The Clinical Research Forum held its annual meeting on April 9-11, 2008, in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the event was to address an increasingly broad vision of the key contemporary issues in clinical research, enhance communication among academic health centers in clinical research, and provide a venue that enables collective analysis, advocacy and action.

This year, meeting attendees heard from experts on key issues such as revitalizing the nation’s physician scientist workforce, new challenges in medical education, and the future of relationships between academia and pharmaceutical companies.

Society past president and chairman of the Clinical Research Forum, William F. Crowley, MD, delivered a presentation on how changing models of biomedical research will impact the work of clinical investigators. He spoke of how research funding has historically emphasized basic research over clinical research, and then discussed how recent innovations and events have brought clinical research more to the forefront. Dr. Crowley concluded his talk by addressing several challenges facing the field in the midst of this increased attention.

The Clinical Research Forum is an organization comprised of The Endocrine Society and 61 of the nation’s other most prestigious and acclaimed academic health centers and professional organizations whose goal is to sustain and expand a cadre of talented, well-trained clinical investigators at all stages of career development.