You will be contacted by a member of the clinical trial research team, typically the Research Coordinator. The Research Coordinator, who is often a nurse, serves as the liaison between patients and the researchers. The Research Coordinator reports to the Principal Investigator (commonly called the "PI"), the physician who leads the trial. The Research Coordinator and PI may work for a hospital, university, or clinical lab.
The clinical trial will also have a "study sponsor" (or "trial sponsor"). This is the individual or organization that oversees and funds the clinical trial. The study sponsor is often a pharmaceutical company seeking to test the effectiveness of a new drug or therapy.
