NYU Langone’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute provides resources and infrastructure to help researchers recruit participants for research studies and clinical trials.

We provide access to data sources that help identify potential research participants, online tools to connect researchers and study participants, consultation services to help recruit specific populations, and clinical research coordinator and nursing coordinator services to help conduct studies. We also facilitate patient and community feedback on research ideas early in study planning stages.

Our Approach to Study Recruitment and Retention

Successfully recruiting and retaining participants for a research study starts with determining the who, where, when, and how of the recruitment process. If a research cohort is available among the patients you treat, then securing a clinical research coordinator to introduce participants and researchers can ensure a smooth and direct recruitment process. Researchers who do not have direct access to potential participants may want to complete a detailed recruitment plan early in the protocol development stage to identify the best approach for a particular cohort.

Knowing this early will accelerate recruitment and potentially save time during the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process and prevent IRB amendments to the recruitment plan section of a study protocol. For example, recruitment plan prework involving NYU Langone databases can help determine how many participants with the needed condition are available at NYU. That knowledge, combined with how many participants are statistically required to prove or disprove the hypothesis and an estimate of how many may drop out or not complete the protocol, will help determine recruitment targets.

Key Questions to Consider for Study Recruitment

The following key questions can help you determine your study’s recruitment needs:

• Have you considered the cohort’s condition, ethnicity, race, and age-related factors?
• Do you need a licensed physician collaborator? (IRB policies and procedures state that a licensed physician is required to be on the study team for any human subject research that involves a medical intervention)
• Where will you screen for potential participants?
• Do participants require in-home or community-based nursing care, transportation, meals, incentives, or have other needs related to participation?
• How will you approach the potential participant?
• If you contact a participant by phone, email, letter, or a message through MyChart, how will you develop the IRB-approved phone script to be unbiased, clear, and thoughtful? (please see our IRB recruitment templates)
• What will you need in terms of budget requirements to support the participant’s participation?
• Will translation and interpretation services be needed?

Research Support Services and Facilities

We offer a variety of research support services and facilities to help with research participant recruitment and retention.

Consultation with Recruitment and Retention Core

The CTSI Recruitment and Retention Core provides advice on increasing the quantity and quality of participant recruitment. By quantity, we mean the number of people recruited or alternatively the percent of targeted enrollment. By quality, we mean specific targeted groups that vary by study and include racial or ethnic minorities, specific age groups (older adults, children) or participants with specific conditions or diagnoses (e.g., diabetes, people with mental health diagnoses, tobacco users). Consultations with the Recruitment and Retention Core are free of charge.

Support for Research in Special Populations

Our Integrating Special Populations Unit provides consultations for recruiting specific populations (such as pediatric, geriatric, minority, and those facing health disparities) to participate in clinical and translational research and to catalyze research that reflects these populations. The goal of the Integrating Special Populations Unit is to create an integrated framework, increase research projects, promote and disseminate best practices, and foster stakeholder collaborations in regard to special populations. Consultations with the Integrating Special Populations Unit are free of charge.

You can find helpful information on engaging special populations in the Integrating Special Populations Unit's best practice briefs:

• Asian American population
• Black population
• Hispanic and Latinx population
• limited English proficient population
• older adult population
• LGBTQ+ population

Nursing and Clinical Research Coordinator Services

We have nursing and clinical research coordinators available for work on-site to assist investigators with their studies. The coordinators are clinically trained and can perform certain measurements, such as height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumferences, collection of medications, electrocardiograms (EKGs), and phlebotomy. There are fees for nursing and clinical research coordinator services.

For study teams who require the services of a visiting nurse, NYU Langone utilizes Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY), a nursing agency that provides in-home care. VNSNY also has a research center, where study-related assessments can be obtained. Study teams can coordinate with VNSNY directly for identification and recruitment of participants, and for in-home or community study assessments. There are fees associated with these services.

Clinical Research Center Facilities

Our Clinical Research Center is a spacious facility where clinical research studies are carried out that features several multifunctional rooms to accommodate both adults and children. Highly skilled, experienced research nurses are available. The facility is located at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue on the fourth floor in the C/D Building.

Translation and Interpretation Services

We understand that study teams may need access to translation services for IRB-approved written materials (e.g., consent forms, printed brochures) and interpretation or interpreter services for spoken communications with patients and research participants (e.g., using telephone services to communicate with patients whose primary language is not English) whose primary language is not English. For more information about available translation and interpretation services, please refer to NYU Langone’s Office of Science and Research and IRB guidelines on informed consent for non-English speaking participants.