Participate in Clinical Trials

Expand your treatment options while helping others.

When you participate in clinical research, you are at the forefront of helping make new medicines and therapies available to others later. Your participation is what makes these new treatments possible. Participating in a clinical trial can also be a powerful way for you to access cutting edge care — close to home — if you’re not seeing desired results with other treatments. Our providers are deeply involved in research and academic advancement.

Novant Health offers clinical research opportunities not just in North Carolina’s large cities like Charlotte, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem, but at clinics and hospitals all across the state.

Be the first to access the latest innovative treatments, close to home.

Find a clinical trial near you.

Use the following research portal to find Novant Health's current clinical trials and their principal investigator. To join a clinical trial, speak with your doctor or contact us.

Multidisciplinary Research Areas

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Cancer & Blood Conditions

Novant Health participates in numerous clinical cancer research trials for solid tumor and hematologic conditions. Our specialized early-phase clinical trials help establish drug safety for novel chemotherapies, immunotherapies, and cellular therapies used for treating cancer and other illnesses.

Health Equity

Physicians at Novant Health are dedicated to using research to find solutions to broadly reduce barriers and promote optimal outcomes for historically marginalized populations through a lens of access, value, and equity.

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Heart & Vascular

Novant Health Heart and Vascular Institute conducts a variety of trials leading to breakthroughs in vascular, heart failure, structural heart, and arrhythmia care.

Imaging

We lead clinical research studies of new imaging technology for heart and vascular disease, neurosciences, cancer, and other conditions.

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Neurology

Our neurosciences research started as a response to North Carolina's high rates of stroke and the critical need for stroke clinical trial options in our communities. Our trials' success led to our development of other high-need research, such as in multiple sclerosis and spinal cord stimulation.

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Nursing

Nursing research helps us determine best practices and improve patient care.

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Orthopedics

Our research seeks to advance orthopedic treatments and improve patient care.

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Pediatrics

Our pediatric research studies lead to advancements in care for a range of conditions, including cancer, sickle cell disease, hemophilia, and other blood disorders.

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Pharmacy

Pharmacy research involves assessing innovative pharmacy intervention and patient care strategies to improve clinical outcomes, optimize medication therapy management, and develop best practices.

Surgery

Our researchers test innovative surgical procedures, like new types of minimally invasive surgeries that shorten recovery time and enhance healing.

What is a Clinical Trial?

Clinical trials are a type of clinical research. They are carefully controlled studies designed to answer specific scientific questions and test the safety and effectiveness of medications and medical devices to prevent, diagnose, or treat conditions.

Each trial is different. Some trials study new drugs or devices or a combination therapy. What the trial process looks like depends on the kind of study being conducted.

Clinical trials are what make new and improved treatments and therapies possible. Before new medicines and medical devices can be introduced to the public, they must be tested in clinical research studies involving humans. This is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirement. Every medicine and device approved for use in the United States was first tested by volunteers like you in clinical trials.

How long do clinical trials last?

Who conducts clinical trials?

You will be in excellent hands while participating in a trial. Our research teams are made up of specialists from a variety of healthcare expertise areas, including physicians, nurses, clinical research or study coordinators, and data management and regulatory professionals. This compassionate team is committed to ensuring you have an informed and comfortable experience.

Should I Participate in Clinical Trials?

Participation in a clinical trial is a highly personal choice. The Novant Health clinical research team will ensure you are prepared to make a well-informed decision. We also encourage you to talk with your care team, family, and loved ones to help you decide if a clinical trial is right for you.

Basic pre-trial questions you might ask the research team before deciding to participate include these and the following:

What is this research about?
How does this research help the treatment of my condition?
Why am I an ideal candidate?
What happens at the end of this study?

Who can participate in clinical trials?

Who can participate depends on the trial. All clinical trials have guidelines, called eligibility criteria, for who can participate. Eligibility criteria may include factors like:

Age
Sex
Type of medical condition being studied
Whether you have had certain treatments in the past
Other health conditions

Each trial must include only people who meet its individual eligibility criteria. This is to ensure:

Trial safety
New approaches are tested in similar groups of people
Study results are not impacted by other factors

What care do I receive during a clinical trial?

The medical care you receive while participating in a clinical trial is much like the care you would get otherwise, but with additional observation to learn about the potential side effects and benefits of the therapy being tested. Your physician and research team will be at your side every step of the way to closely monitor your health and wellbeing.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?

While the goal of clinical trials is to discover promising new medical treatments, benefits are not guaranteed. Clinical trials may involve risks, as does routine medical care and even daily activities. Therapies being tested may have side effects.

Your research team will clearly explain the possible risks and benefits of a study before you make the decision to participate. And you may choose to stop participating at any point during the trial.

Can I participate in clinical trials for money?

If you meet a trial's eligibility criteria and consent to participate in the trial, you may be eligible for a stipend(s) or reimbursement. Whether or not you get paid for participating in a clinical trial depends on the trial. The amount of money you might get paid or reimbursed also varies by clinical trial. The clinical trial's consent form will define the payment terms, if applicable.

Can I stop participating in a trial once I've started?

Institutional Review Boards

Checks & balances for your peace of mind

Novant Health clinical research is governed by institutional review boards; each main research medical center has an institutional review board. Any clinical research we conduct involving volunteer participants must be reviewed and approved by an institutional review board. A medical center’s review board may defer review to external boards on a case-by-case basis. Each board’s mission is to:

Protect the rights, dignity, privacy, and welfare of our medical research participants
Ensure clinical trial participants are informed appropriately
Uphold legal and ethical standards of conduct

Institutional review boards are made up of experienced: