The Palo Alto Medical Foundation includes more than 800 doctors and thousands of employees at 40 locations in four counties. Helping them all work together on clinical research studies is part of the Research Institute's mission. The Department of Clinical Research has been participating in clinical trials for more than 15 years and helps administer studies started by both PAMF physicians and outside organizations that partner with PAMF. In addition, it helps PAMF use this research to improve patient care.

The Clinical Research Department:

• Helps physicians receive the required safety approvals for their studies by PAMF's Institutional Review Board (IRB)


• Recruits new patients to participate in studies


• Monitors patients throughout the studies


• Coordinates with outside research sponsors


• Ensures compliance with federal and state regulations governing research, including mandatory patient privacy protections.

Highlighted Studies  |  Staff and Partners  |  Study Recruitment

Highlighted Studies

Studies often originate with the doctors who have discovered new ideas in their practice and want to formally test them. These studies can speed approval of a drug or medical device, helping future patients. In addition, sometimes a physician initiates a study to give a patient access to a medication or device that is not yet approved for widespread use.

Research on new medications and medical devices is a slow and careful process that is conducted in phases. The Clinical Research Department works on all phases of clinical research, but its emphasis is on the later phases (phase III and phase IV studies). PAMF physicians are the principal investigators for the studies. Over the years, physicians in virtually all of the PAMF's specialty departments, as well as in many of its primary care departments, have conducted research. In the past year, Clinical Research has participated in studies of:

• Rheumatoid arthritis


• Breast and prostate cancer


• Blood glucose monitoring


• Prothrombin measurements


• Irritable bowel syndrome


• Cardiovascular disease diagnostic testing


• Premenstrual syndrome and sleep


• Depression in adolescents


• Silicone breast implants

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Staff and Partners

• Arthur Bobrove, M.D., interim director


• Barbara Anderson, R.N., CCRA, CCRC, Clinical Research Manager


• Barbara Glaze, R.N., MSN, CCRC, Clinical Research Nurse


• Diana Hill, R.N., B.A., CCRC, Clinical Research Nurse


• Paula Whited, CMA, Clinical Research Coordinator

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Study Recruitment

To get information on any of our research studies and how you can participate, please call 650-853-4915. For a list of studies we're currently recruiting for, see our Recruiting page.

Last reviewed September 2008.
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