About UNC CERTs

In 1998, Congress authorized a three-year Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) demonstration program to be administered by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.  The program produced the first four CERTs Research Centers (RCs) – including the UNC CERTs - and a Coordinating Center (CC) in 1999.  The first four RCs were joined by three additional RCs in 2000 and by an additional four RCs in 2006.  The Coordinating Center and the 11 RCs are guided by a Steering Committee of a broad collection of public and private stakeholders, including representatives of government, industry, and consumers.  

The vision of the UNC CERTs is to serve as a trusted national resource for people seeking to improve the health of the pediatric population through the best use of medical therapies.  Our mission is to conduct research and provide education that will advance the optimal use of drugs, medical devices, and biological products in the care of the pediatric population.  To date, the UNC CERTs has completed more than 20 projects on health-related quality of life; pharmacology; monitoring, surveillance, and error reduction; safety and effectiveness; and performance improvement, among others.

The UNC CERTs Principal Investigator is Alan Stiles, MD, Brewer Professor and Chairperson of Pediatrics at UNC and Physician in Chief, North Carolina Children’s Hospital.  Dr. Stiles follows the late Harry A. Guess MD PhD, Professor of Epidemiology and Pediatrics, and William H. Campbell PhD, Professor and Former Dean of the UNC School of Pharmacy, in that position.  Our partners have included private, for-profit pharmaceutical and insurance companies, major not-for-profit research organizations, state Medicaid primary care networks, and other universities.  

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