Equally important, these meetings allow us to hear from investigators and support staff about their experiences in conducting clinical research and barriers and gaps in research infrastructure. In addition to our UT Health San Antonio research community, Texas Biomedical Research Institute investigators will be able to participate remotely through live streaming. For those unable to attend the forums in person, the slide deck of the presentations and recordings are accessible on this page for your convenience.

Evidenced by the higher than normal attendance at last month’s forum, patient recruitment and retention for clinical trials were topics of high interest among clinical investigators. While the full presentation can be accessed here, a quick summary is provided below.

Takeaways from the Forum:

• Use of HSC and University Health System electronic medical record information to identify potential participants is possible with appropriate IRB approval.

• Adoption of evidence-based practices available on the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) Trial Innovation Network (TIN) website which can be implemented locally.

• The  “Find-A-Study" website hosted by the Office of the VPR provides key information and a mechanism for potential participants to express interest in the study.  PIs and designated study staff can edit research information and review questions received by potential volunteers.

• Pilot underway (Editor note: suspended temporarily due to COVID-19) with a local company, a leader in patient recruitment using digital and social media platforms and call center operations.

• Development of a provider referral network using lessons learned from Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) models is being considered to broaden awareness of clinical trials beyond the practices of UT Health Physicians and UT Dentistry.

• Assess the need to create a community engagement hub to assist research teams with recruitment plans through community-based feedback and navigate internal resources.