ABOUT US

Research

Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH), which includes Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), O’Connor Hospital (OCH) and St. Louise Regional Hospital (SLRH) is deeply committed to conducting high-quality, innovative research that improves treatment care practices. Rigorous research and the continuous pursuit of advancing science to benefit the individuals and community we serve is part of the fabric of our culture.  

SCVH has a rich research background and history that spans involvement across multiple disciplines and departments. Currently SCVMC, OCH and SLRH participate in over 150 active research studies. Research within the health system spans across 35 different divisions or departments; the top five being Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Neonatology, Surgery/Trauma, OB/GYN, and Hematology/Oncology. SCVH is also involved in multi-site research collaborations with Stanford, UCSF, the VA Palo Alto, and many others throughout the United States. Our successful research track record has allowed us to be actively, frequently and consistently sought out by top research organizations, in addition to successfully securing research funding up to the national (National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research) and federal (Department of Defense) level. 

Research plays an integral role in knowledge, understanding, and innovation that leads to improvements in clinical care and quality of life for patients. SCVH is committed to communicating research findings to clinicians and the public at large through presentations at professional conferences, publications in scientific journals, as well as translating research findings into real-world treatment practices to benefit the patients that we serve. In 2023, the health system staff at SCVH completed over 120 research presentations and peer reviewed publications. As evidence of the long-standing importance of research at SCVMC, an Institutional Review Board (IRB) was established over 40 years ago at SCVMC and with the acquisition of OCH and SLRH, now includes their research projects as well. An IRB is a volunteer-based committee with at least five members of varying backgrounds and specialties to promote a complete and thorough review of the research projects. The IRB committee includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, lawyers and community members. Guided by Federal Regulations, the IRB is tasked with ensuring study investigators conduct their research with the highest ethical standards. A review by the IRB confirms that patient safety protections are in place prior to the start of the research, including adequate documentation of consent to participate, compliance with protection of identifiable information,  and ensuring the risks of the research are reasonable in relation to the benefits.  All research conducted at SCVMC, OCH and SLRH must be presented to the IRB and approved before commencing.

Are you interested in potentially joining a research study? Please visit https://clinicaltrials.gov/ and use the search terms “Santa Clara Valley Medical Center”, “O’Connor Hospital” , or “St. Louise Regional Hospital” to look for information on studies that are open for recruitment (as well as nationally and internationally). Study coordinators will help determine your eligibility. Reach out today! For more information on the IRB and research within SCVH, please contact [email protected].