Duke Clinical Research Institute

Building Global Expertise in Clinical Trials with New Online Certificate Program

Sponsored research is leaving US shores at an astonishing pace, and concerns about patient safety and data integrity are growing in parallel.

That’s why the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) and UL have partnered to develop the Clinical Research Education and Training (CREATe) program. CREATe includes DCRI-authored clinical research courses, available through the web, resulting in a global workforce capable of conducting high-quality clinical research.

A recent Duke study noted that since 2002 the number of active FDA-regulated investigators based outside the US has grown 15% annually, whereas the number of US-based investigators has declined by more than 5%.

“We don’t see that trend changing,” said Robert Harrington, MD, director of the DCRI. “However, what we do see is an increasing demand that studies be conducted according to the highest standards possible. To assure this global need is met, we now have a robust and comprehensive education and training program that can guarantee sponsors and participants alike an appropriately skilled workforce.”

CREATe builds upon the strengths of both institutions. The DCRI, the world's largest academic clinical research organization, is known for conducting groundbreaking multinational clinical trials, managing major national patient registries and performing landmark outcomes research. The DCRI has conducted clinical studies in more than 60 countries. UL, a pioneer in education for the past 70 years, provides training to more than one million students at over 600 locations in 30 countries around the globe.

Though best known for pioneering research in cardiology, the DCRI research spans multiple disciplines, from pediatrics to geriatrics, primary care to subspecialty medicine, and genomics to proteomics. The DCRI also is home to the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease, the largest and oldest institutional cardiovascular database in the world, which continues to inform clinical decision-making 40 years after its founding.

Click here to read the official press release.