Can a doctoral thesis in clinical research be hypothesis driven and investigator initiated?
In fact, like any doctoral thesis in our graduate school, the work must be investigator initiated and hypothesis driven. No matter whether the research undertaken fits the definition of basic science, translational, or clinical research, good science is good science. Perhaps the reason this question is even raised is that some people erroneously equate “clinical research” with the process of enrolling patients in industry-sponsored clinical trials. While this is a valuable activity, it clearly would not meet the scientific standards of a doctoral dissertation, and is not what this track would promote or accept. We seek students who will conduct excellent, innovative, rigorous, hypothesis-driven research that meets the broad definition of clinical investigation: studies on human materials, patients, or populations, including behavioral and epidemiological as well as mechanistic and patient-oriented research.
