Division of Clinical and Translational Research (DoCTR)

The Division of Clinical and Translational Research is the home for patient-oriented research in the Department of Anesthesiology.

DoCTR aims to advance research and education in clinical and translational science to improve human health, particularly related to perioperative care, critical care, and pain management.

What is clinical research?
Clinical research involves studies to better understand mechanisms of a disease in humans; investigation and refinement of new tests and technologies in humans; testing of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions in individuals with or without a disease; behavioral and observational studies; as well as outcomes research and health services research.

What is translational research?
Translational research, or translational science, covers a spectrum that spans from basic discoveries that help understand the basis of health and disease, all the way to implementation of interventions that improve individual and public health. Translational research occurs at the various intersections – from cells to living organisms, from animal data to “first in human” proof of concept testing, and to further large-scale effectiveness and safety trials.

Resources

Explore our directory of resources available to DoCTR faculty, trainees, and staff members.

Faculty Resources

Explore our research resources that we have compiled for faculty.

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Trainee Resources

Explore our research resources that we have compiled for trainees.

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Staff Resources

Explore our research resources that we have compiled for staff. 

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Our Team

The Division is led by Simon Haroutounian, PhD, an experienced clinical and translational scientist whose laboratory focuses on clinical research on pain and perioperative outcomes. Dr. Haroutounian is also the Chief of Clinical Research of the Washington University Pain Center (WUPC), and helps provide a robust research bridge between DoCTR and WUPC.

The DoCTR team is comprised of full-time faculty members, affiliated faculty, full-time research coordinators and research nurses, grant specialists, and regulatory/QA specialists, who all work as a team to facilitate high-quality clinical and translational research.

The DoCTR team offers support for all aspects of clinical research including study design, protocol development, IRB and regulatory document preparation and submission, recruitment, monitoring, data management, and analysis.

Become a member
Learn more about the DoCTR team

DoCTR News

Revolutionizing Clinical Pain Research: A Shift Toward Patient-centered Engagement (Links to an external site)

Revolutionizing Clinical Pain Research: A Shift Toward Patient-centered Engagement
The Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT), including Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MSc, and Katie Holzer, PhD, LCSW, brought together a diverse group of participants from academia, industry, funding and regulatory agencies, and people with lived experience (PWLE) of pain, to developed recommendations for advancing patient engagement in clinical pain research.

Dr. Sunny Lou joins the Department of Anesthesiology

Dr. Sunny Lou joins the Department of Anesthesiology
Dr. Sunny Lou joined the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University in St. Louis on July 1, 2022. She will have an appointment in the Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology where she will perform her clinical work, and she will have a research appointment in the Division of Clinical and Translational Research (DoCTR) with a joint appointment with the Institute for Informatics (I2) within Washington University School of Medicine.

Feat. Publications

DoCTR faculty continue to make meaningful contributions to research studies that span a range of topics.

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Active Studies

Ongoing clinical studies in the Department of Anesthesiology can be found below.

Clinical Studies Directory

Learn more about DoCTR happenings by searching #WashUDoCTR on Twitter!