The SCCR team marks 10 years of progress — bringing together staff, faculty, and collaborators dedicated to driving clinical research forward.

SCCR: The Engine of Innovation

SCCR’s rigorous scientific investigations are powered by efficient operational processes and a dedicated, highly trained team of clinical research professionals. The center supports a wide range of therapeutic areas and modalities, including drugs, devices, digital health, and behavioral interventions. By combining the deep expertise of faculty investigators with the strength of its operations staff, SCCR continues to drive innovation and turn bold research ideas into real-world impact.

Founded in 2014 with a clear mission to advance impactful clinical research through education and high-quality operations, SCCR has grown into one of the nation’s most respected Academic Research Organizations. Today, it serves as the epicenter of clinical research operations at Stanford University, offering end-to-end research capabilities — from study design to publication.

Behind every headline-grabbing scientific discovery, there’s a powerful engine making it all happen — designing trials, coordinating data, managing compliance, and ensuring that everything runs as it should. At Stanford Medicine, that engine is the Stanford Center for Clinical Research (SCCR).

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Achievements

SCCR teams have completed over 250 projects in the past 10 years. These have included observational registries, implementation science projects, population health programs, and randomized trials. Below is an example of selected programs that are ongoing or completed.

Cellular Immune Tolerance Program

The Cellular Immune Tolerance (CIT) program, led by Everett Meyer, MD, PhD, and Stephan Busque, MD, is working to make cell therapy a reality for non-cancer patients. So far, they’ve launched 16 clinical trials — including 8 that they designed and got approved by the FDA. SCCR plays a key role by providing the research support needed to make these studies possible.

Innovative Medicines Accelerator / Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health

Researchers from Stanford’s chemistry and medicine teams are working together with liver and digestive health experts to study how the bacteria in our gut affect the immune system. Led by Stephan Rogalla, MD, PhD, Alice Bertaina MD, PhD, Sean Spencer, MD, PhD, Natalie Torok, MD, Nielsen Fernandez-Becker, MD, PhD, and Konstantina Stankovic, MD, PhD, the team is exploring how these gut microbes influence liver and digestive diseases.

Multi-Site Oncology

SCCR has advanced multi-site oncology research through pivotal trials like TrioMBM, led by Allison Betof Warner, MD, PhD, which investigates a novel immunotherapy for melanoma brain metastases. SCCR also serves as the Clinical Coordinating Center for the Bright Pink Preventive Risk Outreach and Cascade Testing (PROACT) Program, in partnership with the University of Michigan. Funded by Bright Pink, the program promotes breast and ovarian cancer prevention through digital tools that expand education and access to genetic testing.

Project Baseline Health Study

The Project Baseline Health Study is a nationwide effort to better understand what keeps us healthy and what leads to disease. Led at Stanford by Kenneth Mahaffey, MD, and the late Sam Gambhir, MD, PhD, the study followed over 2,500 people—tracking everything from activity and sleep to doctor visits over several years.

Facing the Future

Ten years in, SCCR isn’t slowing down. A new strategic plan is guiding the center toward deeper digital integration, stronger partnerships, and even more inclusive research. Today, SCCR is powered by over 200 staff, faculty, and data science collaborators, and its work is amplified through 28 university partnerships — a network that continues to grow with each passing year. Their vision for the future includes expanded use of wearable technology, greater participant engagement through mobile platforms, and continued investment in education and training.