Trials and Research Opportunities

This service is provided by the Biomedical Informatics Resource (BMIR) and CD2H Hub Liaison Team.

Overview

Our Network Capacity team connects researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) to research studies and trials, proposed through regional and national networks. Learn more about each of these networks, seeking site principal investigators and co-investigators:

Trial Innovation Network (TIN)

The Trial Innovation Network is a collaborative national network that focuses on making clinical trials run more smoothly and faster. TIN leverages the expertise and resources of the CTSA Program, Columbia’s NIH-funded infrastructure program, for research. The Trial Innovation Network features a host of features that make trials work better for investigators and patients:

• A single IRB system to speed IRB approvals and renewals
• Master contracts, so contracts don’t have to be negotiated with every individual site, a time-consuming and often frustrating process
• Quality by design approaches that ensure the most efficient and high-quality research
• Focus on evidence-based strategies for participant recruitment, engagement, and adherence

The goal of the Trial Innovation Network is to not only execute trials better, faster, and more cost-efficiently but, importantly, to be a national laboratory to study, understand and innovate the process of conducting clinical trials itself.

HEAL

The Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative, is a trans-NIH research effort focused on improving prevention and treatment for opioid misuse and addiction and enhancing pain management. The NIH HEAL Initiative is organized into six research focus areas. Within those focus areas, 12 NIH Institutes and Centers are leading 25 research programs to find scientific solutions to the opioid crisis.
 

INSIGHT Clinical Research Network (CRN)

INSIGHT Clinical Research Network (CRN) is the largest urban clinical network in the nation.  It is a consortium that shares data and offers collaborations in research and clinical trials.  INSIGHT brings together the five top academic medical centers across New York City, collecting comprehensive clinical records for 12 million unique patients. This robust dataset reflects the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of the population as well as the extensive set of healthcare services offered across a fragmented healthcare landscape. The Network also provides important research services, such as clinical trial support, patient engagement, and a centralized IRB, to advance and streamline research. Columbia University participates in the INSIGHT consortium and researchers can make use of INSIGHT data for a fee. Learn more about accessing this data through INSIGHT CRN.
 

Clinical Data Warehouse (CDW)

The Clinical Data Warehouse (CDW) contains clinical information for over 4.5 million individuals treated at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) since the 1980s. With appropriate security safeguards and approval from the Institutional Review Board, investigators can request information such as demographic data; physician orders; laboratory, radiology, pathology, and other reports; structured and free-text clinical documents; and nurse flowsheets and task lists. Data requests are approved and prioritized by the Tripartite Request Assessment Committee (TRAC).

The Irving Institute provides consultations with a CDW navigator who can help organize and fulfill CDW data requests. The service is open to all researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). A simple request for cohort counts usually does not require an approved IRB study. A request for clinical data requires both approved IRB study and an approved TRAC request. Learn more about the CDW consultation service.
 

ClinicalTrials.gov

ClinicalTrials.gov is a resource provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It is a database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies conducted around the world.

Eligibility

This service is available to all researchers, clinical trialists, study team members, and faculty at Columbia University. 

When to Request This Service

This service should be requested at least one month prior to any grant or protocol submission deadlines.

Cost

There is no cost for this service.

Cite it, Submit it, Share it!

If your research has benefited from one or more Irving Institute resources, please remember to:

• Cite our CTSA grant, UL1 TR001873, in any relevant publications, abstracts, chapters, and/or posters.
• Submit your publications to PubMed Central (PMC) for compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy.
• Share your research updates with us by sending an email to: irving_institute@cumc.columbia.edu