Boston, Mass., May 19, 2016 – Fourteen leading experts, including clinicians, clinical research methodologists, and public representatives from the Midwest have been named as the inaugural members of the Midwest Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (Midwest CEPAC). The Midwest CEPAC is the newest of three public deliberative bodies convened across the country by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) to consider public comment and debate the findings of ICER reports on new drugs. As part of this deliberation, the Midwest CEPAC will take public votes rating the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of the drugs under review. The members of the Midwest CEPAC represent a broad range of backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives including medical ethics, outcomes research, methodology, technology assessment, patient advocacy and engagement, and clinical practice. Council members are chosen based on their expertise in reviewing and applying medical evidence in a variety of contexts and are not selected based on specific expertise in a given clinical area.

“The inaugural members of the Midwest CEPAC are a distinguished group of individuals, and we are proud to have them take on this critical public role. Patients, clinicians, insurers, and policymakers can all benefit from independent, clear judgments of what we know about which drugs work best for which patients.  Similarly, questions of the costs of care need to be discussed with all stakeholders — including the public — at the table. The Midwest CEPAC will play a critical role in achieving these goals,” stated Steven D. Pearson, MD, MSc. “Bringing varied skills and perspectives to the table, the members of Midwest CEPAC will provide a unique forum within which these issues can be examined and options developed for bringing innovative drugs to those patients who can benefit from them while enhancing value for patients and the entire health system.”

A list of the Midwest CEPAC members is included below, and a brief biography of each member is available on the ICER website.

The first public meeting of the Midwest CEPAC on May 26, 2016 will address treatments for multiple myeloma. The meeting is free and open to the public. Additional meeting information, including registration for the in-person meeting or a live webcast, is available on the ICER website.

Council Members

  • Eric S. Armbrecht, PhD, Associate Professor, Saint Louis University Center for Health Outcomes Research, School of Medicine and College for Public Health & Social Justice
  • Ryan Barker, MSW, MPPA, Vice President of Health Policy, Missouri Foundation for Health
  • Aaron Carroll, MD, MS, Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Dean for Research Mentoring, and Director Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research, Indiana University School of Medicine
  • Donald Casey, MD, MPH, MBA (Chair), Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal Healthcare Industry Group; Principal, IPO4Health; Adjunct Faculty, Jefferson College of Population Health; Faculty, Rush Medical College
  • Rena M. Conti, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Economics, Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago
  • Susan Feigenbaum, PhD, Curators Professor, Department of Economics, University of Missouri, St. Louis
  • Jill Johnson, PharmD, Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  • Mary Klix, MD, Assistant Professor, Hematology and Medical Oncology, SLUCare Physician Group
  • Janice Meyer, MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner, St. Anthony’s Health Care Partners
  • Scott Micek, PharmD, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, St. Louis College of Pharmacy
  • Reem Mustafa, MD, MPH, PhD, Director, Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Education, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Biomedical and Health Informatics, University of Missouri-Kansas City
  • Rajiv Patel, MD, Vice President, Medical Affairs, SSM Health DePaul Hospital
  • Harold Pollack, PhD, Helen Ross Professor, University of Chicago
  • Shumei Yun, MD, PhD, State Chronic Disease Epidemiologist, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

About ICER

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is an independent non-profit research institute that produces reports analyzing the evidence on the effectiveness and value of drugs and other medical services. ICER’s reports include evidence-based calculations of prices for new drugs that accurately reflect the degree of improvement expected in long-term patient outcomes, while also highlighting price levels that might contribute to unaffordable short-term cost growth for the overall health care system.

ICER’s reports incorporate extensive input from all stakeholders and are the subject of public hearings through three core programs: the California Technology Assessment Forum (CTAF), the Midwest Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (Midwest CEPAC) and the New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (New England CEPAC). These independent panels review ICER’s reports at public meetings to deliberate on the evidence and develop recommendations for how patients, clinicians, insurers, and policymakers can improve the quality and value of health care. For more information about ICER, please visit ICER’s website.

ICER is expanding its team. Please see all our open positions here.