About Clinical Research
Meet the Clinical Research Team
The Clinical Research Team is made up of all the individuals who are necessary to test the safety and efficacy of experimental medicines and medical devices so that those which are proved useful as treatments or tools can be made available for use on wider populations with confidence. Team members are at the forefront of the battles against conditions ranging from mild annoyances to deadly scourges, doing important work that will ultimately make the lives of others better.
The team begins with the volunteer human subjects (or Research Participants) who agree to participate in the research in the first place, and then on the professional side includes, but is not limited to, the clinical research coordinators who work most directly with the human subjects at specific test sites, such as hospitals, academic centers, and independent laboratories; the clinical research associates (monitors) who travel from site to site to oversee multiple studies for the companies that sponsor the research or for contract research organizations (CROs) that help sponsors conduct the studies; the physician and nonphysician investigators who lead the full team and are ultimately responsible for the overall conduct of the research; the data managers who collect and process results from the studies; a host of specialists within and beyond the sites and sponsors in the areas of subject recruitment, sales/marketing, research ethics (institutional review boards), regulatory affairs, quality assurance, safety/medical affairs, site management, project management, training, and other research-related functions; and the directors and executives in charge of the drug/device companies, the research sites, and the CROs (View a Clinical Research 'Career Ladder').
All Clinical Research Team members have their parts to play in the early- through late-stage testing of potential new products; and the need for the team is not restricted to the premarketing phases of a drug or device's existence, as more and more postmarketing studies are being conducted to ensure that new products are functioning as intended.
As economic imperatives have driven the clinical research enterprise to expand beyond its old confines of North America and Western Europe, the Clinical Research Team has become truly global in nature. By taking advantage of the resources you will find elsewhere in this section of the ACRP website, you will be well on your way to joining the team in whatever part of the world you call home, or to bettering your position on the team with which you are already furthering the vital work that is clinical research.
Special Wall Street Journal Insert
Clinical Trials: Your Guide to Understanding the Need for Clinical Research and Participation
This special report from MediaPlanet is a reference resource offering an introduction to the clinical research process and the people who participate in clinical trials. It also works to dispel and correct some of the most common misconceptions about clinical research.
Read the Report
The Monitor - Focusing on Clinical Research Careers
In this special issue, The Monitor, ACRP's bi-monthly magazine, turns the magnifying glass on the multitude of different jobs that can be pursued in the clinical research arena. For those who are new to the field or considering joining it, this issue examines each position on the clinical research team through short essays. For those who have more experience, this issue spotlights ways to advance, enhance, or redirect existing careers through full articles. Throughout the issue, we focus on timely, tested strategies to maintain the crucial balance between your personal and professional goals.
Read the Clinical Research Careers (September 2007) issue of The Monitor
Find a Job in Clinical Research with ACRP's Career Center
Whether you're looking for a new job or you're ready to take the next step in your career, ACRP's Career Center can help you find the opportunity that's right for you. With hundreds of job postings across the U.S., a place to post your resume and the ability to let a Search Agent handle your job search for you, ACRP's Career Center is bound to help you advance your career.
Visit the ACRP Career Center