The University of Washington created the Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program (PORPP) in 1995 to strengthen research efforts and provide graduate-level training in the outcomes research and policy areas. PORPP faculty and students conduct analyses of the comparative effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of healthcare interventions to improve decision making by patients, clinicians, and policy makers. PORPP has helped the UW become a nationally recognized center for pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, and pharmaceutical policy research.

Pharmaceutical outcomes research employs a variety of methods to evaluate the impact of healthcare interventions on clinical outcomes, patient quality of life, and cost-effectiveness, and assess healthcare policy implications. The graduate program in pharmaceutical outcomes research and policy trains students in economic evaluation, pharmacoepidemiology, health services research, and pharmaceutical policy formulation and evaluation.

Career Opportunities
Graduate training in the program prepares students for career opportunities in:

• Academic research and teaching.
• Safety and economic evaluation of products in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries.
• Policy analysis for professional associations, health care insurance providers, and governmental agencies.
• Management within hospitals, managed care organizations and programs concerned with reimbursement for pharmaceuticals and other medical technologies.

Graduate Student Handbook 2012