Millions of Americans are currently living with some form of vascular disease, whether it’s something they were born with or developed at some point in their lives. Vascular disease is often overlooked and underfunded; high-quality research that improves patients’ lives is far from the norm. In other disease spaces that have these issues, we have seen the benefit of improving research for the patient by partnering with the patient.

 

Patient-centered research is a process that focuses on the actual lived experiences, preferences, and needs of patients living with the disease/symptoms of interest. It brings patients into the research design, execution, analysis, and dissemination as partners whose contributions are valued and important for making sure the research actually serves and benefits the broader patient population.

 

Patient-centered research is lacking in the vascular disease space.​ The Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures is committed to addressing this issue in several ways by:

• Building capacity among patient and caregiver populations to understand, engage in, and advocate for patient-centered research

• Raising awareness of the benefits of patient-centered research among researchers, providers, industry, and other stakeholders

• Developing tools and resources to help train and prepare patients and researchers to conduct meaningful patient-centered research

• Coordinating young professional and research-based grants that champion patient-centered research and patient-centered methodologies

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Our dedication to patient-centered research includes bringing education and empowerment to underserved populations across the country, including minoritized groups. We strive to bring patient voices forward so that research better addresses their needs, and ultimately contributes towards better vascular health for all.