For Participants
Clinical research are crucial for improving patient care. By providing valuable data you can help our researchers gain a better understanding of diseases and conditions, as well as improve treatments and outcomes for patients. Read about the eligibility criteria, check the frequently asked questions (FAQs) and join us by filling out the screener form. Be a part of our solution!
Please complete the screening form to determine eligibility for a paid study. Once eligible, you can browse open study days.
Criteria for Eligibility
Even though more volunteers mean a larger research group, we cannot accept you all. To be included in the clinical research you need to meet some of the eligibility criteria. Prior to filling out the screening form, please ensure you qualify.
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You have to be at least 18 years old
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You don’t have asthma, sleep apnea, or use of CPAP
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You aren’t a smoker
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You don’t have a history of diabetes
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You are fluent in written and spoken English
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You don’t have a history of lung, heart, kidney or liver disease
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You are not obese (BMI > 30)
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You don’t have a blood clotting disorder, hemoglobinopathy, or significant anemia
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You don’t have a history of fainting
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You aren’t pregnant and aren’t trying to get pregnant
Studies Open for Participants
Standard Pulse Oximeter Study
We determine the accuracy of pulse oximeters by exposing volunteers to short periods of low oxygen levels (75-100% SaO2) while monitoring how the oximeter responds. This helps us understand if these devices are accurate for everyone regardless of skin color during these low oxygen conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by Participants
Below you can check the most common inquiries we receive from potential study participants. Most questions are answered in our consent form and have been reviewed by the UCSF Institutional Review Board (IRB). Many answers are also from the Human Subjects Bill of Rights.
Please see our consent form for more information about risks. Feel free to contact us with any further questions.
Yes! Subjects can return to the lab as many times as they want, as long as the spot on their wrist where the arterial line is inserted is healed (no bruising, etc.). We recommend taking 2 weeks off between studies.
Participants receive $200 for participating in one standard pulse oximeter study. This can be issued via VISA gift card (which may take up to a week to receive) or check (which can take 1+ months to arrive).
Please fill out this eligibility survey. If you are eligible, one of our research coordinators will reach out to you so that you can complete a quick screening phone call. This phone call should take no more than 15 minutes. Once your eligibility is confirmed, participants are placed on a listserv email group. Emails go out when new study slots are open and include a link to sign up on our website. Once you click the link, you can choose the best time and date for you based on the availabilities listed!
Clinical research is the way doctors and scientists learn about new ways to prevent and treat illness in people. Clinical research is the fastest way to find answers to the many questions about health and disease. It is sometimes called “human research” or a “clinical trial.”
At UCSF most research that needs human volunteers happens in hospitals and clinics. Other types of research studies take place in a doctor’s office, a treatment center, a nursing home, or a community clinic. Some studies involve asking questions in an office, by telephone, or even on the street or in a home.
There are different ways volunteers participate in clinical research. For example:
- Volunteers participate by filling out questionnaires about their health, or they may answer questions about their health in an interview with researchers.
- Volunteers may be asked to donate specimens such as a tube of blood or a tissue sample for a clinical research study.
- Volunteers may participate in clinical research to find out if new treatments, or new ways of using known treatments, are safe and effective to use in people.
The faculty, staff and doctors at UCSF are dedicated to research and are deeply committed to finding new ways to prevent and treat illness and improve the health of patients who come to the University Medical Center for healthcare.
A typical study session lasts around 1 hour.
30-40 minutes of this time includes blood sample data collection and breathing on the circuit, while the remainder of the time is allocated to pre- and post-study tasks (i.e., signing the consent and skin color data collection beforehand, waiting ~10 minutes after study to apply pressure to wrist and ensure subject experiences no adverse effects).
There will be no out-of-pocket expenses for participants. The Hypoxia Lab has received funding from several grants in order to cover research-associated costs.
According to the UCSF Institutional Review Board (IRB) website, an IRB is “a committee — operating under federal regulations, state laws and institutional policy — that reviews research involving human subjects to ensure the ethical and equitable treatment of those subjects.”
All human subject research must be reviewed and approved by the IRB in order to be carried out. All of the Hypoxia Lab studies have received IRB approval prior to being conducted.
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) website, clinical trials are “a type of research that studies new tests and treatments and evaluates their effects on human health outcomes.” This may include the testing of medical interventions such as “drugs, cells and other biological products, surgical procedures, radiological procedures, devices, behavioral treatments and preventive care.
Clinical trials are carefully designed, reviewed and completed, and need to be approved before they can start. People of all ages can take part in clinical trials, including children.”