Physician Assistants in Research
Special Interest Group Affiliated with the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)

Mission Statement:

Physician Assistants in Research is a new special interest group representing PAs interested in and/or participating in clinical trials.

The purpose of PAR is to promote awareness of the growing need for physician assistants in research, provide educational materials, and create networking opportunities. The group offers educational training programs for physician assistants interested in becoming proficient study coordinators, sub-investigators, and principal investigators in the research community.

We will provide an arena for networking among physician assistants who are involved in clinical trial management and development. We intend to help physician assistants write grant proposals and initiate pilot studies. We would also like to consult with physician assistants to determine areas in medicine where research is needed. PAR provides education about Good Clinical Practice guidelines, investigator-sponsor relationships, and institutional review boards. We emphasize the importance of the informed consent process and the ethical treatment of research patients.

On the horizon are a quarterly newsletter and investigator training course for physician assistants.  Members of PAR may post on this website their current research projects/clinical trials.
PAR members may post clinical trial information here for recruitment purposes.

Please mail your contact information, study title, protocol summary, inclusion and exclusion criteria to:

Christen Kutz, DHSc, PA-C
1616 Millard Street
Bethlehem, PA 18017
christenkutz@yahoo.com

                              
Physician Assistants in Research (PAR) Membership Application

Please download and mail completed applications along with a check (payable to PAR) in the appropriate amount to:

Physician Assistants in Research (PAR)
1616 Millard Street
Bethlehem, PA 18017

Thank you for your interest in PAR and we look forward to future interactions!

                                             QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS: 

                  

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS IN RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE

22 respondents

16- 2011 questionnaire

6- 2010 questionnaire

1. Research Setting:

__5___Outpatient Medical Office/Clinic

__5___Inpatient

__4___Surgical

__11__Academic

__2___Other, please describe (1- medical information, 1- think tank)

2. Current Area of Research:

__3___Primary Care

__8___Medicine Sub-Specialty, please describe (1- neonatology, 3- cardiology, 1-nephrology, 1-psychiatry, 1- allergy/asthma, 1-neurology)

__0___General Surgery

__4___Surgical Sub-Specialty, please describe (1-critical care, 1-orthopedic surgery, 1- surgical oncology, 1- head and neck surgery)

__5___Academic

__7___Physician Assistant Work-Force Focused

3. Your Research Responsibilities:

__10__Clinical Assessments

__8___Adverse Event Monitoring

__11__Informed Consent Process

__7___Drug Accountability

__9___Subject Recruitment

__10__IRB Correspondence

__8___Sponsor Correspondence

__7___Contract Negotiation

__6___Case Report Form Completion

__7___Data Entry (eCRFs)

__9___Research Team Management

__15___Other, Please List (1- IRB member, 3- economics/budget, 1- instrument creation and validation, 3- protocol development, 1- phlebotomy, 1 SOP development, 1- mentoring, 1- data collection, 1- statistical analysis, 1- manuscript preparation, 1- publication process management)

 4.   Research Position(s) Held:

__4___Research Coordinator

__9___Principal Investigator

 __9___Sub-Investigator

__2___Other, Please List (1- assistant professor, 1- research manager)

5. Percentage of Job Responsibility Spent Doing Research 100% (5), 85% (1), 80% (1), 20%, (6), 10% (2), 0% (1).

6. Were you hired to perform research or was this an acquired responsibility?          

Hired (8), Acquired (11), Inquired (1)

7.  Research Experience:

__9___Pharmaceutical Sponsored Multi-Center Trial

__10__Investigator Initiated Research

__5___NIH or other national health organization

__6___Grant Writing

__15__Academic Research

__2___Other, Please List (1- EBM, 1-medical device)

8.  How many trials do you have ongoing? 16 trials (1), 7 trials (2), 6 trials (1), 5 trials (2), 3 trials (1), 1 trial (5), 0 trial (5)

9. Have you ever been the principal investigator (PI) for a research project? Yes- 10, No-11

10. Do you think having a doctorate degree would increase the probability you would serve as a Principle Investigator (PI)? Yes- 15, No- 4, 1- unsure

11. Have you taken any Investigator/Coordinator Training Courses? Yes-11, No- 8

If so, which one (s)? Johns Hopkins Research Coordinator Course, UCLA K30, CITI, Western IRB

12. Did your education during PA school prepare you for your research responsibilities?

Yes-2 (Emory, Yale), No-12

13. What PA school did you attend? (Emory-2, Pacific University- 1, Butler- 1, Arcadia-1, Interservice-1, Colorado-1, Utah-1, Missouri State-1, Yale- 1, St. Francis University-1, DeSales-1)

14. Do you know about the AAPA special interest group, Physician Assistants in Research (PAR)? Yes-15, No- 4