The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus received an $8 million, five-year continuation grant from the National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR), part of the National Institutes of Health, to refine and expand the Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group (PCRC).
As the nation’s first research cooperative group focused on end-of-life and palliative care research, the PCRC was established in 2010 with initial funding from the NINR/NIH, and now includes close to 450 members and a growing network of over 150 clinical sites across the nation.
The PCRC addresses national research priorities in end-of-life and palliative care by enhancing the quality and efficiency of research. The PCRC exists to lead, catalyze, and empower a community of investigators who are developing an evidence base to ensure high quality care and optimal well-being for persons with serious illness and their caregivers. The PCRC is a vibrant, interdisciplinary research community committed to advancing rigorous palliative care science and improving care for people with serious illness.
“The PCRC has developed key resources and infrastructure that are facilitating conduct of high quality palliative care research and fostering an interdisciplinary community of investigators,” said Jean Kutner, MD, MSPH, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and PCRC Co-Chair.
Christine Ritchie, MD, MSPH, professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, Co-Chair of PCRC, and Director of the PCRC Investigator Development Center, describes the PCRC as a community of learners. “In a field as new as palliative care with substantial research needs, it is critical for new and seasoned investigators alike to be learning cutting-edge research methods and strategies to answer complex questions faced by those with serious illness and their caregivers.”
“Palliative care research has grown by leaps and bounds. The PCRC helps ensure we conduct the most rigorous science that can inform our clinical practice to improve the lives of patients and their caregivers,” said Kathryn Pollak, PhD, professor of Population Health Sciences at Duke University, Co-Chair of PCRC, and Director of the PCRC Clinical Studies/Methodology Core.
Information about the PCRC is available on the PCRC website: http://palliativecareresearch.org/.
Funding for the PCRC is provided by the NINR (UC4NR012584, U24NR014637, and U2CNR014637-6).