Clinical Trials
Phone: 863-688-6826
Mission Statement
The Watson Clinic Center for Research is dedicated to fostering research in all divisions of the Watson Clinic. The Center strives to improve patient care by developing new knowledge gleaned through the research process.
Vision Statement
The Watson Clinic Center for Research will provide the administrative structure upon which a Watson Clinic researcher can perform human research. Scientific studies encompassing every type of commonly seen disease will be encouraged. Eventually, all divisions will be involved in human research.
As highly trained medical specialists, Watson Clinic LLP physicians recognize the need to continually advance the pool of medical knowledge related to the prevention and treatment of disease. Through patient-oriented research and retrospective review, the Center for Research seeks to improve treatments and outcomes. Since its inception in 1985, the Center's physicians have meaningfully contributed to the pool of knowledge from which all healthcare professionals draw.
Why invest in medical research?
The quest for knowledge and for treatments of disease are
the motivation that drive scientist and alone are valid reasons to conduct
research. At the core of the Center for Research - and in fact its top
objective - is the improvement of patient care from information obtained by
research. Watson Clinic's patients participating in study protocols have the
potential to benefit from new, potentially more effective therapies, as well as
more intense follow up than standard patient care. The Center for Research
projects have resulted in life saving procedures and therapies used worldwide.
Dedicating time, expertise and patient participation constitute sound
investments in medical research with immense return.
"...careful inquisitiveness..."
The Center for Research creates an environment that
encourages physicians to devote a portion of their practices to research.
Patients at Watson Clinic, when appropriate for a study, are encouraged to
participate in a research trial. The enthusiasm generated by their promise of a
study's findings never overshadows the care and consideration given to the
human aspects of research, and the need to employ the finest research
practices. All studies are reviewed by the Investigational Review Committee at
Watson Clinic, and by the Investigational Review Board at Lakeland Regional
Medical Center. Between these two committees, a protocol and informed consent
face scrutiny from medical and nonmedical perspectives. As stated in one of the
Center's objectives, research is conducted in an atmosphere of "careful
inquisitiveness."
As an arm of this multi-specialty physician group practice, the Center for Research benefits greatly from Watson Clinic's support and over 220 physicians. Watson Clinic has an enormous patient base from which research participants can be solicited. In-house laboratories, pharmacy, medical information databases and numerous ancillary services greatly assist the research process, as does the Clinic's close affiliation with Lakeland Regional Medical Center, an 800-bed hospital just one block from the Clinic's main campus.
Physicians active in research
Physicians are actively involved in studies conducted by the Center, and demonstrate Watson Clinic's commitment to furthering medical science through physician participation in research. While these studies have been completed, many other protocols are underway, under consideration, or in development.
Click Here to Read Dr. Kevin Browne's Article,
For additional information, please call 863-688-6826.