Research

Clinical Research, Division of Clinical Radiology

Getting Started with Clinical Imaging Research

Identifying a research problem
Research in radiology can range from a case-report on an unusual imaging study to a full-fledged nationwide multicenter clinical trial. The ideas for research projects can come simply, arising spontaneously from day-to-day case material, or they may stem from some interest or deep consideration of some imaging issue, or merely from being aware of studies that are being done or sought by funding agencies. Examining ongoing faculty research may help in generating research ideas or in suggesting related sub-projects. Senior colleagues and members of the clinical research section are always available if help is required to choose a research problem.

Requirements
Apart from the scientific training required to design a research study, the study also needs to satisfy ethical and privacy requirements and be free of conflicts of interest. These three important issues need general training or paperwork, required of all investigators, in addition to specific requirements of the project. For a complete guide to Policies, Practices and Resources for the conduct of research at Yale University, see the Yale Principal Investigators Handbook.

The ethical conduct of human research at every institution is overseen by federally mandated bodies called Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). At the Yale School of Medicine the IRB is called the Human Investigation Committee. All research projects involving human subjects must be approved by the HIC before the research can be started. In addition most research agencies requires all investigators to satisfy human subject training. This is available on line at Yale at IRB Trainng.

In order to satisfy privacy requirements, investigators must also undergo HIPAA training, which is available online. Additional HIPAA forms may have to be submitted to the HIC for specific research projects.

Yale Medical School faculty have to submit a Conflict of Interest form annually in order to carry out research [Download COI PDF form]. Additional forms need to be submitted to the HIC if there is a conflict of interest for any specific project.

Funding
Simple projects may require no funding, except for your own time and effort. The department will support YDR faculty with services for small non-funded projects, but all services require a request submission. You may also be able to join larger projects that already have funding. If substantial services of a clinical research coordinator, research nurse, database, biostatistics or programming expert is required or a need to pay for your own time, you will need to find a source of funding. The funding page provides links to various sites where funding could be explored. Our coordinators can help you obtain funding.