Significant efforts are underway at USC to standardize operations that support efficient and compliant clinical research. Currently, with so many departments and processes to work through, launching a study at an institution as large as USC can be challenging. The goal of the inaugural training course, “Orientation to Clinical Research at USC,” held September 18-25, was to help investigators and support staff navigate the system.

Developed by the Office of Research at USC in collaboration with SC CTSI and other university-wide groups, the course marked the first formal training offered by the University for the entire clinical research community. The event provided attendees with an overview of available research resources at USC as well as the process of designing, submitting, getting approval for, and conducting clinical studies or trials.

The majority of the 128 attendees were project managers, research and nurse coordinators or administrators seeking certification for attending the new course. Others were new investigators learning the ropes at USC.

Randy Hall, Vice President of Research at USC, kicked off the training course by stressing the importance of responsible research and introduced the first day’s speakers, who direct the various offices that support clinical research: Silvia da Costa (Faculty Research Relations), Soheil Jadali (Clinical Trials Office), Dan Shapiro (Compliance), and Susan Rose (Office for the Protection of Research Subjects). 

SC CTSI’s Anthony El-Khoueiry, MD, spent the second part of the course presenting the principles of developing a protocol, coordinating ancillary services, and conducting a study. As director of SC CTSI’s Clinical Translation/Clinical Trials Unit and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Clinical Investigations Support Office, he brought to the course a broad perspective of the clinical research landscape at USC, along with the practical knowledge garnered from years of conducting clinical trials himself.

Silvia da Costa, the main organizer of the course, said, “We've received excellent feedback from the attendees and will offer the course again in spring 2014."

In addition to in-person training for the course’s first attendees, an outcome of the course is the "Guide to Clinical Research at USC", a compilation of the presented materials including written procedures, contact information, and flow charts. 

Related resources

• Investigator Resources for Clinical Trials
• USC Research Coordinators Network to share useful resources, news, and training opportunities