A workshop summary is now available from the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory’s 2026 virtual workshop, “Endpoint Strategy in Pragmatic Trials: From Big Questions to Meaningful Outcomes.”

The 2-day workshop, hosted by the NIH, shared evidence and best practices in thoughtfully selecting endpoints and interpreting treatment effects in pragmatic clinical trials embedded in healthcare systems to best inform decision-making.

The first day of the workshop focused on selecting the endpoint strategy, introduced the foundational connections between endpoints and meaningfulness, and examined endpoint complexities encountered in the design and analysis of pragmatic trials. The second day of the workshop focused on the meaningfulness of treatment effects, outlined key concepts in interpreting treatment effects, and introduced statistical analysis considerations for handling complex endpoint scenarios in pragmatic trials.

Access the complete workshop materials, including the workshop summary, slides, and video recordings.

• Session 1: Aiming for Impact: What is the Right Concept to Target?
  • Steven George, PT, PhD (moderator); Michael Ho, MD, PhD; Frederick Masoudi, MD, MSPH; Miguel Vazquez, MD; Tracy Wang, MD, MHS, MSc; Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, MPH
• Session 2: The Estimands Framework: Aligning Objectives, Endpoints, and Analyses
  • Liz Turner, PhD (moderator); Elizabeth Colantuoni, PhD, ScM; Fan Li, PhD; Richard Skolasky, Jr, MA, ScD; Hulin Wu, PhD
• Session 3: Working With Multiple Outcomes: Multicomponent Endpoints and Beyond
  • Emily O’Brien, PhD (moderator); Julie Fritz, PhD, PT; Patrick Heagerty, PhD; Eric Roseen, DC, PhD; Pamela Shaw, PhD, MS; Qilu Yu, PhD
• Session 4: Unpacking Uncertainty, Meaningfulness, and Magnitude
  • Greg Simon, MD, MPH (moderator); Devon Check, PhD; Lynn DeBar, PhD, MPH; Juan Marcos Gonzalez, PhD; Laura Lee Johnson, PhD; Natalia Morone, MD, MS
• Session 5: Toward Best Practices for Interpretation of Endpoints
  • Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS (comoderator); Kevin Weinfurt, PhD (comoderator); Andrea Cook, PhD; Corita Grudzen, MD, MSHS; Liz Turner, PhD; Kari Stephens, PhD; Christy Zigler, PhD, MSEd

The NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory will hold a virtual workshop on September 8 and 9, 2026, on “Endpoint Strategy in Pragmatic Trials: From Big Questions to Meaningful Outcomes.” The workshop will share evidence and best practices in thoughtfully selecting endpoints and interpreting treatment effects in pragmatic clinical trials embedded in healthcare systems to best inform decision-making.

Day 1 of the workshop will focus on selecting the endpoint strategy, introduce the foundational connections between endpoints and meaningfulness, and examine endpoint complexities encountered in the design and analysis of pragmatic trials. Day 2 will focus on the meaningfulness of treatment effects, outline key concepts in interpretating treatment effects, and introduce statistical analysis considerations for handling complex endpoint scenarios in pragmatic trials.

The panels will include seasoned investigators and experts in conducting pragmatic research embedded in healthcare systems from the NIH Collaboratory and beyond. To date, the NIH Collaboratory has launched 37 pragmatic trials that are conducted within healthcare systems at more than 1,400 clinical sites.

The workshop is free and open to the public. Registration is required, so register today!

Schedule Overview

September 8: 11:00 am-3:00 pm ET

• Defining the Endpoint: Where Evidence Begins
• Aiming for Impact: What Is the Right Concept to Target?
• The Estimand Framework: Aligning Objectives, Endpoints, and Analyses
• Working With Multiple Outcomes: Multicomponent Endpoints and Beyond

September 9: 11:00 am-3:00 pm ET

• Moving From Measurement to Meaning
• Unpacking Uncertainty, Meaningfulness, and Magnitude
• Toward Best Practices for Interpretation of Endpoints

Recordings and materials will be shared on the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory website at rethinkingclinicaltrials.org.

Materials and videocast recordings are now available from the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory’s recent workshop, “Digging Into Dilemmas of Pragmatic Clinical Trials.“

The 2-day workshop, hosted by the NIH, featured a keynote address by David Zaas, president of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, gaps and opportunities for researchers in the US healthcare system.

The first day of the workshop focused on the landscape for pragmatic research, including stressors on the healthcare system and barriers and opportunities for real-world research, and platform trials as an emerging method. The second day explored today’s challenges and emerging opportunities in pragmatic trials, including what can be learned from pragmatic trials with null findings, and the role of pragmatic trials in a time of increasing use of artificial intelligence.

Access the complete workshop materials, including slides and videocast recordings.

• Keynote: Landscape of Healthcare in America: Gaps and Opportunities (That Researchers Need to Hear)
  • David W. Zaas, MD, MBA
• Session 1: Understanding the Needs and Priorities of Healthcare Systems Across Communities
  • Cherise B. Harrington, PhD, MPH (moderator); Rachel Gold, PhD, MPH; Caleb C. Holtzer, MD, MPH; Sebastian T. Tong, MD, MPH
• Session 2: Realizing the Potential of Platform Trials
  • Adrian F. Hernandez, MD, MHS (moderator); Marianne Kearney Chase; Martin Landray, MB ChB, PhD; Gregory Levin, PhD; Christopher Lindsell, PhD; Bijoy Menon, MBBS, MD, DM, MSc
• Session 3: What Do We Learn From Null Pragmatic Trials?
  • Kevin P. Weinfurt, PhD (moderator); Corita R. Grudzen, MD, MSHS; Michael Ho, MD, PhD; Vincent Mor, PhD; Miguel A. Vazquez, MD
• Session 4: What Is the Role of ePCTs in the Age of Artificial Intelligence?
  • Emily C. O’Brien, PhD (moderator); Adrian F. Hernandez, MD, MHS; Michael Ho, MD, PhD; Rohan Khera, MD, MS; Edward R. Melnick, MD, MHS; Jeremy Sugarman, MD, MPH, MA