• About Research
• Why is Research Important?
• Who Performs Clinical Research?
• Who Participates in Clinical Research?
• Why Does Clinical Research Need Volunteers?
• Multicultural Research Participation
• Participant Resources and Support
• Additional Resources
• Clinical Researcher Highlights
• Glossary of Clinical Research Terms
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Cancer Research
• Diabetes Research
• Metal Health Research

Who Participates in Clinical Research?

Clinical research participants are of all ages, from infants to the very elderly. They may be healthy volunteers, or they may have serious medical conditions. Men and women participate, and people of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds participate.

Researchers are starting to understand that some drugs work differently in women, children, or minorities. For example, many of today's blood pressure medicines don't work as well for African Americans because there were primarily tested with white participants. To develop drugs and procedures that work well for everyone, it is especially important that children, women, and minorities participate. Follow this link to learn more about multicultural research participation.

Making sure participants are safe is the top priority in all clinical research studies. For example, before any research study can start at the University of Michigan, it must be approved by a team of doctors, experts and community members called the Institutional Review Board. For safety reasons, not every person will be eligible for every study.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in research at the University of Michigan, you can start here by searching the UMClinicalStudies Database or sign up to volunteer for research.

More questions? Our Questions/Answers page contains answers to many more questions participants may have.