in patient-centered CER
- A final report that summarized findings, opportunities, and strategic priorities to support PCORI’s efforts to build a strong and sustainable workforce in patient-centered CER.
These products offered PCORI practical guidance for building pathways into patient-centered CER and provided a foundation for future PCORI investments, collaborations, and programmatic initiatives aimed at cultivating the next generation of patient-centered researchers and partners.
Project Director
Related Tags
Project Leads
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Carly Parry
Vice PresidentProject Director -
Alison Laffan
Principal Research ScientistTask Lead -
Jessica Fernandez
Senior Research ScientistProject Manager -
Rachel T. Kurtzman
Research ScientistKey Staff
“Understanding the pipeline and preparation of PCOR researchers is an essential step in developing a robust and well-prepared health research workforce.”
