Every day, patients facing serious illnesses come to the Dahms Clinical Research Unit (DCRU) at UH Cleveland Medical Center to participate in clinical trials that could shape the future of medicine. Some hope to benefit personally, while others participate to help future patients and families facing the same diagnosis.

A man in his 70s enrolled in a first-in-human pancreatic cancer study says simply coming to the unit gives him hope. A woman participating in an Alzheimer’s disease study wants to learn more about a condition that affected multiple members of her family. Another family regularly travels from Denver so a loved one can take part in research focused on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and devastating brain disorder.

Their stories reflect the spirit of the DCRU, where patients become partners in discovery.

Established in 1962, the unit was among the first hospital-based clinical research centers in the nation. Today, it supports nearly 300 active research protocols across a wide range of specialties, helping UH and Case Western Reserve University investigators test new approaches to preventing, diagnosing and treating disease.

The unit is named for William T. Dahms, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist and clinical research leader whose work helped strengthen UH’s research infrastructure and expand opportunities for medical discovery. While science drives the work, people remain at the center of everything that happens there.

“Patients and families choose to participate in research studies often without knowing the outcome, simply because they want to help others,” said Alicia Thomas, MS, RD, LD, GXMO, Director of Bionutrition Research. “Their trust and willingness are what makes the research possible and watching this over and over again continues to be inspiring.”

The DCRU provides a welcoming environment where patients may receive study medications, meet with research physicians, undergo testing or stay overnight while participating in a trial.

“This unit exists to help physicians execute innovative and complex research while allowing patients to access advanced care in a comfortable and friendly environment,” said David Bajor, MD, Medical Director of the DCRU, Judie and Chuck Miller Chair in Colon Cancer Research, and Maryann and Larry Kennedy Master Clinician in Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Patients consistently point to the compassion they experience from the staff.

“I feel so well cared for there,” one participant says. “What better thing to do than try to help save lives with my life?”

Learn more about the Dahms Clinical Research Unit.