Wright State to offer Clinical Trials Coordination concentration for master’s students

Jeffrey Travers, left, chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Craig Rohan, assistant clinical professor, will teach courses in the The Clinical Trials Coordination concentration.

A new master’s degree concentration that offers a foundation in clinical research focusing on improving global health and protecting the welfare of research participants will be offered at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine beginning fall semester through the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

The Clinical Trials Coordination concentration is a one-year, non-thesis master’s program. Students will work alongside physicians at the Wright State Physicians Building on campus and will have the opportunity to assist in clinical research trials with human subjects in the Pharmacology Translational Unit.

The concentration, approved in May, is for any graduate student who wishes to have hands-on patient care roles in research; coordinate academic, government, and industry research; or manage academic Institutional Review Board approvals.

“Clinical trials coordination is an excellent career option that most nurses do not know about,” said Elizabeth Sorensen, consultant to the Pharmacology and Toxicology program. “This program, though nested in the Boonshoft School of Medicine, is open to any Wright State graduate student.”

With this hands-on educational training, students will gain real-world experience applying the principles of Good Clinical Practice to active industry and federally funded trials.

The program, most of which is provided in a classroom setting, offers an excellent foundation for students who wish to sit for national certification through the Society of Clinical Research Associates or Association of Clinical Research Professionals.

“Clinical trials coordination jobs are very plentiful in academia as well as public and private industry,” said Sorensen. “Registered nurses with bachelor’s or master’s degrees do particularly well salary-wise.”

Applications for the Clinical Trials Coordination concentration are being accepted for the fall 2020 semester. For more information contact Terry Oroszi at terry.oroszi@wright.edu.