Tuesday, May 20, is Clinical Trials Day, a global day of recognition for the researchers, clinicians, staff, learners, and community members who make groundbreaking discoveries a reality through clinical trials.
Hundreds of faculty, staff, and learners at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine are part of multidisciplinary teams running trials that bring forth innovative treatments, expand medical knowledge, and set new standards of care.
Here are eight ways the UK College of Medicine is contributing to clinical research. (Numbers reflect totals tallied since January 2020 unless otherwise specified.)
- There have been 1,255 UK College of Medicine clinical trials, with 708 currently active and 309 accepting new participants.
- There have been 29,302 participants enrolled in clinical trials in the College of Medicine, including those at UK affiliate sites.
- In just fiscal year 2025 alone, there have been 3,400 participants accrued into 233 clinical trials at UK.
- Participants in total trials represent 117 of Kentucky’s 120 counties, including UK affiliate sites.
- Other than Kentucky, participants are from 38 other states.
- UK’s clinical trials span several research areas including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, neuroscience, and much more.
- College of Medicine researchers serve as principal investigators for 94% of UK’s 754 currently active clinical trials.
- 225 industry sponsors have partnered with UK researchers to launch 382 clinical trials.
* Information gathered by Carmelinda Richard Shear from the UK Clinical Research Support Office.