Support of the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making

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DESCRIPTION (PROVIDED BY APPLICANT): Abstract: The Society for Medical Decision-Making (SMDM) is a professional, academic organization that promotes scientific and methodological rigor in health care decision and behavioral sciences and their application to clinical care and health policy. SMDM's broad, multi-disciplinary membership research focus is the promotion of rational, systematic analysis of clinical decision making and behavior to improve health and health care and inform health policy. SMDM's Annual Meeting is the focal point of the organization's educational and training activities, providing a forum for presentation of novel health services and policy research based. Central to advancing scientific understanding and improving patient outcomes is the ability to rigorously assess the incremental value of medical interventions and integrate this knowledge into decision making and practice. The theme of SMDM's 30th Annual Meeting October 18-22, 2008 in Philadelphia, is "Comparative Effectiveness - From Theory to Practice: Challenges and Opportunities," an important AHRQ priority. This year's program includes an integrated series of keynote talks, symposia, workshops, short courses, and original research presentations that highlight the value and methods of rigorously assessing the benefits, risks and costs of alternative medical interventions, and effectively implementing into practice and policy health care and behaviors that improve patient access and outcomes. The meeting has an active mentoring component, emphasizing development and nurturing of young investigators in health care decision making and behavior who seek careers as independent, clinically oriented health services and policy outcomes researchers. AHRQ funding is requested to support the costs associated with the keynote talk, three special symposia on comparative effectiveness research and policy challenges and five short courses that provide introductory and advanced training in improving the comparative assessment of alternative medical interventions and adoption of effective practices and behavior.