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Graduate Program in Clinical Research

Program Goals

There is a nationally recognized shortage of adequately trained clinical researchers. To set the context for future clinical research activities, the NIH convened a Director's Panel in the late 1990s. This panel consisted of clinical researchers with expertise in general medicine, pediatrics and surgery. They recognized the state of clinical research as a national problem and made certain recommendations. These recommendations included improving the quality of clinical research training, initiating training programs to attract students into clinical research careers, and educating the public about the importance of clinical research.

NIH Roadmap clearly identifies that in order to provide 21st century medicine; we need expanding medical/dental advances. To support such advances, a trained clinical research workforce is needed who will take research from bench-to-bedside or chair side.

As the numbers of clinical trials in general and within dentistry in particular, are rapidly increasing, there is a great need to train people to conduct clinical research and clinical trials so that they can conduct these studies using the highest scientific, ethical and regulatory standards. Increasing numbers of clinical trials are being conducted today. As of October, 2010, globally, there were 97,880 clinical trials listed on the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Web site (http://clinicaltrials.gov/). Over 54,000 of these trials were in North America. These studies need trained clinical research personnel at all levels. In keeping with this growing need New York University College of Dentistry initiated the Clinical Research Training Program in 2000.