About Our Services
The Clinical Research Support Office is a highly productive, cost-effective research service program that provides support across the lifecycle of a clinical research study. Our staff has expertise in implementing, conducting and monitoring clinical research studies, providing services that benefit both novice and experienced clinical researchers.
Research Navigation
We provide support across the lifecycle of clinical research through expert research navigators, who help investigators operationally launch their studies, as well as offer services investigators need to run efficient, safe and high quality clinical research and trials. Please contact us directly to get started with a Research Navigator or visit our Clinical Research Support Office internal site (log in required) for more information.
To reach out to us directly, please contact:
Shannen Nelson RN, MSN, CCRP, CCRC
Director, Operations, Clinical Research Support Office
Ph: 323-361-8685 | Email: shnelson@chla.usc.edu
or
Sharon Tang, BS, CCRC
Associate Director, Operations, Clinical Research Support Office
Ph: 323-361-7299 | Email: shatang@chla.usc.edu
Clinical Research Coordinator Pool
Our dynamic pool of clinical research coordinators (CRCs) support research studies across the clinical divisions of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The CRCs are centrally managed and trained, certified by internationally recognized certification programs for clinical research professionals (CCRP or CCRC), and collectively provide a broad range of knowledge and expertise about conducting pediatric clinical research studies and trials at the hospital. Depending on the complexity of a study protocol, a CRC will be allocated based on experience to meet the demands of implementing the study while remaining sensitive to a project’s budgetary parameters. They are available on a fee-for-service basis to join your study team to help implement and conduct all aspects of a study from start-up to closeout.
Regulatory and IRB Support
Regulatory support is critical for any research study or clinical research, especially when it involves children. Each study requires rigorous institutional and federal regulatory review and documentation, including approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Our Research Regulatory Support & Recruitment Specialist provides the research community at CHLA with support and guidance, as well as assistance in coordinating regulatory affairs for clinical trials and research studies.
For guidance & regulatory assistance on the policies & procedures regarding research & clinical trials at CHLA - CONTACT: RegulatoryAffairs@chla.usc.edu
Education & Training
Our staff provides ongoing clinical research education and training to researchers and staff throughout the hospital. This includes monthly seminars, online resources and 1-on-1 trainings with topics covering the lifecycle of clinical research, including; IRB applications, study start up, clinicaltrials.gov registration, IND/IDE regulations, consenting participants and much more.
Recruitment Planning & the Clinical Research Study Directory
Having volunteers participate in research studies and clinical trials is critical to our research efforts, which is why we’ve created a CHLA Research Study Directory. Check out chla.org/researchstudies and let patients and parents know how they too can impact the lives of children. Volunteer opportunities are available for healthy children as well as those with certain conditions.
For assistance with recruitment strategies, tools, templates and to get your study listed on the website CONTACT: RegulatoryAffairs@chla.usc.edu
Clinical Trials Unit
Our Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) is a program of the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute. The CTU is located on the first floor in the main hospital building, in a 1,625 square foot outpatient facility, alongside the Children’s Health Imaging Research Program with four dedicated patient care areas for research participant evaluations and interventions, as well as a research laboratory for specimen processing. The CTU provides the infrastructure necessary to assist investigators in performing clinical research studies with outpatient and inpatient research visits. We successfully service multiple CHLA divisions and roughly 100 research protocols. The success of our division is a direct result of our hard work and high standards. We welcome and encourage investigators to contact the CTU early in the process of initiating (preferably during study start-up) his/her research study by contacting the CTU directly. This will allow for the investigator to know what to expect with the operations and budget of his/her study.
Research Nurses
Our dedicated research nurses conduct protocol-specific activities such as detailed assessments, venipuncture, IV insertion, EKGs, patient monitoring, vital signs, patient teaching, medication administration (oral, nasal, subcutaneous injections, and intramuscular injections), PK sampling, drug and pregnancy testing, STI testing, oral glucose tolerance tests, and more. Our nurses are available in the CTU and can also travel to clinics as needed to facilitate patient participation.
For more information about the CTU and Nursing support CONTACT: Lauren Rowley, MBA, BSN, RN, PHN, BMTCN – Associate Director, Clinical Trials, Phone: 323-208-2603, Email: lrowley@chla.usc.edu
Research Studies
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is a premiere destination to host clinical research studies. Please refer to this PDF about clinical research at CHLA for more information.
