Our people are passionate about clinical research and advancing the future of medicine. ICON manages an average of 150 studies per year around the world at our various clinical research sites.
We have an experienced team of physicians, clinic and support staff dedicated to making our participants' experience as positive and comfortable as possible. Participant safety is our top priority at all times.
The San Antonio Clinical Research Unit is a customized site capable of meeting the ever changing requirements for clinical trials. The site’s facilities include 120 available beds, pharmacy and drug storage, an on-site PK laboratory, clinical laboratory and a 48-channel Mortara ECG system. Since 2008 the site has conducted 400 Phase I studies. Our experienced staff provides expert delivery of services to safely and efficiently manage early-phase studies from First-in-Human to proof of concept. This includes all services such as an active volunteer database, data collection fully aligned to FDA guidelines, electronic data capture and regulatory approvals.
The unit has 120 single beds, with a private bath area in each room. We also have an ICU ward with 10 hospital beds, and an on-site pharmacy with National IV certification.
Shawn Searle, MD, joined ICON as a Principal Investigator in August 2013. He has been Principal Investigator for over 40 clinical trials with ICON. Dr. Searle is Board Certified in Family Medicine and has additional training in Dermatology. Prior to making the switch to full-time pharmaceutical research, his clinical background was working in Emergency/Urgent Care medicine and Dermatology.
Before going to medical school, Dr. Searle attended Brigham Young University, majoring in Psychology with a pre-medicine emphasis. His medical training was at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX. While completing his Medical Doctor Degree, he also participated in research with the orthopedic department examining the calcification processes of synovial and connective tissues. Dr. Searle then went to Phoenix, Arizona and completed his residency in Family Medicine at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital.
Dr. Searle began pharmaceutical research at Dedicated Phase One in Phoenix. He was Medical Director and Principal Investigator, and also on the company’s Board of Directors, for the first two years of the company’s existence and Dr. Searle helped it grow to be one of the premiere early-phase, patient-population sites in the Southwest. Study areas included Diabetes, Lupus, Alzheimer’s disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Bipolar disorder and Healthy/Normal populations.
After a short time back in clinical medicine, Dr. Searle returned to early-phase research at Comprehensive Clinical Development in Tacoma, Washington. As Principal Investigator, his studies included First-In-Human trials as well as Oncology, Dermatology, Chronic Hepatitis C and Vaccine trials. He also certified and became licensed as an Authorized User of Radioactivity for the State of Washington. With this, he was the principal or sub-investigator for numerous trials examining the ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion) and Pharmacokinetics of C 14 -labelled compounds in healthy/normal and Oncology patient populations.
While participation in a clinical study is voluntary, you may be paid for your time and travel. Compensation is based on the length of the study, the number of overnight stays in our clinic and the number of out-patient visits you attend. You may also be compensated for some procedures depending upon the study. All payments we make for study participation have been approved by an Independent Review Board (IRB). The method and frequency of payment will be described in detail in the Informed Consent Form (ICF).
Even if you don’t qualify for a particular study, you may be able to refer a friend or family member. If approved by an Independent Review Board (IRB), PRA may be able to provide you a referral bonus of up to $300 for each qualified study participant that you refer. To qualify for the payment, the person you refer must:
• Be a first-time volunteer
• Mention your name when applying over the phone
• Fully participate in the study
All payments from PRA Health Sciences must be approved by an IRB before any payment may be made to you. Please contact us for more information.