Helping to Build Tomorrow's Standard of Care
The Clinical Research Unit (CRU) is a 20,000 square foot area located in General Hospital 2 Boyd Tower at the University of Iowa Healthcare main campus. The CRU offers the physical space and experienced interdisciplinary support staff to conduct and complete clinical research at the University of Iowa. The CRU supports high quality human subjects research and research processes that are integrated with UI’s clinical and translational research agenda. We also offer our research support to Investigators throughout Iowa.
The CRU, supported by the Carver College of Medicine and Early Phase Trials Unit, assists with numerous Phase I-IV clinical research studies. The CRU offers comprehensive services including Nursing, Laboratory, Pulmonary, and Bionutrition services. Additionally, the CRU provides mobile nursing services to assist clinical research studies conducted on inpatient units or outpatient clinics within the hospital. Investigators are encouraged to utilize the full range of support services offered by the CRU.
Contact Information
Front Desk & Scheduling Questions - 61060
Nurse's Station - 61061
Lab - 47395
Bionutrition - 48317
Pulmonary Physiology Lab - 49971
CRU Staff
Director, Clinical Research Support
Alejandro Comellas, MD
Professor of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Occupational Medicine, University of Iowa
Assistant Director, Clinical Research Unit
Jackie Mwangi Wangui, MSN, RN-BC
Email - jackline-wangui-verry@uiowa.edu
| Staff Nurses | Unit Clerk/Nursing Assistant | |
| Renee Madden, BSN, RN, CMSRN | Jackie Ortiz, NA | |
| Wendy Sauter, BS, BSN, RN | ||
| Holly Clubb, BSN, RN, CPN | Bionutrition | Pulmonary Physiology Lab |
| Missy Dean, BSN, RN, CMSRN | Gregory Peak | Justin Kuhn, BS RRT-ACCS/NPS |
| Kara Yoder, MSN, RN, RN-BC | ||
| Charlie Terzano Borovic, BSN, RN | Laboratory | Vascular Imaging |
| Ashley Pieper, BSN, RN, CMSR | Tiffany Wellington, Research Associate | Jeni Michelson, Research Specialist |
| Marina Reynolds, BSN, RN, OCN (Hourly Staff) | Krystal Mullnix-Research Assistant | |
| Page Scovel, BSN, RN, CCR (Hourly Staff) |
Available Services
The following CRU services are available. Please visit I-CART (https://i-cart.icts.uiowa.edu) to request and learn more about our services.
- Nursing Services
- Laboratory Services
- Bionutrition Lab
- Pulmonary Physiology Lab
- Vascular Imaging
- Consultations
- CRU Services and Pricing
Available procedures:
- Acquiring ECGs
- Anthropometry
- Body composition analysis
- Complex medication administration and monitoring
- Complicated pharmacokinetic sampling
- Exercise stress testing
- Insulin clamp studies
- Oral glucose tolerance tests
- Patient education
- Pulmonary function testing
- Resting energy expenditure
- Storage, packaging, and shipping of specimens from IATA certified lab
- Vaccinations
- Venipuncture: phlebotomy, intravenous catheters, port access
- Much more...
CRU staff are not confined to this list of procedures and are continually learning and extending their abilities to meet investigators' needs. If you don't see what you need on this list, please contact us to learn how we can help you.
Resources
| Physical Space Available | Equipment |
| 14 outpatient exam rooms | Vital signs machine with pulse oximetry |
| 5 consult rooms | Alaris infusion pumps |
| 3 procedure rooms | Portable ECG machine |
| Infusion bay (5 chairs, 2 beds) | Electronic wheelchair scale |
| W218 - Physical Therapy Table | Electronic standing scale |
| Vein View - near-infrared vein visualization system | |
| Additional support space | -80 freezers |
| Biospecimen Processing Lab | Variable speed and temperature centrifuges |
| Bionutrition | Bio-Safety Cabinet |
| Body Composition Lab | Pulmonary Function System with Whole Body Plethsysmograph |
| Cardio-Pulmonary Physiology Lab | Metabolic car/Cardiopulmonary Exercise gas exchange system |
| Cardio-Vascular Physiology Lab | Upright and recumbent bicycle ergometers |
| Bone Density Lab | Treadmill |
| Functional Vascular Imaging Lab | High output ultrasonic nebulizer |
| Pediatric and Adult phlebotomy rooms | Nitric Oxide analyzer for FeNO and nasal NO testing |
| 2 Negative Pressure Exam Rooms (13 & 14) |
EPIC Scheduling
When booking an appointment or other resources with the CRU, please complete the request through the CRU EPIC Schedule. This system replaced the old web-based Calpendo system of requesting a visit for research subjects in the CRU.
Support
Document - Snap Board Scheduling Document link
If you have questions about Epic Scheduling or would like to learn more, please contact the CRU below
Phone: 319-356-1060