Participating in vital health-related research to help improve or saves lives has gotten easier, thanks to a new website that features the clinical trials at the Arizona Health Sciences Center. The new Clinical Research Studies website will facilitate access to research studies at the University of Arizona for the general public and for researchers recruiting people to their studies. Clinical trials eliminate, confirm or identify key determinates that impact health, as well as to find better treatment and prevention options for a variety of diseases and conditions.
“The Arizona Health Sciences Center is a major contributor to the UA’s well-earned reputation as one of our nation’s top research institutions,” said Joe G.N. “Skip” Garcia, MD, UA senior vice president for health sciences and interim dean of the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. “From investigating biological concerns at the molecular level to studying and understanding individual communities, AHSC researchers are achieving breakthroughs that will improve individuals’ lives. Now, thanks to the new UA clinical trials website, people will have easier access to enroll in our studies.”
The UA Clinical Research Studies website is searchable by health topic and will make access to information about the studies easy to find. The studies are listed by disease area and in laymen’s terms for ease of navigation and understanding, and more in-depth medical information also is included for both UA and community health-care providers.
Currently, there are over 100 UA studies focusing on a variety of diseases. The studies are led by nationally renowned researchers who are working to identify new cancer therapies, treatments for heart disease, asthma and lung disease, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and to find innovative uses for technology in health care.
A sampling of research being conducted at the Arizona Health Sciences Center includes the use of home exercise technology with virtual-reality based body sensors for older adults, asthma studies for children and adults, studies on depression that include meditation and massage, treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a study on a mobile app for women worried about gaining weight when they quit smoking, among many others.
Some UA research studies are conducted to evaluate a medical procedure or medical product; others use surveys or evaluate medical records to find new and better ways to help people. A large number of studies also recruit healthy subjects, or “controls,” to better evaluate and compare their results.
Sangita Pawar, PhD, MBA, executive director for research affairs for the UA College of Medicine – Tucson, said, “This website is the first of its kind at the University and will increase awareness in the community about the important clinical research being conducted at the UA. The website enables people to easily find relevant information and participate. In addition, community physicians now will also have access to the information in a single location to direct their patients to benefit from the cutting-edge research being carried out at the UA.”
Media Contact: Rebecca Ruiz Hudman