Wayne State University and Henry Ford Health System will hold a grand opening for their new Clinical Research Center (CRC) on Tuesday, March 30. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to noon at the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, 275 E. Hancock in Detroit. Remarks will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by tours of the facility.
The center is part of the Detroit Regional Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (DRICTR), a joint venture between WSU and HFHS.
The CRC, located on the first floor of the Mott Center, provides medical exam rooms, office space, a large procedure room to conduct intensive and interactive studies, trained coordinators, a pharmacy room and administrative support for investigators from all areas of the university and hospital system who are conducting clinical and translational research studies.
Other available resources include clinical trial management software and biostatisticians to help design studies, conduct power calculations and review data as studies progress.
"The Clinical Research Center's trained and experienced staff and coordinators can assist researchers with things such as contracts with pharmaceutical companies, budgeting, recruitment of subjects, coordinating participant visits and even conducting the studies," said Michael P. Diamond, M.D., director of DRICTR and university executive director for clinical and translational research for the School of Medicine. "Also, conducting trials at the CRC doesn't disrupt their clinics and interfere with clinical productivity."
The grand opening will include remarks by WSU President Jay Noren followed by tours of the facility.
DRICTR's goal is to increase the volume and quality of clinical and translational research studies, develop the next generation of clinical and translational researchers, with particular emphasis on inclusion of those from historically underrepresented minority groups, and achieve wider participation of diverse populations in clinical trials.
Henry Ford has initiated the first study in the CRC with National Institutes of Health-funded research testing the pulmonary function of children with asthma.
"The Clinical Research Center provides the one-stop services that will allow researchers to successfully design, conduct, and analyze clinical and translational research thereby maximizing the impact of that research on medical care practices in the community," said Valerie Parisi, M.D., M.P.H, M.B.A., interim dean of the School of Medicine.
Wayne State and Henry Ford intend for DRICTR to become the national model for conducting clinical and translational research in an inner-city setting, by creating a comprehensive, coordinated and integrated model for researching aspects related to urban health.
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Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.