Building the Evidence for Decentralized trials: State of the Science and Tools to do it Better

How do we know whether decentralized trials can truly deliver on their promise to improve research efficiency, and how can we implement them more effectively right now?

Join us for the first in a new webinar series co-hosted by two national networks: the HRSA-funded Telehealth Center of Excellence and the NCATS-funded CTSA consortium. This inaugural session will explore the evolving evidence base for decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) and highlight practical tools to support implementation.

Drs. Martin Mahoney and Jennifer Dahne will present insights from the RISE (Remote vs. In-person Study Evaluation) trials, a newly launched NCATS UG3-funded initiative involving four CTSA hubs (University at Buffalo, University of Pennsylvania, University of Alabama Birmingham, and the Medical University of South Carolina). The RISE trials aim to strengthen the evidence base for remote and hybrid trial designs and address key design decisions, including remote versus in-person assessments and intervention delivery, hybrid models, and participant preferences, as well as the trade-offs between rigor, efficiency, and generalizability.

The session will also highlight tools that researchers can begin using immediately. Dr. Dahne will introduce several publicly available resources developed by her team through the NCATS-funded South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research (SCTR) Institute. These include tools to prevent fraudulent study entry, enhance sample representativeness, and enable feasible remote biomarker capture.

Whether you are just beginning to explore decentralized methods or actively implementing them, this webinar will provide both foundational knowledge and practical resources to support your work.