Clinical Research

Definition

Clinical research is a component of medical and health research intended to produce knowledge valuable for understanding human disease, preventing and treating illness, and promoting health. Clinical Research embraces a continuum of studies involving interactions with patients, diagnostic clinical materials or data, or populations in any of the following categories: (1) disease mechanisms (etiopathogenesis); (2) bi-directional integrative (translational) research; (3) clinical knowledge, detection, diagnosis and natural history of disease; (4) therapeutic interventions including development and clinical trials of drugs, biologics, devices, and instruments; (5) prevention (primary and secondary) and health promotion; (6) behavioral research; (7) health services research, including outcomes, and cost-effectiveness; (8) epidemiology; and (9) community-based and managed care-based trials.

Source: Institute of Medicine (US) Clinical Research Roundtable; Tunis S, Korn A, Ommaya A, editors. The Role of Purchasers and Payers in the Clinical Research Enterprise: Workshop Summary. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2002. Appendix V, Definitions of Clinical Research and Components of the Enterprise. 

Resources

Resources specific to scholarship in Clinical Research at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh are listed below:

Institute for Clinical Research Education

Fellows have opportunities to enhance their research skills through the Clinical Translational Science Institute and its integral component, the Institute for Clinical Research Education – which has research services (individual guidance on projects/grants), courses, and funding opportunities. 

Unified Fellows Course

Learn more about the Pitt Pediatrics Unified Fellows Course.

Important Journals & Conferences

This information can be subspecialty specific. Please discuss with your research mentor(s) regarding which journals and conferences are most suitable to promote your scholarship in clinical research. 

Grants & Fellowships

Please see our Grants & Fellowships page for this information, as well as University of Pittsburgh and external grants open to most areas of scholarship. Additionally, consider society and foundation grants. 

Many fellows interested in pursuing basic science research should consider applying for NIH grants to support their fellowship years or beyond fellowship.

Recent Fellow Projects

View recent fellow projects.

Faculty Researchers

Please work with your fellowship program directors and Alejandro Hoberman, MD, Vice Chair of Clinical Research to identify potential research mentors.

View other research opportunities at the University of Pittsburgh.