About CERTs
Annual Report Year 3
Putting Our Heads Together:
Fostering Collaboration
The Risk Series | Parternships to Advance Therapeutics | Outreach
Partnerships to Advance Therapeutics
Collaboration across sectors is a key to CERTs success and at the core of the program's values. The early achievements of the CERTs centers underscore this approach and in 2001, CERTs sought new ways to bring research partners together. The Partnerships to Advance Therapeutics (PATHs) was founded.
Each spring, the CERTs host a meeting of leaders from over 35 organizations that span the healthcare gamut. Government agencies, insurers, physicians, professional associations, patient advocacy groups, private industry, and even U.S. Congress are all represented, with a single goal in mind—foster research and education collaborations founded on open communication and a consensus on priorities.
The first of the annual PATHs meetings in 2001 bore immediate fruit, as a registry of educational and research projects, as well as interested collaborators, was created. The registry was published and also posted on the CERTs Website for easy access at http://www.certs.hhs.gov/partners/paths/regis. Organizations, public and private, interested in participating in research that pursues the optimal use of therapeutics can add their information to the registry.
The second meeting of PATHs was held in March 2002 and the focus quickly turned to the challenges of communicating the latest evidence to physicians and patients alike.
Technology holds a lot of promise in streamlining the sharing of information. Electronic medical records, computer order entry systems for prescriptions, and other innovations can cut down on medication errors and duplications of effort. But a balance with protecting the patient's privacy must always be struck.
PATHs partners look towards government representatives and professional societies to help tackle this issue. Only the array of experts brought together by PATHs can address all sides of the matter. Scientists, policymakers, and care providers from all sectors can identify technological priorities and help set research agendas. The credibility of academic research lends PATHs-inspired projects the power of hard-worn evidence. Legislative leadership helps turn that evidence into policy.
PATHs met again during March 2003 to discuss how to proceed based on the research agenda arising from the Risk Series workshops. Through the registry and the relationships created via the PATHs meetings, the advancement of rational and optimal therapeutic use is given even greater momentum.
Select here to view a listing of PATHs partners in the Partners section of the web site.