PORTAL and its parent organization, the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics of Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, bring together concerned researchers, analysts, and trainees from the fields of medicine, law, epidemiology, and health policy to critically evaluate emerging issues on the regulation, use, and reimbursement of therapeutics (prescription drugs and medical devices). We are interested in how laws and regulations influence the development, utilization, and affordability of therapeutics, as well as the ethical questions that current and proposed policies raise for patients, physicians, policymakers, and payors. Particular areas of focus include drug and device regulation, intellectual property, cost-effectiveness, and comparative effectiveness. These topics are addressed through a variety of descriptive, qualitative, and quantitative methodologies. Topics are often suggested by emerging policy developments that are being considered or implemented at the federal or state level.
We seek to clarify which policies, practices, and laws best promote the effective, safe, affordable, and equitable use of therapeutics. We aim for our work to be both timely and actionable, providing rigorous data and careful empirical analysis to inform ongoing debate and policymaking in this arena. Goals of this research include its publication in major medical, legal, and health policy journals; dissemination through the lay media and international, national, regional, and local professional meetings; and interaction with key decision-makers in the public and private sectors to ensure translation into actionable health care policy. PORTAL also conducts regular meetings, seminars, and conferences to discuss ongoing research, emerging areas of interest and potential scholarship, and current issues in related fields.
Another major focus of PORTAL is support of young scholars in law, policy, medicine, and public health, and mentorship of trainees interested in pursuing careers in law, policy, or public health research. Development of additional researchers in this area will promote broader study of these topics in the future. Our work is generously supported by the institutions listed below (click logo to view their respective pages). No member of the PORTAL research team accepts personal support from any pharmaceutical or medical device company. We are part of the Harvard-MIT Center for Regulatory Science collaboration.
We seek to clarify which policies, practices, and laws best promote the effective, safe, affordable, and equitable use of therapeutics. We aim for our work to be both timely and actionable, providing rigorous data and careful empirical analysis to inform ongoing debate and policymaking in this arena. Goals of this research include its publication in major medical, legal, and health policy journals; dissemination through the lay media and international, national, regional, and local professional meetings; and interaction with key decision-makers in the public and private sectors to ensure translation into actionable health care policy. PORTAL also conducts regular meetings, seminars, and conferences to discuss ongoing research, emerging areas of interest and potential scholarship, and current issues in related fields.
Another major focus of PORTAL is support of young scholars in law, policy, medicine, and public health, and mentorship of trainees interested in pursuing careers in law, policy, or public health research. Development of additional researchers in this area will promote broader study of these topics in the future. Our work is generously supported by the institutions listed below (click logo to view their respective pages). No member of the PORTAL research team accepts personal support from any pharmaceutical or medical device company. We are part of the Harvard-MIT Center for Regulatory Science collaboration.
Current Funding Sources:
Past Funding Sources:
Program On Regulation, Therapeutics And Law (PORTAL)
Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics 1620 Tremont Street, Suite 3030 Boston, MA 02120 |