The Office of Research Compliance
New Initiatives at UTGSM Support Clinical
Research
Clinical research is gaining strength at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine (UTGSM) through the development of several new initiatives. By creating new staff positions, providing on-going education for research staff and increasing research compliance efforts, UTGSM is bolstering the role of high-quality faculty and resident research as one of its the three basic missions.
New Positions
Two new positions will support research at UTGSM. Faculty and residents will benefit from a newly-created Research Associate who will assist with the development of local research protocols. By offering consultation and advice on research design, as well as review of protocols and informed consent documents, the Research Associate will broaden and improve the quality of research being conducted at UTGSM. Additionally, the Institutional Review Board review process will benefit from the creation of a new administrative assistant position to assist with increasing paperwork associated with human subjects review. Education for Study Personnel
UTGSM now supports an on-going forum for clinical research investigators and staff. Held on the second Wednesday of each month, the forum includes a broad array of speakers and topics pertinent to the conduct of clinical research.
In-House Research Compliance Office
 In the spirit of an "ounce of prevention,” Research Compliance Officer, William H. Wallace, Jr., JD , provides educational presentations and case-specific consultations on human subject research issues as well as in-house reviews of on-going research.
Clinical research has become both more important and more difficult for the medical community in the last decade. The growth of evidence-based medicine has championed the need for high-quality clinical research. At the same time, a number of highly-publicized cases of deaths and injuries to research subjects have resulted in heightened federal scrutiny. Research at several leading research institutions has been halted due to compliance problems.
The ultimate goal of increasing research support at UTGSM is to benefit patients by increasing medical knowledge with respect for human subjects and in compliance with federal regulations.
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