Our Research

The Research Institute offers support to MultiCare and community medical practices for both industry-sponsored clinical research and investigator-initiated research (IIR). A dedicated staff — in collaboration with more than 100 research investigators across the system — advances health care and brings the latest treatments to patients in the communities we serve.

MultiCare is elevating the care our patients receive by offering easy pathways for patients and providers to engage in research. Industry-sponsored drug and device trials connect our patients to cutting-edge research right here in the communities where they live, work and go to school.

By offering clinical trials as part of care delivery plans, we:

• Arm our patients with the knowledge they need to access the most cutting-edge, potentially lifesaving treatment options
• Provide critical access to emerging drug treatments and protocols of care often not available outside large urban areas, and frequently inaccessible due to insurance limitations

For more than 40 years, we have cultivated contacts with renowned researchers and national sponsors and earned a reputation for bringing high-quality research to our region. Participation in large-scale clinical studies offers our community the opportunity to influence and inform advances in health care by ensuring that all human populations are represented in studies being conducted nationally and beyond.

We also support translational research aimed at improving care delivery and outcomes for the populations we serve. The focus of the research often comes from a need to improve an intervention or outcome for specific populations in the communities we serve.

These investigator-initiated research (IIR) studies:

• Are initiated, designed and managed by an independent researcher or team of researchers
• Have protocols written by individual(s) for a single or multi-site study
• Are funded by intramural (i.e., the research or medical center) or extramural (i.e., an external sponsor) sources
• Sponsors can include professional associations, nonprofit organizations, and drug and device manufacturers
• Investigators at MultiCare have received grants from organizations such as American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the Andy Hill Cancer Research Endowment Fund and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute