What is Health Research?

There are different types of health research:

Behavioral research looks at how people and groups act or behave in different ways. Examples include:

• Answering questions about your experience with an illness
• Taking part in a focus group to talk about a new way to improve health

Clinical research, also known as clinical trials, focuses on finding and testing new medicines (drugs), medical devices, or other medical treatments. Examples include:

• Developing a new test for breast cancer
• Comparing two medications (drugs) to treat heart disease to see which one works better
• Developing lenses to help people see more clearly after eye surgery

Genetic research looks at the role of genes in different diseases and health conditions. Examples include:

• The discovery of the BRCA gene mutation as a risk factor for breast cancer
• Developing medications or treatments based on a person’s genes (this is also known as precision medicine)

Public health research focuses on the prevention and treatment of illness and disease in a community or population. Examples include:

• Developing a media campaign to encourage people to eat healthy
• Understanding how the flu spreads in a community

A research registry is a collection of information about individuals. Many registries collect information about people who have a specific disease or condition, while others seek participants of varying health status who may be willing to participate in research about a particular disease. Individuals voluntarily provide information about themselves to these registries. Registries can be sponsored by a government agency, nonprofit organization, health care facility, or private company. By joining a research registry, you agree to be contacted about participating in future research studies.

Columbia University is one of the top research institutions in the world. Thousands of studies are conducted by the university's faculty and research staff each year. Much of this research has led to important results that help us lead healthier and better lives. 

Research in which people will be asked to participate cannot begin until it has been approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). An IRB is a group of people which often includes doctors, social workers, nurses, scientists, and people from the local community. They all work together to make sure that human research is well planned and ethical. The IRB is responsible for ensuring research is ethical and follows federal regulations to protect participants — both before a study begins and while it is ongoing. Visit the Columbia University Human Research Protection Office to learn more about IRBs. 

Researchers and study staff are also trained in Good Clinical Practice (GCP) — a set of international standards for how research should be designed, conducted, and reported. GCP training ensures that everyone involved in a study understands their responsibility to protect participants and maintain the integrity of the research. These standards are grounded in core ethical principles: respect for persons, beneficence (doing good and avoiding harm), and justice (ensuring the benefits and burdens of research are shared fairly). Together, the IRB process and GCP standards help ensure that research at Columbia University is conducted with your safety, rights, and dignity in mind.  

People have many different reasons for volunteering for a research study:

• Help find a cure for an illness
• Help find ways to provide better care for sick people
• Benefit their community by being included in important health research
• Help gather information about how people think and behave
• Help discover more about how the body and mind work together
• Try treatments or health programs that may not be available to everyone yet  

It is important that children and adults across the life span be involved in research so that scientists can understand more about the health and behavior of children. There are specific laws and rules that apply to all research that involves children to protect them from harm. Children under 18 years of age cannot agree to participate in research for themselves and need to have their parents and/or guardians give permission for them to participate in research. 

In addition to children, some adults may also be considered part of a special population in research. This can include adults with certain medical, cognitive, or developmental conditions that affect their ability to fully understand the research or make decisions for themselves. In these situations, a caregiver or legally authorized representative (such as a family member or court-appointed guardian) may be asked to provide permission for the individual to participate. When possible, researchers will also seek the individual’s agreement and respect their wishes .

If you are a parent, guardian, caregiver or legally authorized representative who is considering research participation on behalf of a child or an adult in your care, we encourage you to talk with the researchers and to ask them as many questions as you may have about a study.  Researchers should clearly explain the purpose of the study, what participation involves, potential risks and benefits, and the participant’s rights, including the right to stop participating at any time. 

When deciding if a research study is for you, carefully look over the study’s informed consent form with the researcher. The informed consent form describes the purpose of the study, what you will be asked to do as a research participant, how long the research will last, what are the risks and benefits of participating in the research, and how your personal information will be protected.

Before agreeing to participate in any research study, you may consider asking:

• What could happen to me, good and bad, if I take part in the research?
• What other choices do I have if I decide not to be in this study?
• If I decide to take part, how will this affect my daily life?
• How long will this study last?
• What will happen if I change my mind and want to leave the study?
• Who will find out that I am taking part in this study?
• What will happen to my personal (private) information?
• Will I be told the results of the study?
• If I have any questions, whom should I call?
• Who will pay for any costs related to my participation in the study? 
• Will I incur any costs for participating in this study?  
• Will I be paid for participating in this study?  

If participating in clinical research, you may want to ask:

• What tests or procedures will be done?
• Who will be in charge of my care? Will I be able to continue to see my own doctor?
• Is it possible that I will receive a placebo? (a treatment that contains no active ingredients — used so researchers can compare its effects against the real treatment)?
• What will happen to me in the study if my condition worsens?   

Contact the Columbia Community Partnership for Health to learn more about participating in research. You can contact us by email or in person:

Columbia Community Partnership for Health
390 Fort Washington Avenue, Ground Floor
New York, NY 10033
irvinginst_community@cumc.columbia.edu

Visit our research registries and studies page to learn how to join a registry or study.