The Johns Hopkins Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) is one of 13 centers designated in 2002 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

The primary mission of the Johns Hopkins
Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) is to generate,
assemble, and synthesize knowledge and evidence
necessary for the effective and efficient application of
medical and public health practices. To accomplish
this, the EPC integrates clinical expertise with
comprehensive expertise in evidence-based methods
including formal literature review, meta-analysis,
decision analysis, and cost-effectiveness analysis.

The EPC is based in the Welch Center for Prevention,
Epidemiology, and Clinical Research and the
Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Welch
Center is a collaborative effort of the Johns Hopkins
School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

For over a decade, faculty and staff in the EPC have been involved in a variety of systematic literature reviews for publication and the development of clinical practice guidelines. They have worked with managed care organizations, other health care providers, private
insurers, government agencies, and specialty societies.

Faculty in the EPC have performed formal, systematic literature reviews in the areas of cardiology, radiology, kidney disease, eye disease, cancer, endocrinology, hypertension, prevention practices, and infectious disease.

The EPC has special expertise in performance of cost-effectiveness analyses, decision analyses, utility assessments, and administrative database analyses that are often needed to supplement health practice and technology assessments.

EPC faculty have comprehensive experience in clinical,
epidemiologic, and health services research. Faculty have performed assessments of the effectiveness and
cost-effectiveness of new drugs, devices, and procedures and the decision-making criteria and processes used by managed care organizations to make technology coverage decisions. Faculty have also been involved in the translation of evidence-based knowledge into clinical practice and health policy.    
     
The Center draws on a variety of clinical and methodologic experts from both the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health. Clinical experts are drawn from the faculty in the 31 departments of the School of Medicine. Methodologic experts are both methodologically trained clinicians and experts in epidemiology, biostatistics, economics, and health policy. Given the comprehensive expertise of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in research, clinical practice, and education, the EPC is capable of bringing together teams with in-depth clinical and methodologic expertise to tackle challenging issues. The faculty have a rich tradition in developing collaborative, interdisciplinary teams in many clinical areas.

The Center's Executive Committee is composed of:

EPC Director
Eric B. Bass, MD, MPH

EPC Co-Directors
Neil R. Powe , MD, MPH, MBA

Steven N. Goodman , MD, PhD

Karen A. Robinson , MSc

Chairs of the EPC Scientific Advisory Committee
Neil R. Powe, MD, MPH, MBA

Jonathan Samet ,
MD, MS