Participate in a study

Researchers from the University of Minnesota and community are expanding upon work done during the Immigrant Microbiome Project that was partially funded by CTSI in 2015. The project identified changes in gut microbiomes in immigrant Hmong and Karen women living in Minnesota and Thailand to potentially uncover why there is a shift or decline in their health once immigrants are living in the United States.

A third United States research institution recently customized, adapted, and implemented StudyFinder, a CTSI-created tool that gives the public an easier way to find and connect with university research opportunities and study teams to ultimately help develop treatments that may one day benefit others. 

“Nearly 70 people contacted us to express interest in one of our studies after seeing it on StudyFinder, through virtually no effort on our end. StudyFinder is the most innovative, efficient tool for recruiting participants I’ve used in my 27-year clinical research career.”

- Patricia Lenton, RDH, MA, CCRP, who directs the Oral Health Research Clinic at the University’s School of Dentistry

The Clinics and Surgery Center “Discovery Experience” includes creating patient awareness about research opportunities at the University through monitors with research messaging and StudyFinder kiosks stationed throughout the building, and includes embedding research into the entire patient experience and workflows, with the ultimate goal of increasing study participation and the number of clinical trials.