Become a Participant

Researchers rely on individuals to serve as volunteers for program studies or protocols.  Each study is designed to answer questions about a specific medical aspect or the effectiveness of a particular treatment.

Many individuals wish to serve as research volunteers for studies, but because of the specific nature of research protocols, not everyone is eligible to participate. A limited number of people meet the criteria and/or have the ability to make a commitment to participate in a particular study. Through the commitment of these volunteers, knowledge gained and communicated to other medical and research professionals ultimately benefit the community.

To be accepted in a research program the potential volunteer must:

• Fit the criteria for a specific study
• Be invited to participate by the investigator
• Be able to commit the time and resources for the duration of the study
• Depending on the study, the time commitment varies from two days to one year. A few studies require that the individual live in the Cleveland area for the duration of the study.

There is no charge to volunteers, nor do we generally provide compensation for participation in clinical trials. Expenses and arrangements for accommodations, meals, and medical care are the volunteer's responsibility for the duration of the study.

What are Clinical Trials?

To accelerate the translation of experimental therapies into "standards of care", the Cleveland FES Center investigators conduct clinical trials.  Clinical trials are organized studies conducted with individuals as research volunteers. The studies are designed to answer specific questions about new therapies or about new ways to use standard therapies. When new treatments are designed, researchers must demonstrate to colleagues and clinicians how the new treatment compares to standard treatment. Once clear results are obtained, researchers communicate their findings to medical and rehabilitation professionals through research reports and publications.

A "protocol" is a set of rules for how the study will be conducted. Researchers design the protocol so that it will clearly answer a research question in a way that can be generalized to apply to other persons with the same medical condition. Each clinical trial has a protocol that specifies the length of the study, the schedule of tests or interventions, how the results are to be measured, and inclusion criteria that define the type of people included in the study. Examples of inclusion criteria are type of injury, time since injury, age, gender, etc. For further information about how clinical trials are carried out, see www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Information Request

Researchers rely on individuals to serve as volunteers for program studies. Each study is designed to answer questions about a specific medical aspect or the effectiveness of a particular treatment. Through the commitment of research volunteers, knowledge gained and communicated to other medical professionals ultimately benefits the community.

If you would like more information about becoming a research volunteer please submit the information below.