Thoughts of a PBRN Conference Pro

Here’s what Mort Wasserman, PBRN Conference Steering Committee member, had to say about the PBRN conferences he’s attended in the past. It gives a glimpse into what to expect from this year’s conference. Mort is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont and is a Director at the American Academy of Pediatrics in Pediatric Research in Office Settings. We are thrilled to have him as part of the committee that will make this year’s conference the best yet!

“I’ve attended every AHRQ PBRN conference since they began in 2000. As a pediatrician, the conference gives me access to my practice-based research colleagues in family medicine and internal medicine – folks with whom I don’t normally interact. Attendance has regularly provided me with new ideas for our own network’s research. Relationships traceable to the PBRN conference have developed into funded innovative collaborations with researchers from other PBRNs. I’ve also had the satisfaction of contributing (I hope) to the work of others. This conference is invaluable both for practice-based research newbies and for old hands.”
-Mort Wasserman, MD, MPH

PBRN Conference Plenary Speaker – Joe Selby, MD, MPH

We are thrilled to host Joe Selby, MD, MPH, as one of our plenary speaker at the PBRN conference. He is the first Executive Director of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), an independent organization created to help people make informed health care decisions and improve health care delivery. PCORI commissions research that is guided by patients, caregivers and the broader health care community and produces high integrity, evidence-based information.

Dr. Selby will discuss primary care quality improvement via collaborative partnerships; conducting research that not only informs service delivery but also facilitates sustainable quality improvement at the practice and systems level.

A press release on Dr. Selby describes him well: “Dr. Selby is a rare combination of innovative research leader and tireless patient advocate, who is passionate about PCORI’s work to ensure that the patient perspective is incorporated throughout the health research and dissemination process,” said Dr. Eugene Washington, M.D., M.Sc., chair of the PCORI Board of Governors and vice chancellor of Health Sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Selby is a family physician, clinical epidemiologist and health services researcher. He joined PCORI from Kaiser Permanente, Northern California, where he was director of the Division of Research for 13 years and oversaw a department of more than 50 investigators and 500 research staff working on more than 250 ongoing studies. An accomplished researcher, he has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and continues to conduct research, primarily in the areas of diabetes outcomes and quality improvement.

Dr. Selby’s plenary will be on Thursday of the conference (June 21) and is sure to impress.

For more about PCORI go to www.pcori.org.