RECRUITMENT OF RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS
Academic medical centers consider the advancement of biomedical knowledge,
along with teaching and patient care, to be their historic and fundamental
mission. Offering indispensable help with that endeavor each year, hundreds of
healthy individuals, as well as persons afflicted by a particular illness or
disability that is the subject of the research, volunteer to participate in
research studies conducted at Johns Hopkins. Many of them agree to participate
multiple times over many years for a variety of studies. Here are some current
facts that may help you understand how Hopkins learns about, and recruits,
volunteers.
- Periodically, when approved by the Institutional Review Board, Hopkins
asks for volunteers via bulletin board notices, paid advertisements and
flyers.
- Employees of a particular investigator or laboratory are not directly
recruited for participation in any study conducted by that investigator or
laboratory, although such employees may, on their own, volunteer to
participate. There are no governmental rules or regulations prohibiting the
voluntary involvement of employees as research subjects.
- Volunteers must undergo screening tests to determine eligibility for
participation in a research study and may be asked at the time of screening
if they wish to volunteer for subsequent studies, as well. If they wish to
do so, their names are placed in a data base, which serves as an ongoing
pool of volunteers. Investigators may use this pool to identify volunteers
for subsequent studies and may re-recruit these volunteers directly.
- Currently, there are four active volunteer screening protocols on file
with the Johns Hopkins Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the main East
Baltimore Medical campus; and one screening protocol at Hopkins Bayview
Medical campus.
