Real-World Evidence Practice (RWEP)

Funding Information
  • Pharmaceutical, Biologic, & Medical Device Manufacturers

Project Summary

HPHCI’s Real-World Evidence Practice (RWEP) brings together expertise in epidemiology, data science, and large-scale research to design and deliver real-world evidence that informs regulatory, clinical, and policy decision-making.

Our work builds on decades of leadership in distributed data networks, methodological innovation, and collaborative research across healthcare systems.

Industry Expertise

Providing expertise in complex multi-site leadership and operations, the team implements methodologies informed by our decades of expertise in distributed research networks. We work with partners to develop and execute a range of studies to meet our sponsors’ business, regulatory, and scientific needs. These include:

  • Multi-Site Methods and Coordination
  • Validation Studies
  • Pregnancy & Mother-Infant Linked Studies 
  • Real-World Evidence Research & Consulting including Postmarketing Requirement (PMR) & Postmarketing Commitment (PMC) Studies 
  • Comparative Effectiveness Studies
  • Pragmatic Clinical Trials 
  • International Collaborations 

Our Approach

Choosing the right approach requires a clear understanding of the question, the decision context, and the strengths and limitations of available data.

What Makes Our Methodology Unique

  • Question-first design: we start with the scientific and decision-making question, then identify the most appropriate methods and data
  • Experience across regulatory and applied settings: methods shaped by decades of work in real-world regulatory and clinical research
  • Depth in distributed and multi-site research: designing methods that scale across large, complex data environments, including internationally
  • Experience across therapeutic areas: allowing methods and insights to translate across diverse clinical contexts
  • Focus on validity and interpretability: prioritizing approaches that produce credible, decision-relevant results

What We Do

We provide epidemiologic leadership and consulting to design studies that are scientifically robust, feasible, and aligned with regulatory, clinical, and policy needs:

  • Study design and protocol development: selecting appropriate designs for specific research questions
  • Causal inference and confounding control: including target-trial emulation, propensity score methods, instrumental variable approaches, and self-controlled designs
  • Use of real-world data sources: guidance on claims, EHR, registry, and linked data
  • Multi-site and distributed study design: methods for scalable, coordinated analyses
  • Sequential and rapid surveillance: supporting active surveillance and timely evidence generation
  • Validation and outcome confirmation: designing approaches to ensure outcome accuracy
  • Sensitivity and quantitative bias analyses: evaluating assumptions and strengthening inference