Pragmatic Trials Training Program
The HDRN Canada Pragmatic Trials Training Program helps researchers use real world data in trials to generate real world evidence and improve health care services and policy. Launching in 2023 with $3.4 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the program will be led by HDRN Canada Lead Dr. Amit Garg, Associate Dean of Clinical Research and a world-renowned clinician-scientist with the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University.
“Clinical trials advance medical care, reduce the costs and burdens of illness on society, and improve health and quality of life for patients with a broad range of health conditions,” said Dr. Garg, a professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, Western University.
Pragmatic clinical trials are embedded within routine health care and rely on real-world data sources. They often include patients typically excluded from traditional trials and can lead to findings that accurately reflect the impact of simple interventions. This enables healthcare providers and organizations to gain practical evidence that they can leverage to improve health outcomes.
“Done well, pragmatic trials are faster than traditional trials and can be conducted at a fraction of the cost. Yet few Canadian researchers have the training and experience to conduct them,” explained Dr. Garg. “The HDRN Canada Pragmatic Trials Training Program will allow us to mobilize Canada’s tremendous unrealized resources and provide learners with the skills needed to conduct high-quality pragmatic trials, helping a new generation conduct better, faster, cheaper and more efficient clinical trials.”