The Duke Clinical Research Institute, a clinical research organization at Duke University, is partnering with education services company Kaplan to offer an online training program for workers doing clinical research overseas.
The program aims to fill a training gap for clinical research jobs overseas. It was developed in response to the growing trend of clinical trial work moving outside the United States in order forpharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizationsto conduct their tests at lower costs.
“We don’t see that trend changing,” DCRI director Dr. Robert Harrington said in a statement. “However, what we do see is an increasing demand that studies be conducted according to the highest standards possible.”
DCRI has conducted clinical studies in more than 60 countries. Kaplan, a subsidiary of The Washington Post Co. (NYSE:WPO), provides training to more than one million students at over 600 locations in 30 countries around the globe. DCRI and Kaplan unit Kaplan EduNeering developed a program called Clinical Research Education and Training via eLearning, or CREATe. The content reflects U.S. regulatory framework but can be adjusted to reflect local cultural values and customs. The program is intended both for professionals already working in clinical research as well as those looking to enter the field.
Training will initially be offered through sponsoring companies. Workers who complete the training will have their information stored in a database. Pharmaceutical companies sponsoring clinical trials will be able to search the database to find workers and locations ready for clinical trial work.
