New clinical trial support unit launches at Queen’s Health Sciences

News & Announcements | 20 May 2025 | Read time: 2 min

A centralized Clinical Trial Support Unit (CTSU) is now available to researchers at Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS), offering shared services designed to encourage and strengthen clinical trial research capacity.

Currently in its pilot phase, CTSU provides premium, flexible administrative support for clinical trials, giving faculty researchers access to a dedicated team of staff with expertise in local research environments and healthcare systems. Services include assistance with trial start-up and close-out, ongoing trial management, and full-scope coordination.

The CTSU was created to directly address key challenges in clinical trial administration experienced by QHS researchers; in particular, those related to hiring, training and retaining skilled staff. By offering a centralized solution, the CTSU will reduce project overheads and make clinical research more accessible.

“We want clinical trial investigators to be able to focus on managing the clinical aspects of the trial—not the paperwork,” says Dr. Stephen Scott, Vice-Dean Research for QHS.

a diverse group of men and women standing together for a group photo, smiling at the camera in front of a plaque that reads 'Clinical Trials Support Unit' — CTSU is ready to help with your next clinical trial project.
(L-R): Jennifer Payne, Stephen Scott, Kelly Piedrahita, Chetan Phadke, Chetan Phadke, Emile Peponoulas, Lisa McAvoy, Stamatoula Pasvanis.

“Running a clinical trial today is an increasingly complex and resource intensive project. CTSU will make conducting clinical trials at QHS more efficient and easier by providing investigators access to skilled staff and a centralized support infrastructure.”

Funded by SEAMO and Queen’s University, the CTSU is a close partnership with both Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston Health Sciences Centre Research Institute and Providence Care Centre. This collaborative model enables integrated services and streamlined processes across university and hospital sites. Early clients will access services at a special rate, as the unit builds capacity and expands its offerings.

“This service is for researchers who have dedicated research time, but perhaps not enough to run a clinical trial team on their own,” says Jennifer Payne, Director of Research Operations at QHS. “Our job at the CTSU is to pull them out of the administrative weeds and free up their time to focus on what they do best.”

For the full list of currently available CTSU services offered, please visit the QHS Research website.

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New clinical trial support unit launches at Queen’s Health Sciences

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