Grant: New Investigator Salary Award - PA: Drug Safety and Effectiveness

Rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease are chronic conditions that affect all ages. Both conditions are caused by the body's immune system attacking healthy cells in different parts of the body. In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system attacks the joints, resulting in joint swelling, pain, and difficulty moving. In Crohn's disease, the gastrointestinal tract or intestines are affected, resulting in pain, diarrhea and weight loss. Both conditions have a large impact on patients' quality of life. There is no cure for either disease, but fortunately many treatment options are available for both. Choosing the right treatment for the right patient requires an understanding of what is important to people living with these conditions. Some treatments may work better but have potential side effects. Some medications are taken as pills and others as injections at home or infusions through a vein in a clinic. Currently, treatment recommendations for both conditions are made primarily based on research evidence alone. In this program of research, we will perform multiple studies to understand how treatment decisions can be best aligned with research evidence and patient's unique disease characteristics and preferences. This will include studies in which we personalize estimates of benefits and side effects for a patient based on his or her disease characteristics, and patient surveys to determine what is most important to patients when choosing between these treatments. We will use this information to determine which treatments treatment patients would prefer, which will help inform patient-centered treatment recommendations and decision tools. We will also conduct surveys in doctors to determine if they have different views about what is important to patients. The ultimate goal of this research program is to help doctors and patients choose treatments that best match current research evidence and patients' preferences.