Celebrating Clinical Research

We soon will celebrate International Clinical Trials Day on what is believed to be the 270th anniversary. The first randomized clinical trial was performed aboard a ship May 20, 1747, by Scottish physician James Lind on 12 sailors for the treatment of scurvy. Lind discovered that oranges and lemons had the most positive effect on the sailors’ health.

It’s also a day to honor those who help make clinical research possible across the Academic Health Center and their critical roles in the administration and conduct of University of Minnesota clinical trials.

It is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the work you do all year round. From getting a study up and running, enrolling participants and interacting with patients, you ensure that we are providing integrated, world-class research and clinical care that helps people live longer, healthier lives. Thank you for helping make research discoveries possible

As we work to integrate research with clinical practice across our academic health system, it’s more important than ever to help raise awareness around clinical research opportunities available at the University.

I am continually proud of our health science community in delivering care that is ethical, and at or above good clinical practices standards. We have an engaged community who are continually striving to advance our research mission—for that I thank you.

Lack of patient enrollment in trials continues to be the No. 1 reason why research studies fail across the country. But a ground-breaking research awareness tool developed right here at the University is helping change that tide.

StudyFinder is a website that was developed in 2013 as a way for the public to explore and connect with all University of Minnesota health research studies that are currently enrolling. It displays a searchable listing of UMN studies in a way that makes it easy for the general public to understand what a particular study is focused on, and aims to help them find a research opportunity that’s right for them.

The University of Minnesota clinical trials website was built from funding and support through the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Clinical and Translational Science Award grant. Two additional CTSA sites across the country have found it a valuable tool to adopt for their institutions’ recruitment needs as well. Many of you may already be aware of this, but I wanted to highlight it here because it is a key resource for us all across the Academic Health Center to connect Minnesotans to our clinical trials.

Please join me in applauding the our health science community in celebrating clinical research. Thank you for your efforts!

Sincerely,

Brooks Jackson, M.D., M.B.A.
Dean of the Medical School
VP of Health Sciences