Providence Medical Research Center conducts clinical research as part of Providence Health and Services at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital and Providence Holy Family Hospital. Research is conducted in a variety of medical specialties. We serve the communities of eastern Washington, northern Idaho, northeastern Oregon and western Montana.   Fields of research conducted here include heart and vascular disease , diabetes, minimally invasive treatments using interventional radiology, kidney disease, high blood pressure, stroke, nutrition , psychiatry, lung disease, and organ transplants 

At any given time, there are 350 to 400 active research protocols at our locations. All research protocols conducted at Providence Research have oversight by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Spokane. The IRB-Spokane is a 20-member board of technical experts, administrators, lay people and clergy who meet monthly to review research projects involving human subjects. The IRB-Spokane reviews protocols to ensure the following: 

• Safety and rights of participating patients are maintained;
• Risks to participants are minimized;
• Risks to participants are justified in relation to anticipated benefits;
• The selection of participants is equitable; and
• Participants are informed of all procedures, costs, risks and benefits of participating in a research study.

Research done at the Medical Center falls within the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has approved the use of any drugs or medical devices involving human subjects at Providence Research. The Research Center, in conjunction with physician investigators, constantly evaluates the impact of research treatment modalities on patients to further ensure patient safety.