We speak to patients about clinical research participation in our blogs, our emails and at events like our clinical trial fairs. The Michael J. Fox Foundation also talks to doctors about how they discuss research with their patients and to research teams about how they recruit interested volunteers. Faster recruitment means quicker testing of potential therapies.

MJFF published a paper in this month’s issue of the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Investigation outlining strategies for researchers to improve study recruitment. The article — authored by members of our Research Partnerships team and CEO Todd Sherer, PhD — emphasizes the role that patients play in helping to find cures for diseases such as Parkinson’s, and gives researchers hands-on advice on how to engage with potential participants.

The article recommends that researchers:

• Involve patients: Convene a recruitment committee of coordinators, investigators and patients to offer varied perspectives on messaging and platforms to use.
• Streamline communications: Create recruitment materials centrally in multisite studies and share with sites for cost and time efficiency.
• Avoid obstacles: Brainstorm what “leaks” could discourage enrollment before the study begins and address them.

If you are interested in volunteering for a Parkinson’s research study — whether you have Parkinson’s disease or not — visit Fox Trial Finder, an online tool to match studies with participants.

Register with Fox Trial Finder.

Watch our video to learn more about clinical research and what it means to participate.