History

The Clinical Research Center (CRC) was established in 1996 at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) in order to provide the infrastructure necessary for faculty to conduct clinical research. The CRC is funded by an NIH grant to MSM with the Dean of the institution serving as its Principal Investigator. The Dean and the CRC Advisory Committee provide support to the CRC Program Director. The CRC is the first free-standing outpatient research facility of its kind in the nation to receive accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.

The center has been successful in developing a clinical research infrastructure that is uniquely suited to the pursuit of clinical and translational research in minority and underrepresented communities. The center provides comprehensive support for clinical investigation with its various core resources and facilities. These resources include a noninvasive cardiovascular and hemodynamic core laboratory, fully equipped private examination rooms, Analytical and Protein Profiling laboratory, a Biostatistical and Data Management Core, a Nursing Core, a Recruitment/Retention core responsible for all study participant enrollment activities, and a new Bionutrition Core.

The CRC has helped to establish a growing clinical research program built on a credible basic science research portfolio. A shared vision to eliminate health disparities, as well as a strong commitment to community outreach, has allowed the Center to develop a clinical research infrastructure that is uniquely suited to the pursuit of translational research in minority and underrepresented communities. These efforts have led to a novel Community Physician's Network (CPN) as well as a Recruitment and Retention Core, to support the research participation of community based physicians, and the minority patients that they serve.