Translational Research in the UC San Diego Department of Pediatrics
UC San Diego Department of Pediatrics is a hub for clinical and translational medicine. Our physician-researchers have practiced translational medicine since the beginning of the UCSD/Rady Partnership. That means we are taking the discoveries we learn in the lab and transforming them into new medicines, therapies and ways to improve health care. Each year we enroll people in hundreds of clinical studies. Topics of research range from health behavior and disease prevention to clinical trials of promising investigational drugs, treatments and devices. Whether you have a health condition or are healthy, there are many ways to get involved and make a difference. Currently we have more than 400 active studies.
How to get involved in medical research studies
There are several ways to find a research study, even if you do not have any specific condition in mind. Remember that is important to find studies that have been reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board(IRB).
ResearchMatch is a volunteer online registry funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that brings together researchers and willing volunteers who would like to be involved in research studies. Anyone can join ResearchMatch. Many studies are looking for healthy people of all ages, while some are looking for people with specific health conditions. ResearchMatch can help ‘match’ you with any type of research study, ranging from surveys to clinical trials. ResearchMatch will not release any of your personal information to third parties, participating organizations or other institutions. Your information will only be available to researchers after you indicate interest in being contacted about a particular study.
Learn more at researchmatch.org
STUDIES RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS
There are many clinical research studies being conducted at UCSD that are seeking volunteers. All studies have guidelines for INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA which must be followed. When a research study is designed, it is necessary to control all factors that might influence the results. Guidelines are established to determine who should and should not be included in the research study. These might include age, gender, weight, race, existing diseases, medications, allergies, just to list a few. If you volunteer to participate in a study and are not selected to be a full participant once you are screened, it is not uncommon. Please do not be discouraged. There are many studies looking at a large variety of wellness and disease issues, so if one isn’t a good match, there are others that might be. We encourage you to volunteer!