The clinical research team consists of professionals who are required to test the safety and efficacy of medicines and medical devices so that those which are proved useful as treatments or tools can be made available for use on larger populations with confidence.

The team begins with the clinical research coordinators (CRC) who work directly with the  human subjects at specific sites, such as hospitals, academic centers, and independent laboratories; the clinical research associates (CRA, monitors) who move from site to site to oversee multiple studies for the companies that sponsor the research or for contract research organizations (CROs) that help sponsors conduct the studies; the physician and  nonphysician investigators who lead the full team and are ultimately responsible for the overall conduct of the research; the data managers who collect and process results from the studies; a host of specialists within and beyond the sites and sponsors in the areas of subject (patient) recruitment, sales/marketing, research ethics (institutional review boards (IRBs), regulatory affairs, quality assurance, safety/medical affairs, site management, project management, training, and other research-related functions; and the directors and executives in charge of the drug/device companies, the research sites and the CROs.

All Clinical Research professionals have their roles to play in the early-through late-stage testing of potential new products; and the need for the team is not restricted to the pre-marketing phases of a drug or device's existence, as more and more post-marketing studies are being conducted to ensure that new products are functioning as intended.

Clinical Research Job Descriptions & Requirements.

Clinical Research Entities & Standards.

Good Clinical Practice (GCP)

Clinical Trails / Study 

International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) 

Institutional Review Boards (IRB) 

Contract Research Organization (CRO) 

Sponsors