Volunteer as a Research Subject

Duke Health has a wide variety of ongoing clinical trials and studies for the development of new drugs, surgical procedures, devices, and behaviors to advance the public's health. See complete list of clinical trials.

ClinicalTrials.gov is a searchable database of publicly and privately supported clinical studies conducted at Duke and around the world. Find a study here.

ResearchMatch is a tool that matches willing volunteers to eligible researchers and their studies at institutions across the country. Learn how to become a volunteer here.

The Duke Institute for Brain Sciences is dedicated to advancing research on neurological diseases and disorders. As such, we are often asked how people can provide anatomical gifts for research. While we are unable to accept such generous donations, people interested in donating their or a loved one’s brain for research may contact Dianne Cruz, who oversees the Duke Neuropsychiatric Brain Bank at the Duke School of Medicine and may be able to help coordinate donations when/if possible. Thank you for considering this kind gesture.

The Duke University School of Medicine’s Anatomical Gift’s Program provides an opportunity to use the entirety of a donor’s physical remains to shape the future careers of the students privileged to benefit from the gift. The faculty who oversee the anatomical dissection take care to ensure that students honor the dignity and humanity of the donor and their loved ones, as do the students we admit, educate, and entrust with such precious anatomical gifts.

The Brain Donor Project is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to increase the supply of human post-mortem brains donated for scientific research, and receives expert guidance from researchers affiliated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).