Changing Medicine. Changing Lives.® 

This phrase captures our belief that research makes a difference in the best treatment and outcomes.

What is a clinical trial?

A clinical trial looks for new and better ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, or treat a disease. At any time, there are hundreds of clinical trials being conducted at University of Iowa Health Care.

Clinical trials usually fit one of these categories:

• Treatment trials determine if a treatment improves outcomes in a disease.
• Prevention trials test new methods to lower the risk of disease.
• Screening trials test the best way to detect a disease in its early stages.
• Observational studies gather information about the disease without changing your care. They provide critical information to improve outcomes or design clinical trials for future therapies.
• Correlative trials use blood and tissue samples to look at disease risk or how well a treatment is working.
• Quality of life trials look at ways to improve comfort and quality of life of patients.

Learn more about participating in a clinical trial:

Why you might consider participating in a clinical trial

• You may benefit from the very latest medicine and treatments.
• You may receive in-depth examinations and tests at no cost.
• You may have more frequent contact with your care team.
• You will be contributing to a better understanding of the science behind medical treatments.

Research registry

The University of Iowa maintains a registry that connects individuals with teams conducting research. If you are interested in being contacted if a clinical trial becomes available that you may qualify for, you can register to be a Research Hero.  

Register here.

Learn about other ways to get involved in research. 

Additional clinical research resources

• Cancer Clinical Research
• ClinicalTrials.gov
• ResearchMatch.org