Kevin McCaul, psychology professor and senior adviser at NDSU, was invited to be part of the first full review of proposals submitted to the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The independent, non-profit organization was authorized as the “research wing” of the Affordable Care Act. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients and clinicians with evidence-based information that will lead to well-informed health care decisions. 

McCaul traveled to Washington, D.C., in November for phase II and final review of proposals submitted to the Communication and Dissemination Research Panel. The panel was charged with focusing on the impact of the grant proposals, which already had been reviewed for scientific merit. 

“It was an interesting contrast to my prior reviewing experience, because we were asked to judge the likelihood that the results of the research would be disseminated and incorporated into practice quickly or at least within a short period of time, three to five years,” McCaul said. 

Each proposal was reviewed by a group of two scientists, a patient representative and a stakeholder. McCaul’s review group expected to recommend 14 awards for a total of $12 million in available funds. 

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.