A workgroup led by NC TraCS and comprised of leadership from the UNC School of Medicine and UNC’s Office of Research is working to establish a new Clinical Research Support Office, which will be charged with advancing clinical research process improvement – a major priority of the Research Imperative within Forward Together, the School of Medicine’s Strategic Plan.
During the workgroup’s first meeting on June 14, preliminary steps were set in place to create the CRSO, which will focus on reducing inefficiencies and increasing capacity in order to diversify the School of Medicine’s clinical research portfolio. Specifically, the office will create a more efficient and streamlined clinical research process for School of Medicine units, and work to increase the number of research studies, participants, investigators, and institutional performance as measured by data quality and financial contribution.
According to John Buse, MD, PhD, academic medical centers across the country are adapting to financial pressures and societal changes; forming the CRSO to carry-out its specific work is the UNC School of Medicine’s direct response to these challenges.
