The use of opioid agents has increased dramatically in the United States. Prescription drug overdoses now account for more deaths than traumatic injuries in the 1-44 age group. There is a need for more high level evidence to target optimal pain management strategies in the acute (ED) and non-acute settings (office practice) especially for chronic disorders such as low back pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, acupuncture etc. ...more »

As the current chair of the Research and Training Division, I would like to convey that the AAAAI membership would like the NHLBI to consider the following in the development of its strategic plan:

Are the current methodologies for clinical trials still the best practices for conducting efficient clinical trials?

To foster the IOM recommendation that every healthcare encounter contribute to a learning healthcare system, would clinical practice structured as N-of-1 trials and documented via EHR/EMR provide strong practice-based evidence?

There are numerous obstacles to the timely completion of trials, and there is a crisis in US enrollment rates. Overcoming barriers to timely completion of clinical trials would have a profound impact on accelerating research translation to improving health. Clinical investigations are necessary to advance the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cures of human disease. The rate of basic scientific discovery has overwhelmed ...more »

What innovative methodologies applicable to small cohorts and rare outcomes can better ensure the success of clinical and implementation studies in the rare diseases affecting heart, lung, blood, and sleep?

1) Phase III efficacy trials of new tuberculosis drugs (e.g., bedaquiline, delamanid, PA-824) that have shown promise in early phase studies for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. 2) Phase III efficacy trials of new and existing tuberculosis drugs to development very short course regimens (3-4 months). 3) Phase III efficacy trials of new and existing drugs for treatment of latent tuberculosis infection in contacts of ...more »

Infrastructure for performing research in rare diseases should be enhanced to allow efficient accrual to multicenter trials.

Will sensitivity to the psychological aspects of obesity, including lifestyle priorities and motivations, improve the efficacy of long-term effectiveness of weight loss and obesity prevention interventions?

As the current chair of the Research and Training Division, I would like to convey that the AAAAI membership would like the NHLBI to consider the following in the development of its strategic plan:

Will integration of behavior science in clinical research improve effectiveness of interventions for asthma associated with behavioral risk factors? 

In adults without diastolic hypertension (DBP ≥ 90 mm Hg), what is the best way to determine at what systolic blood pressure should treatment be initiated?

Prevention trials, implemented to reduce or delay progression to overt disease in a population at risk to the disease, are an important approach to health promotion. Therapies shown to reduce disease severity in patients with a specific disease are obvious, but not the only, candidates for a prevention trial in populations at high risk for prevalent diseases (such as heart failure, diabetes, COPD, asthma in children). ...more »

What are the best ways for the NHLBI to advance the evolving science of translating robust evidence into clinical practice domestically and globally? How to personalize broad research evidence for individual patients? How to predict and evaluate the impact of evidence-based interventions? How to identify implementation methods available in industry and elsewhere that work best and are most translatable in healthcare? ...more »