Meet the CRC: One of UTHealth Houston’s most valuable research resources
Whether you’re preparing for board exams, looking to strengthen your research skills, or seeking to provide the highest quality evidence-based care, the Clinical Research Curriculum (CRC) offers practical training that can help you achieve your goals.
Designed specifically for health professional trainees and faculty, the CRC provides interactive courses that help participants:
- Strengthen board exam preparation
- Improve evidence-based clinical decision-making
- Build research and scholarly skills
- Advance academic and clinical careers
Best of all, there is no cost for UTHealth Houston employees to participate.
Offered by the Institute for Clinical Research and Learning Healthcare, the CRC is taught by experienced faculty over a two-year cycle and is available to all UTHealth Houston trainees and faculty across all clinical departments. Participants consistently gain practical skills they can immediately apply in patient care, research, and academic medicine.
Courses are highly interactive and emphasize real-world application through case discussions, analysis of published studies, hands-on activities, and collaborative learning. The curriculum makes clinical research approachable for learners at every stage by covering topics such as:
- Literature appraisal—critically evaluating published literature
- Introduction to epidemiology—demystifying epidemiology and biostatistics
- Clinical trial design—structuring studies from start to finish
- Healthcare quality and safety—applying evidence-based medicine to patient care
- Academic success as a clinical investigator—practical guidance on effective mentorship relationships and navigating academic career pathways
And many more!
Most live classes are offered on Wednesdays from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and are available in person, virtually, or in a hybrid format. Additional courses are fully online and self-paced, making it easy to participate regardless of your schedule.
Participants may complete the entire curriculum or simply enroll in the courses most relevant to their interests. For those who later pursue the Master of Science in Clinical Research, eligible CRC coursework may also count toward degree requirements.
This is one of the most valuable professional development opportunities available at UTHealth Houston—and one that many trainees and faculty have yet to discover.
New course starting soon
Ethical Aspects of Clinical Research
August 26 to October 14, 2026
This course introduces the fundamental ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice, and applies these principles to clinical research involving human subjects. The thorough curriculum also covers use of unproven therapies and placebos; the consent process; institutional review board submission and review processes; conflict of interests; and the costs of clinical research.
View the syllabus from the previous class cycle (external link)
For more information about The Institute for Clinical Research and Learning Healthcare, contact Joyce Samuel, MD, MS, or Jon Tyson, MD, MPH.