Office of Clinical Research
Redefining the Future of Children's Health Through Integrated Clinical Care and Research
Office of Clinical Research
The Office of Clinical Research at Nationwide Children’s supports the infrastructure, resources and culture needed to expedite clinical trials and catalyze discoveries, leading to cutting-edge innovations and treatments for our patients.
“Nationwide Children’s is leading on several frontiers in science, including gene and cell-based therapies, health equity and population health, and behavioral health. As our scientists continue to generate many exciting discoveries, our research infrastructure grows with them. The Office of Clinical Research fully integrates our clinical care and research to ensure our innovations quickly result in the best outcomes for our families."
– Cynthia A. Gerhardt, PhD, Chief Clinical Research Officer at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
More than 3,000 clinical research projects are in progress at Nationwide Children’s. These projects include single- and multi-site investigator-initiated trials as well as national and international clinical studies. We are proud to be part of many consortia and collaborations designed to maximize increased research participation, especially for rare diseases, where the patient populations are small.
Meet Our Team
Cynthia A. Gerhardt
Cynthia A. Gerhardt, PhD, is chief clinical research officer at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and a psychologist in the Division of Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology at Nationwide Children's. She is a professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at The Ohio State University, as well as pediatric director of the OSU Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Dr. Gerhardt is the Janet Orttung-Morrow, MD, and Grant Morrow, III, MD, Endowed Chair in Pediatric Behavioral Health. Her research aims to reduce the psychosocial impact of cancer on children and families, in addition to developing strategies that accelerate scientific discoveries from the lab to clinical care.
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Jennifer A. Muszynski
Jennifer A. Muszynski, MD, MPH, FCCM, is the associate chief clinical research officer for Research Informatics for the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and the associate division chief for Research for the Division of Clinical Care Medicine. She is an associate professor of pediatrics at Nationwide Children's and The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Muszynski’s primary area of research focuses on the immunobiology of pediatric critical illness and effects of blood product transfusion. She is the immediate past chair of the Pediatric Critical Care Blood Research Network (BloodNet) subgroup of the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI) research network.
Sarah H. O’Brien
Sarah H. O'Brien, MD, MSc, is associate chief clinical research officer for Pediatric Trials and associate division chief for research in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT. She is a principal investigator in the Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research within the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's. Dr. O'Brien's clinical and research interests include pediatric thrombosis and thromboprophylaxis, the evaluation and diagnosis of mild bleeding disorders, and the intersections between hematology and women's health. She also leads a multidisciplinary hematology and adolescent gynecology clinic at Nationwide Children's.
Find Jobs in Clinical Research
The moment you walk through our doors, you feel it. When you meet our patient families, you believe it. And when you talk with anyone who works here, you want to be part of it. Welcome to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Where Passion Meets Purpose. Join our team and discover your passion for what’s possible in providing best outcomes for children.