The following statement pertaining to the PCORI response to the COVID-19 public health emergency was released by PCORI Interim Executive Director, Josie Briggs, MD on March 24, 2020. The message addresses PCORI staff availability and deadline changes among other important items.
In light of the spread of COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus, the health and well-being of everyone is our primary concern as we endeavor to continue carrying out our mission with a concentration on reacting quickly to the current public health emergency.
Safety and well-being are integral to our research funding, engagement with stakeholders, and other services, business processes, and infrastructure. We are assessing the situation daily, remaining vigilant, and following all recommendations from the World Health Organization, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and federal and state authorities.
Staff Availability: Following federal and state guidance to promote social distancing, PCORI’s staff has shifted to telework and is conducting meetings and other business through virtual platforms such as teleconferencing and videoconferencing. We will strive to be accessible and minimize disruptions as much as possible under the circumstances. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we engage with you under extraordinary conditions.
Meetings: We are curtailing all business travel by PCORI staff for the foreseeable future. During that same period, we are postponing, switching to all-virtual formats, or canceling PCORI-hosted meetings. We appreciate your understanding. We are continuing with preparations for the 2020 PCORI Annual Meeting, scheduled for September 16-17 in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. However, we may make appropriate adjustments to our plans, if necessary. We are also working with awardees to support their efforts to convert their planned in-person meetings to virtual formats or to postpone or cancel their meetings.
Funding Opportunities and Deadlines: As necessary, we are adjusting the deadlines related to our funding announcements and quickly exploring ways that PCORI can contribute to the evidence base for addressing this public health crisis. Revised deadlines and opportunities are noted in the Funding Opportunities section of our website and in this FAQ.
As we chart our course through these uncertain times together, we affirm PCORI’s ongoing commitment to our core activities of supporting engagement in research and studies that provide information people need to make better-informed healthcare decisions. We will continue to provide updated information and guidance through our website to awardees, applicants, and other stakeholders as the situation develops.
Communities are facing enormous challenges and PCORI is committed to contributing to the important work needed to address the many uncertainties that face us all.