Research Requires You
Researchers and doctors are essential to discovering innovative treatments. But they can't do it alone. Research requires you.
Our researchers and healthcare providers are committed to creating and delivering innovative healthcare solutions. It's why so many patients come to Cleveland Clinic for care.
To make sure our research and treatments benefit everyone, and not just specific groups of people, we depend on research participation.
That's where you come in.
Why participate?
The decision to sign up for a research study can be deeply personal. For as many people who volunteer, there are just as many reasons behind the decision.
Help Yourself
You help us learn how your body works & how we can keep it healthy
Help Others
Information from groups of people helps us develop better treatments for those with diseases
Solve Problems
Tackling the biggest challenges in healthcare requires all-hands-on-deck
Get Treatment
Some studies provide experimental treatments for people whose conditions don't respond to current medication
No matter the reason, your impact is the same! You are helping researchers and healthcare providers learn more about understanding and treating human health and disease.
Diversity in research
Currently, about 80% of medical research participants represent only 12% of the global population. To create better solutions, we need participation from everyone. Why? Different groups of people face different medical problems. Many of these problems require unique solutions. Research participation needs to reflect the unique diversity of each of us.
Understanding how an individual – or how individual groups of people – respond to diseases and treatments provides valuable information on factors that influence health and disease. It is the first step in providing personalized healthcare tailored to your specific needs.
What does participation mean?
When you sign up to be a participant in a research study, you are agreeing to provide scientists with the data necessary to answer important questions in the medical field.
The amount of time and involvement required varies. Participation is always voluntary, and you can choose to stop at any time.
By law, you must be told exactly what data will be collected and analyzed over the course of the study before you finish signing up. This process is called obtaining "informed consent." Study participation is anonymous, and any irrelevant information that might identify you will not be recorded or analyzed without informed consent.
Read more about laws that protect research participants here.
Ways you can participate
Survey Responses
Many studies don’t even require an in-person medical visit! Researchers often conduct surveys or analyze (anonymous) patient health records from registries to look for patterns.
Surveying in Action
Patient data helped generate an algorithm that predicts a baby's probability of developing severe forms of epilepsy
Read More
Sample Donation
The word "samples" in clinical research refers to materials that come from a research participant's body. The type of sample used in an experiment depends on the type of function being studied.
Sample donation works in two main ways
1. You can donate samples directly to researchers for a specific study
2. You can donate any leftover samples taken during routine health tests to one of our three BioRepositories
A biorepository serves as a "sample library" for our researchers.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are the most involved types of research studies, but they also have the potential to provide the most immediate benefit. A clinical trial tests new medications and treatments before they are available to all patients.
Learn more about Cleveland Clinic's clinical trials.
Clinical Trials in Action
Learn about a clinical trial that successfully uses patient DNA to determine the optimal dose of radiation for personalized cancer treatment
Read MoreHow do I sign up?
Ask your healthcare provider
Many specialist providers keep up with ongoing clinical trials and can help get you enrolled in one!Sign up for researchmatch.org to join the participation registry
This registry matches study recruiters with individuals who may qualify to participate. Recruiters can reach out to you on the website if they think youʼd be a good fit.Go to clinicaltrials.gov to find clinical trials at the Cleveland Clinic
All clinical trials must be reported to, and approved by, the necessary review boards and uploaded to this database.Go to the Cleveland Clinic to find even more human studies
This database includes human studies that arenʼt clinical trials.
FAQ
Genetic researchers analyze DNA to determine influences like your response to a drug, how likely you are to develop a disease and how a disease or environmental condition impacts your overall health. It is illegal for a researcher to use your DNA for anything outside the approved scope of the study. You will be informed of how your DNA will be used to study these factors before you agree to join a study. Your sample will be anonymous, and your DNA will not be linked to your identity.
No. Researchers will not share any information with anybody else, including your doctor or your insurance provider. Everything will be kept private.
We get asked this question a lot, but it actually doesnʼt happen nearly as much as people think. 99% of the time, it is impossible to "find" any information unrelated to the disease being studied. This is because research studies have strict protocols and rules about what information the researchers can and cannot look for when analyzing human samples.
If you want to stop, you can do so at any time!