1. How do I get started?
Participants must volunteer to take part in a study. Medpace Clinical Pharmacology
experts determine your eligibility for current or future studies based on your medical
history and the answers you provide to our study participant questionnaire. Your
answers are kept completely private and are not shared with anyone else.
After you volunteer and you are deemed eligible for a specific study, the first
step is to schedule a screening appointment with a doctor or nurse practitioner.
You will go through the
informed consent process, receive a complete medical examination, and undergo
blood/urine testing to confirm you are in good health before you enroll as a participant
in the study.
If you do not qualify for a specific study right away, we will keep your name in
our confidential database, and contact you when we have a study that is a good match
for you.
To volunteer, call (513) 366-3222 or (859) 341-9800.
2. Will I be hurt by Phase I medical research?
Because the risks involved in each study are different, it is important that you
carefully read the risk section of the consent form. Ask the staff questions you
may have about your safety in the study in which you are interested. No guarantees or
promises can be made about the safety of any drug being tested.
3. Why must I stay overnight?
Staying overnight in the Medpace Clinical Pharmacology unit (CPU) provides the most
controlled environment for a Phase I or Phase IIa study. This includes the ability
to standardize meals, activities, medication dosing, taking blood/urine samples,
special testing, and monitoring for adverse events. Most of the time, you will stay
only a few days or more. However, there may be some studies that last longer than
a week.
In order to make your stay as comfortable as possible, the CPU features:
- Recreation rooms outfitted with widescreen televisions, board games, and other activities
- Personal DVD players and library of DVDs
- Computer rooms with desktop computers
- Wireless technology and computer hook-ups for use with the volunteers’ laptop
computers
- Video games (Xbox 360®)
- A well-lit, secure outdoor courtyard (weather permitting)
- Catered meals planned for each study
4. Are visitors allowed for stays requiring more than a couple days?
Unfortunately, the CPU does not have a visiting area, so during your stay your contact
with friends and family is limited to e-mail and/or phone.
5. Am I allowed to quit at any time?
As you will learn during the informed consent process, participants are allowed
to withdraw their consent for study participation at any time. You may also ask
to have your name removed from our volunteer database and we will stop contacting
you for any future potential study participation. We may, however, ask you to complete
a volunteer satisfaction survey detailing why you stopped in order to help us improve
our studies and program for future participants. Any information you provide is
confidential and greatly appreciated.
6. How can my family contact me in case of an emergency?
Emergency phone numbers are provided when the study begins, however, regular incoming
calls may be limited if procedures and/or testing are in progress.