NTI Board Chair Advocates Case For Trauma Funding For HHS Panel

On June 10, 2009, Ronald M. Stewart, MD, FACS, Chairman of the National Trauma Institute Board of Directors, was selected to participate in a listening session for the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research. Stewart provided an overview of trauma care in the United States, highlighted NTI's role in building awareness of and fundraising for trauma research, and advocated for additional federal funding for trauma research through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to the Department of Health and Human Services' website, "Comparative effectiveness research is the conduct and synthesis of systematic research comparing different interventions and strategies to prevent, diagnose, treat and monitor health conditions. The purpose of this research is to inform patients, providers, and decision-makers, responding to their expressed needs, about which interventions are most effective for which patients under specific circumstances.

"To provide this information, comparative effectiveness research must assess a comprehensive array of health-related outcomes for diverse patient populations. Defined interventions compared may include medications, procedures, medical and assistive devices and technologies, behavioral change strategies, and delivery system interventions. This research necessitates the development, expansion, and use of a variety of data sources and methods to assess comparative effectiveness."

View Stewart’s commentary for the listening session, or visit the listening session website at http://www.blsmeetings.net/fcc/.