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Office of Clinical Research (OCR)

The OCR serves as a hub for the MUSC research community, offering resources, systems, services, and training from our core teams.

Driving excellence in MUSC clinical research enterprise-wide through mandated compliance oversight for research billing and ClinicalTrials.gov and enterprise systems like OnCore/eReg, alongside comprehensive expertise for clinical trials budget development and negotiations, sponsor invoicing, patient remuneration, training, metric tracking, and networking through the Research Community Hub (RCH).

On This Page

What We Do

  • New Study Opportunities: We disseminate new study opportunities to keep our research community informed.
  • Study Feasibility Support: We offer feasibility support and pre-site visit assistance to ensure successful study initiation.
  • Compliance Guidance: Our team guides investigators to meet federal research billing compliance regulations with comprehensive protocol reviews and Coverage Analysis (CA) development.
  • Budgeting and Negotiations: We reduce study staff burden by leveraging our experienced corporate clinical research budgeting and negotiations fee-for-service team.
  • Revenue Collection: We maximize revenue collection with centralized fee-for-service invoicing expertise for corporate clinical research.
  • Financial Management: We streamline financial management and study tracking with the institutionally mandated OnCore Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS).
  • Patient Payments: We offer a secure way to disburse payments to research patients in real-time with ClinCard reloadable debit cards.
  • ClinicalTrials.gov Compliance: We collaborate with study teams to ensure compliance with federal registration, record maintenance, and results-reporting requirements.
  • Research Professional Networking Group: We created the Research Community Hub (RCH) to provide a supportive space for MUSC research staff to share information, ask questions, and foster connections with other research professionals to enhance research excellence across our institution.

What Others Are Saying.

Meet Natalie Naylon Research Coordination and Management (RCM)
Natalie Naylon
Natalie Naylon
The OCR group is awesome! I closely lean on them for budgeting and invoicing and always have a positive experience. They are not only knowledgeable and efficient but also consistently timely and helpful. Thanks for all that you do! ”
Meet Haley Nitchie Anesthesia
Haley Nitchie, Anesthesia
Haley Nitchie, Anesthesia
The OCR has always been helpful in assisting me when I have questions about ClinicalTrials.gov, or can't figure something out that is needed for OnCore. ”
Meet Debi Everidge Cardiology
Debi Everidge, Cardiology
Debi Everidge, Cardiology
The OCR is very knowledgeable about billing/coding which has been very helpful in negotiating budgets with sponsors. ”

Meet Our OCR Leadership

Royce Sampson, MSN, RN, CRA

Director, Office of Clinical Research;
Administrator, South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute (SCTR);
Project Director, Research Expansion
mail sampsonr@musc.edu call 1-843-693-1596 View Faculty Profile open_in_new

Signe Denmark, MS, CCRP

Associate Director, ROC & Office of Clinical Research
Point of Contact
mail denmarks@musc.edu call 843-792-4146

Leila Forney, DNP, CCRP, CHRC

Associate Director, Prospective Reimbursement Analysis (PRA), Office of Clinical Research
mail forney@musc.edu call 1 843-792-9855

Stephanie Gentilin, MA, CCRP

SUCCESS Center Program Director, SCTR;
Associate Director, Human Subject Regulations, Office of Clinical Research
mail mamaysl@musc.edu call 843-792-9672

Kelly Hickman, BA

Associate Director, Communication & Development, Office of Clinical Research
mail hickmank@musc.edu call 1-843-792-1497

Steven Shapiro, MHA, MSHI, PMP

Associate Director, Clinical Trial Management Systems (CTMS), Office of Clinical Research
mail shapirsb@musc.edu call 1-843-792-6908

Research Tools & Platforms

ACRP

Industry recognized, self-paced training that advances professional development and strengthens research workforce competency in Good Clinical Practice (GCP), ethics, and core clinical research skills. (Login required)

CITI

Required Human Subjects Protection and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training with role specific tracks that support ethical and compliant research conduct. (Login required)

ClinicalTrials.gov PRS

NIH public registry and results database that supports transparent study disclosure and compliance with registration and results reporting requirements. (Login required)

eReg

A 21 CFR Part 11 compliant eRegulatory system that centralizes essential documents, delegation of authority, and staff credentials while enabling electronic signatures for inspection ready records. (Login required)

OnCore

MUSC Clinical Trials Management System (CTMS) that unifies protocol, participant, and financial operations with Epic integration to strengthen billing compliance and operational oversight. (Login required)

REDCap

A secure and flexible platform for building research databases and surveys with audit trails, rapid project setup, and local expert consultation. (Login required)

SCResearch.org

A statewide clinical research directory connecting South Carolina residents with active studies and increasing visibility for research opportunities.

SCTR

SC Clinical & Translational Research Institute (SCTR) is a statewide, NIH-funded institute that provides consultative expertise, resources, training, and funding to support research teams. Our goal is to accelerate scientific discoveries from the laboratory to clinical and public health practice to improve the health of patients and communities across SC and beyond.

SMART IRB

A national master reliance agreement and platform that streamlines single IRB reliance for multisite studies and reduces start‑up timelines. (Login required)

SPARCRequest

A MUSC developed open source request platform that centralizes service browsing, pricing, and submissions to support efficient study activation and research billing compliance. (Login required)

TriNetX

A global and privacy compliant real world data network that supports rapid cohort discovery, feasibility assessment, and recruitment planning. (Login required)

Clinical Research Resources

This community provides a supportive space for accessing timely resources, asking general questions, and collaborating to foster connections, as well as a culture of research excellence across MUSC.

Research Content Hub

The OCR is excited to introduce the Research Community Hub (RCH) a professional networking group specifically for MUSC research coordinators, grants administrators, and other clinical research staff.

Sign Up for the RCH

OCR Newsletter

Stay informed with the latest updates, insights, and exclusive content from the OCR Newsletter, designed to keep you connected to the latest research developments, resources, and innovations.

Subscribe to OCR Newsletter

MUSC Health/RHN Research Centers

Investigators can expand their research reach with the support of the MUSC Health/Regional Health Network (RHN) centers located in Columbia, Florence, Lancaster, and the regional medical center in Orangeburg. Visit the MUSC Health/RHN website to learn more about these centers' patient populations, specialty areas, resources, and services.

Learn More

Contact

Office of Clinical Research

125 Doughty Street
Suite 140
Charleston, SC 29403

843-792-7900
musc-ocr@musc.edu