Currently, there are approximately 70 such centers nationwide. The epicenter of the College of Medicine's GCRC is The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center with a satellite located at the Noll Research Center at University Park. Lawrence Sinoway, M.D., has directed the GCRC since 1995. He recently received a five-year renewal grant from the NIH to continue its activities. He is similarly succinct in describing its value.
Clinical research helps physicians understand how things work.
It's the former train of scientific inquiry the GCRG fosters. The doctor who treats patients and also conducts research asks more clinically insightful questions. You don't need to convince Mark Young, M.D., about the value of patient-oriented research. He learned that lesson when he conducted outcomes research during his fellowship in internal medicine at The University of Pennsylvania. Sadly, we are gradually losing the ability to apply that knowledge.