The NKI Volunteer Recruitment Pool (VRP) has been established to serve multiple studies that require patient and/or healthy control participants at NKI. Previously, these projects proceeded with relative independence, despite the fact that some participants might serve in multiple studies without additional risk. This resulted in considerable redundancy of effort in advertising, recruitment, and screening of these individuals. The VRP aims to enhance the efficiency of these projects, ensure higher quality than might be available to individual investigators, and provide a structure that protects the interests of the volunteer participants.
Healthy controls and Outpatient volunteers are recruited from surrounding Rockland County communities. In an initial interview, they complete a Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnosis of Axis I disorders (SCID-NP), and provide demographic information to the database. For patients, a chart review is also performed. Volunteers are then referred to studies for which they are eligible, and research staff may contact them to offer enrollment for their study. When a volunteer enrolls in a particular study, their demographic template and information is sent to the investigator for their records.
Weekly research staff meetings also increase communication about which volunteers are eligible for which studies, and how many studies volunteers enroll in and complete. The VRP serves to: increase efficiency for volunteers and investigators; increase the number of volunteers ascertained; assure representative sampling; increase volunteer completion and return rates; increase level of satisfaction for investigators and volunteers; and to assure confidentiality for volunteers. This database will allow us to log volunteer screening results, contact and demographic information, and to maintain an index regarding participation in studies. It will also serve to facilitate multiple research projects, and to foster interdisciplinary research and integration among investigators.
To participate in the VRP, investigators must electronically submit a Protocol Entry Form for each protocol to receive healthy controls or patient volunteers. By submitting this form, you agree to maintain contact with the Research Coordinator as to the progress and completion of each volunteer's participation. You must notify the Coordinator when a volunteer is enrolled, and when they withdraw or complete each study. You also agree to provide additional information obtained for your study (without individual scores), which may be useful to the database, or other investigators (such as additional measures taken or tests administered). Failure to cooperate with these guidelines may result in the removal of your protocols from the database.
Please see the itemized Entry Form Instructions on our website. Check boxes will match volunteers to your protocol, or dismiss them as ineligible for your study, so please consider your inclusion/exclusion criteria carefully (especially time-sensitive .(SCID-NP). If you are not familiar with the SCID, or have questions about how to maximize your benefits from the database, please contact Melissa Benedict (845-398-5525) for more information.
After submission, you may be notified periodically of subjects who are eligible for or listed as enrolled in your study. Please contact the Coordinator regarding any discrepancies in this information. Please contact Dr. Lawrence Maayan, Alexis Moreno, or Melissa Benedict for information about the weekly research staff meetings, where new volunteer cases are presented for study enrollment.