A clinical research associate (CRA), also called a clinical monitor or trial monitor, is a health-care professional who performs many activities related to medical research, particularly clinical trials.
Clinical research associates work in various settings, such as
pharmaceutical companies, medical research institutes and government
agencies.
Depending on the jurisdiction, different education and certification
requirements may be necessary to practice as a clinical research
associate.
The main tasks of the CRA are defined by good clinical practice guidelines for monitoring clinical trials, such as those elaborated by the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH).
Clinical research associates
(CRAs) organise and administer
clinical trials
of new or current drugs in order to assess the benefits and risks of using them. Typical employers of
clinical research associates
include pharmaceutical companies and
clinical
contract agencies.