November 2025

“The People Behind the Research”: PaTH Network’s Greg Merritt Featured as Keynote Speaker at PCORI Annual Meeting

Brimming with sincerity, warmth, and wit, PaTH Network co-Principal Investigator and PCORnet Steering Committee member Greg Merritt was the featured guest in a keynote event to kick off the PCORI Annual Meeting last month. In a “fireside chat” format conversation with PCORI Executive Director Nakela Cook, Greg shared his rich experience as a patient and patient partner as well as his vision for the future of patient-partnered health research. He noted that his early days as an advocate for patient partnership were guided by the thought that “the secret to innovation in health care is to have more patients who have had lived expertise be the people in the room to decide” how that research is conducted. From asking the right questions to co-creating research programs, from understanding recruitment and enrollment considerations to practicing effective dissemination—patients hold the key to important shifts in how research is conducted.

When asked what he thinks are critical issues on the horizon for patient-centered and patient-partnered research, Greg highlighted a couple of priorities. First, he hopes for research that is not just careful, but also markedly kind and connected with the individuals and communities it is intended to serve. Second, he encourages the use of new technologies to advance patient-centeredness, for example by using generative artificial intelligence tools to create personalized plain-language summaries of research opportunities and research findings. He envisions a future commonplace practice of using AI tools to translate a research proposal for a gardening hobbyist or a professional trucker to help individuals from all backgrounds to understand and engage with health research in ways that are personally meaningful to them.

Nakela Cook acknowledged Greg's efforts and influence so well as she recalled all the roles and initiatives in which Greg has taken part over the years: “We at PCORI have been the beneficiaries of a lot of that work and a lot of your effort and we thank you for it. [...] We owe Greg a debt of gratitude, for not just your service but also for how you’re mentoring us in terms of what the role of patient partner is really about." Thank you, Greg, for your insight, clarity, and commitment as you lead the way for better health outcomes for patients and their loved ones.

To watch the full conversation, visit https://www.pcori.org/events/2025/PAM-keynote-real-world-innovation-health-research-vision-future-patient-centered-cer

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