Faculty and Staff Clinical Research Guide

Provides information on the CRU responsibilities and structure, industry-sponsored research, Duke research support offices, and institutional policies and guidelines.

FAQs for Clinical Research

Answers your questions on who can be a PI, trainings, how to do unfunded research, COI, and other frequently asked questions for researchers.

Duke Office of Clinical Research (DOCR)

DOCR is housed within the Duke University School of Medicine. DOCR provides navigation, tools, and training to support the conduct of clinical research in which Duke serves as an investigative site. DOCR is a consolidated group of research support professionals who are skilled in all aspects of clinical research, including study startup, database development, and project coordination.

Department of Medicine Clinical Research Unit (CRU) 

Clinical Research Units (CRUs) and Oversight Organizations (OOs) are the operating business units responsible for the integrity, financial accountability, regulatory compliance, quality, and academic productivity of clinical research studies taking place at Duke Health.

Study selection decisions are made within the CRUs and OOs, as well as the coordination and allocation of resources, and the flow of funds associated with individual studies.

Each CRU/OO consists of leadership comprised of one or more of the following:

  • Faculty Advisory Board
  • Director
  • Financial Practice Manager
  • Research Practice Manager

The Medicine Clinical Research Unit (CRU) is responsible for the operational support and oversight of all clinical research involving human subjects in the Department of Medicine.

The CRU ensures a core of skilled individuals to manage the clinical research activities, ensure the necessary training of investigators, research coordinators, and other study personnel and provide both financial and research practice support and oversight to ensure compliance with all local, state and federal regulations and institutional policies and procedures. The CRU also ensures that clinical research is scientifically aligned with the interests of the faculty and the academic mission of the School of Medicine and the Department of Medicine while being appropriately funded and financially transparent.

REDCap 

REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure, web-based application designed to support data capture.

REDCap Features:

    • HIPAA-compliant and secure – data are stored on DHTS servers behind Duke firewall
    • Intuitive, web-based interface for database build, data entry, reporting
    • Data validation, audit trail, branching logic, calculated fields
    • Data dictionary for easy project edits, duplication
    • Automated data export (.csv, SPSS, SAS, Stata, R)
    • Data import from external sources
    • Ability to add users external to Duke
    • Can be used for electronic consent (eConsent)
    • Can support data collection via text messages or phone calls (requires DOCR support, complete the request form for a quote)

Access the Main REDCap login page

Contact: redcap-docr@duke.edu

MyRESEARCHhome

Your portal for research related tasks + information

Making advances in research is central to Duke’s mission, and giving our community the tools to do it is key. The myRESEARCHhome portal, funded by Duke’s CTSA, puts relevant applications, resources, and information specific to you and your projects at your fingertips. Your portal’s content is personalized based on your researcher profile, showing you content you want and need to see, saving you time and effort.

PLEASE log in to MyRESEARCHhome and tailor it to your needs. It is an informative dashboard for Duke information and it will keep you logged in to Duke websites so you don’t have to enter your ID and Password for each site!

myRESEARCHnavigators

Connecting researchers to resources, funding opportunities, and educational programs

myRESEARCHnavigators help investigators identify relevant resources, connect with experts, and understand processes and best practices for performing research at Duke.

myRESEARCHnavigators can:

  • Provide guidance on research processes and requirements
  • Locate available services and resources, both on-campus and external
  • Help find Duke faculty or staff for potential collaborations
  • Arrange consultations to help strengthen project design, translation of findings into practical application, and commercialization
  • Identify funding opportunities, including federal grants, industry, and institutional opportunities
  • Suggest educational and career development programs and resources

Navigator Help

FACULTY: PLEASE connect with myRESEARCHnavigators when you first arrive at Duke to learn more about Duke resources.