Birmingham Surgical Trials Consortium aims to improve surgical patient outcomes by delivering superior surgical clinical trials. We help Chief Investigators with all aspects of running a clinical trial from creation to completion.
A third of hospital admissions involve surgery, yet less than 2% of government funding for medical research goes towards surgical research. Surgical trial units have been created to develop clinical trials in surgery and to establish clinical networks with the ultimate aim of improving patient access to surgical innovation. In 2013 BiSTC was awarded core funding to become one of 5 RCS surgical clinical trials units across the UK.
The Birmingham Surgical Trials Consortium combines the expertise of the Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit and the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit as well as their surgical collaborators. Based at the University of Birmingham the Consortium is funded by RCS, CRUK and Rosetrees Trust. BiSTC brings together activity and expertise in surgical trials from the two CTUs, centrally coordinates support and training programmes for new surgical investigators, and maintains and delivers on new surgical trials. BiSTC has been instrumental in supporting and nurturing the region’s surgical trainees in developing into fully-fledged researchers, now designing and running their own RCTs.
Our aims:
- Developing trial portfolios – to provide expert support for the design, conduct and delivery of surgical trials. BiSTC facilitates ongoing relationships and support to ensure that trials of excellence continue to be delivered.
- Training – to develop and train the surgical researchers of the future. Through trainee-led research, training courses, mentoring new investigators and developing clinical trials fellowships.
- Changing the culture of research and increasing the capacity of surgical research - to increase the quality of surgical research in the UK by providing support to CIs and PIs and disseminating methodological expertise, broadening the pool of researchers within surgery.
- Improving and facilitating patient access to surgical research and innovation – widening the participation by surgeons in surgical research and making access to trials by patients easier.
Contact us
Have you got a surgical clinical trial proposal?
Contact BiSTC at BiSTC@contacts.bham.ac.uk