We invite you to review this section if you have any questions about clinical research or what your experience as a participant might entail.
All medical evaluation and treatment related to the research study are provided to you at no charge.
A research-trained physician will oversee your care in the area being studied.
You will have the opportunity to receive and evaluate new treatments for your health concern.
Your participation will help make new devices, treatments, or medications available to the general public.
Our clinical research studies provide you with compensation for your time and travel.
Your first step is to contact Diagnostics Research Group by completing a brief email contact form.
You can access the form by clicking on the Contact Form link here.
Once you have completed and emailed the form, you should expect a member of our research-trained staff to contact you within three business days.
If you prefer, you may call us directly at 210-692-7157.
Please be aware that each clinical research study has a distinct set of guidelines and requirements for participants. Such things as age, condition being researched, medical history, and present medical condition are all considered. You can participate in a clinical research study only if you meet specific criteria for that particular study.
The FDA specifies that you can participate in only one clinical research study at a time.
Clinical Researchers are known as "Investigators" in the research industry.
Our Investigators are a group of highly trained medical professionals who possess a wide range of medical practice and clinical research skills.
Charles P. Andrews, MD, CPI
Director of Clinical Research: Diagnostics Research Group
Principal Investigator: Diagnostics Research Group
Certified Principal Investigator (CPI)
Randall C. Bell, MD
Principal Investigator: Diagnostics Research Group
John R. Holcomb, MD
Principal Investigator: Diagnostics Research Group
Nora L. Walker, MD
Principal Investigator: SleepWalker
Investigator: Diagnostics Research Group
All of our coordinators are nurses with experience in clinical research ranging from two to 18 years. We have seven coordinators who are certified through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. Our patients have described our coordinators as “friendly, professional, wonderful and punctual.”
A Clinical Trial is a medical clinical research study that is conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new drugs, treatments and medical devices
Clinical Trials may also evaluate new uses for drugs that are already on the market as well as evaluate and develop new treatments for medical conditions that may currently have no successful treatment available.
Before the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) will consider approving new treatments and drugs, they must be proven to be safe and effective in treating a disease or illness.
The purpose of clinical research studies is to give the FDA, controlled and accurate information to assist them in their decision-making process.
To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new drugs, new combinations of drugs, treatments, and medical devices.
They may also evaluate new uses for drugs that are already on the market, as well as evaluate and develop new treatments for medical conditions that may currently have no successful treatment available.
Before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will consider approving new treatments and drugs, they must be proven to be safe and effective in treating a disease or illness.
Each research study is designed as a test for a specific device, treatment, or medication. The length of your participation in a clinical research study can vary from a period of weeks to several years.
We ask that you not sign the Informed Consent document until all your questions have been answered.
Clinical research studies are very highly controlled to ensure the utmost safety for the participants and are conducted under the direction of a pharmaceutical company that is responsible to and under the authority of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The federal government requires specific laboratory research and other designated studies to be performed on any devices, treatments, or medications prior to them being tested on human participants.
All clinical research studies are conducted under the close supervision of experienced research physicians. They generally take place in medical offices, hospitals, certain accredited universities and research dedicated centers such as ours.
Another important safety requirement is that all research facilities conducting clinical research studies involving people must, by federal regulation, involve an Institutional Review Board (IRB) that approves and reviews the research to ensure compliance and safety standards.
Each clinical research study has a distinct set of guidelines and requirements for participants. Such things as age, condition being researched, medical history, and present medical condition are all considered. Remember, you can participate in a clinical research study only if you meet the specific criteria required for that study. The FDA also specifies that you can participate in only one clinical research study at a time.
Let us know if you are interested by:
OR
One of our research-trained staff will then contact you and perform a preliminary screening over the phone. If you qualify on the basis of this initial screening, we will make an appointment convenient for you for a full screening visit at our research center. If you do not qualify for a specific study, you are welcome to join our database to be called for future studies.
We adhere to a strict privacy policy for all our research participants.
Our duties
We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI (Protected Health Information). We must abide by the terms of this notice or any update of this notice.
Your rights
You have the following rights concerning your PHI
Uses and Disclosures
We will use and disclose elements of your protected health information (PHI) in the following ways
All other uses and disclosures by this office will require this office to obtain from you a written authorization in addition to any other permission you will provide this office.
A placebo is a non-active device, treatment, or medication. It is commonly known as a "sugar pill."
Placebos serve as a standard by which researchers test the efficacy of a device, treatment or medication.
Placebos are not utilized in all trials. We will inform you if a placebo is used in a specific trial.
Topics that you should clearly understand before participating in a clinical research study include: