Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Research Institute

Benefiting the Community

Local clinical research benefits patients, researchers (including medical staff), and our entire community. 

At the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Research Institute, we strive to increase patient care options through new drugs and devices not yet available to the general public. We support investigators as they work to improve and advance medical care. We also ensure that all our research remains safe for patients and other study participants. 

Clinical research can offer new treatments that can save lives and improve quality of life. It also provides professional development opportunities for Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health clinicians and staff. 

Our researchers conduct world-leading research for groundbreaking treatments, medications, and devices for heart failure and many other diseases. Our collaborative work is novel and includes early phase studies that cover gene therapy, immune therapy, proton therapy and many other advanced technologies. Through these efforts, our patients are among the first to benefit from new treatments and care methods. 

Our Clinical Research Areas

We are among the most active community-based hospitals in the nation for clinical research. Our priority treatment areas are cardiovascular diseases, neurosciences, and oncology (cancer).

These thriving research programs are made possible through strong partnerships with clinicians in our Heart & Vascular Institute, Neuroscience Institute, and Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute (ABBCI). ABBCI features a robust oncology clinical research department that works closely with the Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia. 

We also offer clinical research opportunities in other departments and specialties, including: 

  • Behavioral health
  • Diabetes and endocrinology
  • Family medicine
  • General surgery
  • Nursing
  • Orthopedic and musculoskeletal care
  • Pediatrics
  • Pulmonology (lung and respiratory care)
  • Trauma and acute care surgery
  • Women’s health 

Lancaster General Hospital’s Family Medicine and Pharmacy residency programs have strong research components. Our fellowships in family medicine and geriatrics do as well. See our  fellowship, internship, and volunteer opportunities. 

For New and Experienced Investigators

Our team provides researchers with the guidance, resources, and infrastructure needed to conduct clinical research. Our support services for sponsored and investigator-initiated studies include: 

  • Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval help: All clinical research must obtain approval from the University of Pennsylvania IRB to proceed. We walk you through this process and provide documentation assistance. We also work with external IRBs through reliance agreements.
  • Funding assistance: We can help you apply for and secure internal (Louise von Hess Research Grant) or external funding for your research project.  
  • Research staff and administration: We help you assess your staffing needs and train your team. We also provide support for administrative tasks such as drafting documentation and billing. 
  • Medical and operations direction: You have access to our services, tools, and guidance throughout the life cycle of your research project. We also help with ideation and study protocol development and implementation.  
  • Study design and data analytics: We provide the tools and expertise needed to design studies, collect data, and analyze and draw conclusions about your study’s findings. 
  • Compliance and quality assurance services: We provide information, guidance, and logistical support to help you remain compliant at every stage of your research. Our team is always available to empower you to have a successful research project.

Learn more about how we help you succeed: 

For Patients and the General Public 

Participating in clinical research, especially clinical trials, offers many benefits. Research participants often experience: 

  • Access to the latest investigational medical advances before they are widely available 
  • More experts weighing in on their care 
  • A chance to make a difference in the lives of people like them
  • Lower medical costs when treatments are covered by the study’s sponsor
  • Compensation for time spent as a research participant 

Learn more about the clinical research we offer near Lancaster, Pennsylvania and how we keep you safe: