ResearchMatch Connects Volunteers with Research Studies
ResearchMatch is a Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Consortium activity to develop the first not-for-profit national, disease-neutral, centralized web-based volunteer recruitment registry that will connect individuals who wish to participate in research with eligible researchers nationwide.
ResearchMatch has a simple goal – to bring together two groups of people who are looking for one another: people who are trying to find research studies, and researchers who are looking for people to participate in their studies. It is a free and secure registry that has been developed by major academic institutions across the country, with the mission of helping today’s studies make a real difference for everyone’s health in the future.
Who funded the development of ResearchMatch?
• The National Center for Research Resources – a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Who were the faculty involved in designing the project?
• Gordon Bernard, M.D., principal investigator for Vanderbilt's CTSA and associate vice chancellor for Research
• Paul Harris, Ph.D., research associate professor of Biomedical Informatics and Biomedical Engineering
Why might ResearchMatch appeal to you?
• The public is significantly interested in finding clinical research studies and regularly uses the Internet to search for research opportunities
• www.ClinicalTrials.gov reports more than 40 million page views per month (50,000 visitors daily)
• The public is not always aware of its options for participating in research
• Nearly one in five internet users have searched online for experimental treatments or medicines, with a new diagnosis (especially a serious condition) further motivating such actions
• The system employs popular and thus familiar ‘matching’ model (e.g. www.VolunteerMatch.org)
• It's convenient and easy to use and relieves the burden of searching for the right study from the volunteer
• It promotes volunteer choice; there is no obligation to participate in studies
• It is available for anyone and everyone (disease-neutral site – healthy volunteers are welcome)
• It communicates to taxpayers and legislators a feature of the CTSA that has potential to benefit public health
• Patient recruitment continues to be a major barrier to the completion of research studies nationwide
• It offers a call to action – people can visit the site and consider joining as a ResearchMatch volunteer.
What does it cost to join ResearchMatch?
ResearchMatch is a not-for-profit activity and is free to join.
Visit the site at:
www.researchmatch.org
Visit the volunteer FAQ page for more information: