WASHINGTON, April 24, 2013 -- The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute today announced the appointment of Bryan R. Luce, PhD, MBA, as PCORI's first Chief Science Officer (CSO). In this position, Luce will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of PCORI's patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) agenda.

"Dr. Luce is an accomplished researcher, with a broad perspective and recognized expertise in patient-centered outcomes research. He brings to PCORI a wealth of experience in comparative effectiveness research and consensus-building that will be invaluable as we continue to grow our portfolio of research and implement our methods standards," said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH. "We are fortunate to have recruited Bryan and I look forward to working with him in expanding and refining our research capacity and systematically engaging patients, researchers and the broader healthcare community in our work."   

Luce joins PCORI from United BioSource Corporation (UBC), where he served as Senior Vice President for Science and Policy and focused on CER and the development of novel research methods to support a more patient-centered approach. Luce joined UBC in 2004 with the organization's acquisition of MEDTAP International, a company he founded to provide health economics and outcomes research services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.

"UBC congratulates Bryan on this great accomplishment and we thank him for the many contributions he has made to our company, our clients and the fields of health economics, outcomes and comparative effectiveness research," said Jon Williams, Head of UBC's Health Economics and Outcomes Research, data analytics and market access groups. "We are pleased that PCORI would look to Bryan and UBC to fill its top scientific position and we are confident Bryan will deliver on our shared commitment to continued improvements in patient care."

Luce has devoted his career to developing research methods, policies, and applications to help improve evidence-based information to support health care decision-making. In 2008, he founded the Pragmatic Approaches to Comparative Effectiveness (PACE) Initiative, a collaborative effort to improve the practicality and efficiency of comparative clinical studies to meet demands by payers, clinicians, and policy makers for more "real-world" evidence.

"PCORI has the potential to transform the way health care is delivered," Luce said. "I look forward to leading our scientific staff as we work with patients, caregivers, researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders to build a foundation of evidence that will improve healthcare decision-making."

Luce has also served in leadership positions at Battelle, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Office of Technology Assessment of the United States Congress. He has been an advisor to numerous government and nonprofit agencies as well as pharmaceutical and device firms worldwide.

Luce holds adjunct faculty positions at the Department of Health Policy, Jefferson Medical College, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California, and the Department of Pharmacy, University of Washington. A former Special Forces Officer, Luce is a Lieutenant Colonel (Retired), Medical Service Corps, US Army Reserves.

Luce served as the 5th President of the International Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and in 2008 received the society's highest recognition, the Avedis Donabedian Outcomes Research Lifetime Achievement Award.

He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University Massachusetts at Amherst and his doctorate from the School of Public Health at the University of California at Los Angeles.

About PCORI
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent, non-profit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health care decisions. PCORI is committed to continuously seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work. More information is available at www.pcori.org.