The Predictive Analytics and Comparative Effectiveness (PACE) Center within the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center, led by David Kent, MD, was awarded more than $1 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to found a one-in-the-nation Predictive Analytics Resource Center (PARC).
The Center will partner with PCORI to advance the use of predictive analytics in research to better personalize treatment options for individuals and sub-populations. The PARC will provide various professional services including development of a portfolio of research activities in the area of predictive analytics. The grant funding will provide initial support for two years to start the center, with additional funding for specific high impact pilot projects.
One major PARC initiative will be the development of a state-of-the-science Predictive Analytics and Treatment Effect Heterogeneity (PATH) white paper, which will outline best practices in applying predictive analytics to clinical trials to answer patient-centered research questions. The PARC team is comprised of methodologists widely recognized for pioneering the use of risk models for clinical decision making, along with clinical experts who are experienced in shaping research questions and defining decisional support needs. The international team of experts includes several Tufts Medical Center investigators, including Harry Selker, MD Executive Director of the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies (ICRHPS) and John Wong, MD, Chief of the Division of Clinical Decision Making and Principal Investigator at ICRHPS.
Preliminary work already has been done to identify pilot projects, making use of newly emergent clinical trial data that have the potential to be exceptionally high impact. In addition, the PACE team is funded by a separate but closely related PCORI grant for a conference to be convened with the National Academies of Medicine in May 2018 to explore the potential application of evidence personalization through predictive analytics.
About Tufts Medical Center
Tufts Medical Center is an exceptional, not-for-profit, 415-bed academic medical center that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and Tufts Medical Center. Conveniently located in downtown Boston, the Medical Center is the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine. The Medical Center features a level one trauma center with rooftop helipad, the largest heart transplant center in New England and a renowned research program, ranking among the top 10 percent of independent hospitals to receive federal research funding. A physician network of 1,800 New England Quality Care Alliance doctors represents our strong commitment to health in the community. Tufts Medical Center is a founding member of Wellforce, along with Circle Health and Hallmark Health. For more information, visit www.tuftsmedicalcenter.org.
About the Predictive Analytics and Comparative Effectiveness (PACE) Center
The Predictive Analytics and Comparative Effectiveness (PACE) Center within the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center seeks to better understand and address the limitations of using group-derived evidence as the basis for decision making in individual patients, with the goal of providing clinicians and patients with evidence better tailored to their particular circumstances.
