A smiling female doctor speaking with a patient while gesturing with her hands.

Clinical Research

Transforming care and advancing medicine through discovery.

Clinical research connects scientific discovery with real-world clinical questions that inform quality care. Across Ascension, researchers and clinicians conduct studies that expand treatment options, support improved outcomes, and advance the future of healthcare.

Research that advances patient care

Our clinical research spans specialties and patient populations, creating opportunities to explore new treatments, care approaches, and solutions to the challenges facing patients and clinicians.

Ascension Clinical Research Institute

Turning clinical questions into better care.

The Ascension Clinical Research Institute (ACRI) advances research that supports improved  outcomes, empowers clinicians, and transforms patient care. Through clinical trials and partnerships with research sponsors and academic institutions, ACRI expands treatment options where current evidence is limited and generates knowledge that informs clinical practice.

ACRI provides centralized research support across Ascension, including a Single Institutional Review Board and other research infrastructure that helps teams conduct studies efficiently and consistently.

Learn more about ACRI
Explore the ACRI Report

Nursing-led research

Bringing research and patient care together.

Ascension Nurses help advance care by turning bedside questions into evidence-based solutions. Led by nurse scientists in partnership with frontline teams, nursing-led research focuses on practical improvements that strengthen patient safety, quality, workforce well-being, and outcomes.

The National Nurse Research Affinity Group brings together nurses, nurse scientists, and other disciplines to share knowledge, advance research, and translate findings into practice across Ascension.