Penn PORTAL (Patient-Oriented Research and Training to Accelerate Learning) is designed to advance progress toward an integrated learning health system (LHS) at Penn and in the wider Philadelphia region. The program is funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, with staff support provided by multiple centers at Penn including the Palliative and Advanced Illness Research (PAIR) Center, Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, and Center for Healthcare Improvement & Patient Safety.
A key part of this mission is to train LHS Scientists with per
sonal, disciplinary, and institutional diversity who become health system operations leaders and independently funded LHS investigators. Penn PORTAL also strives to catalyze LHS research by building and connecting data assets and supporting the LHS scientists to complete stakeholder-prioritized projects that are informed by evidence in changing human behavior, designed for implementation from the outset, and evaluated using rigorous methods.
LHS Pathways
The Penn PORTAL program provides two pathways for research and training in LHS science:
- LHS Scientist Investigator: early-career clinician- and non-clinician investigators seeking to become independent and externally funded LHS scientists, and
- LHS Clinician Leaders: clinically oriented faculty and other health care professionals who are interested in pursuing training and mentorship in LHS science.
Faculty, research scientists, and other health care professionals at Penn are eligible to apply. Applications open in the winter for appointments beginning the following summer. Please visit the Penn PORTAL page on the PAIR website for more information.