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Talk NERDY to Me Alumni

The Talk NERDY to Me program conducts its annual training, not just for the sake of learning, but to spur participants to apply for research advisory roles and improve the research process. Talk NERDY graduates go on to serve in public and private advisory roles on clinical trial review committees, institutional review boards, and other research, policy, and health education-focused opportunities.

In fact, 86% of Talk NERDY to Me alumni have participated in at least 1 PCOR activity since graduation, and almost 40% of alumni have participated in an average of four different activities. More specifically, examples of how alumni have served include:

  • As advisors on the FDA/Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative Patient Engagement Collaborative;
  • As committee members for the Peer Review Medical Research Program (PRMRP) of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) for the Department of Defense (DOD);
  • As patient advisers to PCORI-funded CER projects;
  • As PCORI Patient Ambassadors, who are asked to present at briefings and serve on speaker panels;
  • As reviewers for patient advocacy and health education materials;
  • As project manager lead on the development of a software platform for monitoring patients clinical adverse events for early-stage trials at Regeneron;
  • As a committee member for the National Quality Forum’s “Consensus Development Process (CDP) Cardiovascular Standing Committee.”
  • Establishing a nonprofit organization, Memory Advocate Peers (MAP), which partners with CaringKind (the former Alzheimer’s Association Chapter in NYC) to train volunteers in peer-to-peer support for patients newly diagnosed with cognitive impairment and their care partners; and
  • Creating and designing a funded Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards grant request and program.

Hear from past advocates about why they found the Talk NERDY to Me training so valuable, or check out these spotlight features on former Talk NERDY to Me trainees: