Division of Clinical Research
Division of Clinical Research
The Department of Clinical Research (DCR) was established in July 2020 to support clinical investigators in the School of Medicine in producing high quality clinical research. In January 2022, the department expanded to become the Department of Clinical Research and Public Health with divisions related to the respective areas. The Division of Clinical Research supports research in Omaha and Phoenix.
Supporting Research
Through the Clinical Research Office, the division enables research through initiatives such as our Research Interest Groups (RIGs)—monthly meetings within most clinical divisions and departments. Here, research proposals are vetted for clinical and scientific merit and feasibility. Statisticians and modelers offer feedback on how to perform an investigation. Students, residents and fellows are invited to attend RIGS, providing an opportunity to find research projects, teams and mentors.
Other educational opportunities for younger faulty and graduate learners include:
Mentorship workshops
Large grant mock reviews
Didactic training in clinical trial design
Teams Assisting Research
Our statistical, coordinator and regulatory teams are ready to assist in faculty and learner projects. The division is working to improve clinical research infrastructure and expertise through:
Expansion of our statistical and mentorship teams in Omaha and Phoenix
Access to Epic data by our data analyst
The development of informatics approaches to data mart
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The Role of Clinical Partners
Trials involving clinical data or prospective trials require close collaboration with our clinical partners. In Omaha, our clinical partner is CHI Health, which has now merged with Dignity Health to form Common Spirit Health. In Phoenix, the clinical partners are St. Joseph’s Hospital whose research efforts are part of the Dignity Research Institute; and Valleywise Medical Center.
In Omaha, CHI is a national leader in TAVR and Watchman cardiology studies as well as many pulmonary intervention trials in COPD, asthma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In Phoenix, areas of clinical research excellence are neurological trials emanating from Barrow’s Neurologic Institute and trauma and thoracic surgery from the Norton Thoracic Institute.
Recent Research Topics
Recent clinic research topics include:
- Prolonged prehospital time as a risk factor for pneumonia in trauma
- Medical student perceptions of the learning environment, quality of life, and the School of Medicine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic
- The impact of renin angiotensin system blockers on mortality in veterans undergoing cardiac surgery
- Midwifery and birthing practices within the Maya community in Omaha, Nebraska, and Huehuetenango, Guatemala (ongoing)
- Targeted temperature management in ARDS (ongoing)
- The effects of 3D ultrasonography and 3D printed images on maternal-fetal attachment and its correlation with overall smoking within pregnancy and smoking cessation (ongoing)
