At UAB Heersink School of Medicine, clinical trials are critical to our enterprise. They help experts advance patient care by contributing to a better understanding of disease and improved health outcomes. Clinical trials are designed to answer specific questions about possible new treatments or new ways of using existing treatments and determine whether these new interventions are safe and effective. They also help with prognoses, optimizing symptom management, and overall wellness.
We are proud of our numerous clinical trials and studies. Engaging in clinical trials allows our faculty and staff to contribute to major advancements in science that we hope will translate to better lives and outcomes for our patients. It keeps UAB at the cutting edge of discoveries and allows us to better serve our patient population, who deserve the best care possible.
Clinical trials are often an interdisciplinary collaboration among clinicians and scientists. At UAB, we pride ourselves on the level of collaboration we engage in regularly; it is a characteristic of our academic medical center that helps us stand out from the rest. Another benefit of our robust clinical trials enterprise is that it offers our trainee and student groups a new understanding of varied health care specialties and teaches ethical principles and regulatory frameworks related to clinical trials, such as consent, safety, and integrity.
Because of these facets, Heersink School of Medicine continues to grow and increase its capacity for clinical trials. UAB President Ray Watts has set a goal for UAB at large to expand our research scope and portfolio through the Research Strategic Initiative: Growth with Purpose. The plan aims to increase contributions to the advancement of science and, consequently, that growth will extend the impact of scientific discoveries to the patients we serve. To support these growth goals, UAB engaged Huron Consulting Group and Urban Impact Advisors to evaluate our existing infrastructure and identify strategic opportunity areas (including clinical trials) where we can grow to achieve the vision.
Through a comprehensive analysis of the research landscape at UAB, including an extensive review of existing data, plus many faculty surveys and personal interviews, Huron highlighted UAB’s strengths. One that stands out is the remarkable growth in our NIH funding over the past few years. They also identified opportunities for UAB to improve the culture of research and governance, recognize faculty and staff contributions to research by providing incentives and competitive pay, optimize processes to accelerate time to activate clinical trials, and invest in space, equipment, and technological support.
As part of ongoing efforts to reduce the time to activation of clinical trials at UAB, the Clinical Trials Agreement Task Force was created to identify and address the most common challenges encountered during the Office of Research’s Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) review of industry-sponsored clinical trials contracts. The task force is a multidisciplinary group with representatives from OSP, central research administration, the legal and compliance team, and investigators.
Dana Rizk, M.D., medical director of the UAB Clinical Trials Administrative Office, is one leader at the helm of our clinical trials endeavors. Rizk is passionate about clinical trials and has witnessed firsthand the hope and opportunities they bring to participants in need.
“In the next few years, I wish to see clinical trials seamlessly integrated into our practice and part of treatment options we offer to our patients,” she said. “I also hope UAB continues to grow as a destination where patients and volunteers come to seek research opportunities and that sponsors recognize our institution as a role model for efficient, successful trials.”
I am grateful for the work of Dr. Rizk and all the teams at UAB who are devoted to optimizing our bandwidth for clinical trials.
Recognizing Clinical Trials in 2024
Heersink recognizes the importance of clinical trials each year through an awareness week centered on Clinical Trials Day, which is May 20. Hosted by the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), it raises awareness about how clinical trials advance patient care and research.
Let’s celebrate those who conduct and participate in clinical trials to advance scientific research and develop new, effective treatments. From bench to bedside, it takes a great effort of many people to execute clinical studies; these individuals are advancing discoveries to improve care for all. Read more about the exciting events CCTS is hosting this year.