Mark Quigg, MD, the TR Johns Professor of Neurology and director of the UVA’s Clinical Neurophysiology Labs, was awarded a NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) grant to lead the Clinical Trial Methodology Course (CTMC) at the University of Virginia. Dr. Quigg’s co-principal investigator, Laurie Gutmann, MD, will also host the course at Indiana University.
Improving the treatment of neurological diseases requires clinical research, but research is limited, in part, by a shortage of capable, well-trained physician-scientists. The CTMC is a longitudinal educational and professional development program conducted to educate early-career clinical investigators in the neurosciences (neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychology, emergency medicine, biostatistics) in the design of clinical trials. It also provides mentorship with the goals of promoting academic retention, enhancing research productivity, and improving the likelihood of successful grant applications. A key outcome of the course is to increase capacity within the academic neuroscience community in the design and conduct of clinical trials.
The first clinical research methods course sponsored by the NINDS began in 2000 and was a short, intensive, residential course. The second iteration, the Clinical Trial Methodology Course, was held between 2014-2018, renewed from 2018-2023, and hosted by University of Michigan and University of Iowa.
A number of UVA School of Medicine faculty have participated in this course early in their careers, including Karen Johnston, MD, the Harrison Distinguished Professor of Neurology and associate vice president for UVA’s Clinical and Translational Research.
The first CTMC class for this five-year cycle of the program lead by Dr. Quigg will begin in spring 2025. Core faculty members from University of Iowa, University of Michigan, and the Medical University of South Carolina, as well as those from Virginia and Indiana will participate.
Filed Under: Research