The University of Iowa is one of the nation's leading public research universities. From advances in communications sciences to the 175 domestic and 304 foreign patents obtained by researchers affiliated with the Carver College of Medicine, our impact is truly global. These discoveries would not be possible without the involvement of people like you who volunteer to take part in research studies (sometimes called "clinical trials" or a "clinical study"). We are committed to protecting the rights, safety and welfare of everyone who volunteers to be in a study. We thank you for your time, effort and commitment to helping the University of Iowa advance science and increase knowledge.  Please use this page as a resource to find information about participating in research.  If something is missing that you are looking for, please let us know. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Contact the Human Subjects Office at 319-335-6564 or irb@uiowa.edu.  

Rights as a Research Participant

Human subjects research is required by law and UI policy to protect the rights and welfare of those who participate in research. This page offers resources and links to provide additional sources of information about participating in a research study (sometimes called a "clinical trial" or "clinical study" when patients are involved).

This page discusses protections for research subjects, considerations when children are enrolled in a study, issues with participant safety, and resources for participants provided by the Office of Human Research Protections.

If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a research subject or about a research related injury, to offer input about your experiences as a research subject or to speak to someone other than the research staff, please contact the Human Subjects Office, 105 Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, 600 Newton Road, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA  52242-1098, (319) 335-6564, or e-mail irb@uiowa.edu. 

Participating in Research

There are over 4,000 human research studies in progress at the University of Iowa (UI) at any given time.  Many research studies involving human participants (often referred to as subjects) take place at University of Iowa Health Care. However, human research studies are conducted in many other UI departments as well, including Psychological & Brain Sciences, Sociology, Anthropology, and many more.  Additionally, human research studies are also conducted at the Iowa City Veterans Administration Health Care System (VAHCS).

Researchers also often place advertisements in local newspapers or on public transportation. If you are a patient at UIHC or the Iowa city VAMC, one of your physicians might tell you about research studies for which you are eligible.

The following links provide resources for you to find out more about research being conducted at the UI, VAHCS and nationally.

University of Iowa:

  • University of Iowa Health Care clinical research and trials: Search specifically for cancer studies and children studies or search for all available studies by demographics, type of study or department. You can also sign up to become part of the Iowa Research Heroes registry that helps to connect people who would like to volunteer in research studies with teams conducting research at University of Iowa Health Care.
  • Noon News: UI researchers sometimes advertise their studies in the weekday newsletter of University of Iowa Health Care.

Veterans Administration Health Care System:

  • VA-sponsored clinical trials: The Office or Research and Development provides instructions to find clinical trials that are sponsored by the VA and are being conducted near the volunteer.

National resources:

  • ClinicalTrials.org - This is an extensive list of information about the special kind of research study called a clinical trial.
  • ResearchMatch.org – ResearchMatch is a recruitment registry, funded by the National Center for Research Resources – a component of the National Institutions of Health, that matches willing research volunteers from all over the nation with researchers and research studies in need of study participants. Anyone from the United States can participate (parents or guardians may register for kids under the age of 19) and the service is free.

Become an IRB Member

The IRB is charged with review of proposed research protocols in order to ensure that the rights of human subjects are protected and that risk of harm to subjects is minimized. The framework for protection of human subjects is set in Federal regulation. Committee members ensure compliance with University of Iowa policies and procedures, federal regulations, and state and local laws relative to the review of human subjects research studies.

Human Subjects Research in the News 

Up to date information on popular press and media coverage of human subjects research and human subjects research protections.