Letter from the Trustees

Hello Friends,

Once again, we find that our Practically Speaking topics are about partnerships — a recurring theme here at Donaghue.

We are delighted to have Penny Mohr, Steve Clauser, and Carly Parry — all from PCORI — write about the challenge of transitioning an innovation to something that is ready to be tested against reasonable comparators. By focusing on comparative effectiveness, PCORI raises the bar in healthcare practice. However, growing an innovation to the point where it can be tested as an alternative in the marketplace of different practice approaches cannot be done alone; one has to work with many others to provide the required scaffolding to create scale and change.

Another feature article in this issue is about the partnership between the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. This fellowship program places scientists in state agencies to provide expertise on emerging issues. This program not only provides additional scientific competence and judgement to those shaping policy concerns, but it also gives exposure to younger scientists about how their expertise can add value to the development of policies that have a real impact on people’s lives.

Finally, we will soon be holding our science review committee meeting for the Greater Value Portfolio program. This is the second year that applicants had to partner with a healthcare organization in their research proposal, and reviewers will explicitly consider the strength and relevance of that partnership, along with other attributes, as a part of their critique. We look forward to the fascinating discussions of these proposals by our stellar reviewers.

Amy R. Lynch, JD
U.S. Trust, Bank of America, Trustee

Lynne Garner, PhD
President and Trustee