Supporting Clinical Research 24 Hours a Day, 365 Days a Year
A cornerstone of the Center for Injury Science (CIS) Clinical Trials Unit is its Research Assistant (RA) Program, which provides continuous research coverage at UAB Hospital, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The program supports clinical research in emergency and acute care settings, where eligible patients may present at any time and research interventions, samples, or assessments often need to occur within minutes or hours. It provides a resource for investigators conducting time-sensitive clinical trials that would otherwise be difficult to implement outside regular working hours.
The RA Program has supported more than 50 clinical trials and enrolled more than 22,000 research participants, working with investigators across multiple UAB departments, including Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, Neurology, Nephrology, and Pathology and Microbiology.
Research Support and Services
Our specially trained research assistants work alongside clinical and research teams to support the implementation of study protocols. Depending on the requirements of an individual study, their responsibilities may include:
- Screening patients for study eligibility
- Supporting recruitment, consent, and enrollment
- Assisting with time-sensitive study interventions and protocol-specific procedures
- Collecting clinical and research data
- Obtaining, processing, and preparing biological samples for storage or shipment
- Performing scheduled assessments and supporting ongoing study follow-up
Research assistants receive extensive training in Good Clinical Practice, human subjects protection, HIPAA, research data collection, and biospecimen handling, together with orientation to the clinical environments in which they work.
Although based primarily at UAB Hospital, the program has also supported research recruitment and enrollment at Children's of Alabama and the UAB Women and Infants Center.
A Resource for Investigators Across UAB
The RA Program is available to support studies led by investigators throughout UAB, not only those managed directly by CIS.
Importantly, investigators do not need to transfer management of their studies to CIS to use this resource. The program can work alongside an established research team, providing additional operational capacity where needed.
For example, the RA Program can provide overnight and weekend screening, support time-sensitive enrollment or sample collection, or extend study operations to continuous 24/7 coverage.
This flexible approach allows investigators to use an established research infrastructure while retaining scientific and operational leadership of their own studies.
Training the Next Generation of Clinical Researchers
The RA Program also provides valuable opportunities for individuals interested in careers in medicine, biomedical research, and related fields.
Our research assistants include undergraduate students, medical graduates, individuals with emergency medical services experience, and others pursuing careers in healthcare and research.
Working in a busy academic medical center, research assistants gain firsthand experience in clinical research, study coordination, patient recruitment, regulatory requirements, and the practical challenges of conducting research in emergency and critical care environments.
Many use this experience as preparation for further professional training or careers in clinical and translational research.
Program History
The RA Program grew out of UAB's participation in the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC), a multicenter research network investigating treatments for cardiac arrest and severe traumatic injury.
The need to identify and enroll eligible patients at any time of day or night led to the development of a dedicated research workforce capable of supporting emergency clinical trials around the clock.
Since then, the program has expanded to support a broad range of studies across multiple specialties, becoming an important component of UAB's clinical research infrastructure.
Contact
Investigators interested in using the Research Assistant Program, or individuals interested in joining the team, are encouraged to contact:
Shannon Stephens
Email: swstephens@uabmc.edu