Boston Uni/Boston Medical Center establishes registry for people interested in participating in research studies

Boston University/Boston Medical Center (BU/ BMC) has established a registry to provide an easy way to connect researchers who are looking for research volunteers with people who are looking for studies to join. The registry, named ReSPECT (Recruitment Services Program of the Clinical & Translational Science Institute), is a free service.

At BU/ BMC, there are many researchers looking for healthy people of all ages and/or for people with specific health conditions in order to find new treatments or better ways to provide care. Research is a way to discover knowledge that can have a positive impact on individuals and the health of society. Most research studies need a certain number of people to participate in order to find the right answer. Many studies end too early or can’t be done since there are too few volunteers to join.

“While there are many people who want to join research studies, it is often hard for people to find a study of interest to them or their family. We are quite proud of the enthusiasm people have expressed in joining the registry. Currently, we have more than 1,000 members and it is steadily growing.” said Kimberly Russell-Lucas, MPH, CCRP, Clinical Research Recruitment Manager of the ReSPECT registry. “The more people who join the registry the more value it will have for both researchers seeking volunteers and individuals seeking studies to join. We hope this registry will be an ongoing resource for people to join many studies at BU/ BMC,” she added.

Anyone can join the ReSPECT Registry and all information is kept confidential. After reading information about the registry and answering a few survey questions either online, in-person or over the phone, an individual is enrolled as a member of the registry. Members of the registry are then contacted on an ongoing basis by ReSPECT Registry staff about studies seeking volunteers. Registry members can then decide whether or not to talk to a researcher. Registry members can withdraw membership from the registry at any time.

The registry is part of efforts by the Boston University Clinical Translational Science Institute that is supported by a grant from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).

For more information, visit the ReSPECT website at www.bumc.bu.edu/crro-community, call 1-617-414-1971 (Toll free at 1-877-505-4455) or email [email protected].