Advancing care through our vision of One Penn Medicine, One Research

At Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, we uphold our mission of advancing the health and well-being of our communities through both patient care and our dedication to clinical research.

Clinical research* is vital for improving patient outcomes and essential to operate as a highly reliable organization. Research allows us to explore innovative treatments, medications, and medical devices, ultimately benefiting the patients we serve.

Throughout my tenure at LG Health, I've been immensely proud of the progress we've made with clinical research.

LeAAPS study seeks ways to prevent stroke

One noteworthy example is the LeAAPS study led by Jeremy McGarvey, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon, which seeks to find ways to prevent stroke, a condition prevalent in our local community. With 46 enrolled participants, it highlights our researchers’ remarkable collaboration in referring their patients to the study and achieving national recognition as the fourth top enroller in the U.S.

Going forward, we aim to continue expanding clinical research across all service lines and departments, ensuring that more of our patients have the opportunity to benefit from research initiatives.

I’m happy to announce that we are developing a Clinical Research Management System to enable clinical research coordinators to focus on patient recruitment for trials. We maintain a close collaboration with Penn Medicine to allow for streamlined processes and open enrollment for patients across the health system, creating a collaborative environment for research and patient care.

Focused on increasing patient diversity

Our focus on increasing patient diversity by geographic region, sex, race, ethnicity, and other demographics will result in more inclusive and equitable healthcare practices. To ensure inclusivity, we’re actively working to improve diversity metrics, making consent forms available in multiple languages, and encouraging providers from diverse backgrounds to lead research studies. We are also working to introduce research studies that can be conducted in rural and suburban practices, extending the benefits of research to all corners of our community.

Our vision is clear: one Penn Medicine, one research. Together, we will continue to push the boundaries of clinical research to build a stronger, healthier future for our patients and enhance the well-being of all those we serve.

Interested in learning more or participating in a research study? Find a list of Lancaster General Health medical research trials actively recruiting patient volunteers.

*Clinical research is the study of health and illness in people. There are two main types of clinical research:

• Observational studies: Observational studies watch participants in their regular environment over time. These types of studies look at behavior and trends instead of testing an intervention (drug, device, or behavior). Observational studies can function on their own or serve as the first step in creating a clinical trial.
• Clinical trials: Clinical trials are a type of clinical research that tests an intervention in human study participants. Clinical trials aim to answer important questions that could lead to improvements in care, treatments, and quality of life.