TRIAL RECRUITMENT INNOVATION OFFICE (TRIO)
The ITM’s Trial Recruitment Innovation Office (TRIO) harnesses
the power of quality and design science to help you optimize
your study design and recruitment – all for free.
OPTIMIZE YOUR STUDY RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION STRATEGIES
WITH LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF AMERICANS PARTICIPATING IN CLINICAL TRIALS, ALMOST EVERYONE HAS
EXPERIENCED RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES. THAT’S WHY WE’RE HERE TO HELP.
YOUR TEAM WILL BENEFIT FROM QUALITY AND DESIGN EXPERTS WITH REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE AND CREATIVE
INSIGHTS FROM MEMBERS ACROSS ALL ITM INSTITUTIONS.
TO HELP YOU CAPITALIZE ON THOSE NEW RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES, WE ALSO OFFER A MILLION-DOLLAR,
MOBILE-FRIENDLY PORTAL TO MATCH THE PUBLIC WITH YOUR STUDIES.
30+
studios per year
100+
increased study
enrollment
350+
researchers &
community
members engaged
OVER 90%
of participants
say TRIO Studios
are useful
A DESIGN PLAYGROUND
TRIO Local STUDIOS
TRIO Local Studios are institution-specific, collaborative sessions designed to help research teams
work through recruitment and retention challenges by drawing on the expertise of colleagues and
stakeholders within their local research community. Local Studios provide a structured space for
teams to present a challenge, receive multidisciplinary feedback, and identify practical next steps.
TRIO Traveling STUDIOS
TRIO Traveling Studios bring the Studio model directly to research teams across participating institutions. These sessions are designed to expand access to TRIO support and can be tailored to
the needs, context, and resources of the host institution. Like Local Studios, Traveling Studios use
facilitated, multidisciplinary discussion to help teams identify barriers, leverage available resources,
and develop actionable strategies to strengthen recruitment and retention.
Hear it from them
“What an incredible process the TRIO session was! It’s about time that we see in medicine the intense group collaboration processes that characterize the start-up
and business world. I liked the ‘design studio’ feel for the session, the open architecture, and especially the visual mapping processes. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I’m hoping to imitate this process in some work I’m doing at my own institution.”
William Trochim, PhD
CTSA Evaluation Lead Professor, Policy Analysis and Management
Cornell University
Hear it from them
“I was incredibly impressed by the design studio. I can really see taking that back and applying it to things that we do.”
Clare K. Schmitt, PhD
Deputy Director, Division of Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
National Institutes of Health
Hear it from them
“It was eclectic, it was innovative, and it was useful and enjoyable.”
Steve White, MD
Professor of Medicine
University of Chicago
Hear it from them
“It has definitely shown up in our recruitment and we are definitely grateful. Some of the great things that
came from it was taking a step back, looking at the process as a whole, and figuring out what we can do.”
David Sedill, MBA
Research Manager
Rush University Medical Center
Hear it from them
“We have had amazing success recruiting for my clinical trial, and I can only credit the TRIO
studio. The clear, specific, and creative recruitment ideas led to us meeting our recruitment goal in only 4 months time!”
Arryn A. Guy, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Hear it from them
“Participating in a TRIO Studio at the 2026 EQuaTR conference was an informative experience that helped us take a step back and examine our longitudinal engagement strategies through a fresh lens. The sessions brought together diverse research profesional persepectives and helped elucidate creative ways to reframe our approach to participant retention”
Mary Akel
Research Project Manager
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
TRIAL INNOVATION NETWORK (TIN)
The Trial Innovation Network (TIN) is funded by the NIH to provide expert advice for planning and
conducting informative multi-center trials. This includes providing cost-free tools, self-service or
coordinated tools and resources, and scientific consultations and methods to support study Principal
Investigators and potential study participants. During consultations, clinical trial and subject matter experts
recruited by the TIN offer feedback and guidance to investigators to help them refine their trial design,
expedite study startup, optimize recruitment and retention strategies, and identify opportunities to boost trial
quality and efficiency.
MEET SOME OF YOUR PROBLEM SOLVERS
Cynthia Tom Klebba
Director Human Research Protections
Loyola University Chicago
Mary Harris
Research Manager Institution for Population and Precision Health
University of Chicago
Laura Magda, MD
Post Doctorate Fellow
University of Chicago
Denise Voskuil-Marre, BS, CCRC
Institutional Review Board Consultant Protection of Human Subjects
Rush University
MEET THE TRIO TEAM
Experts from ITM institutions across Chicagoland are part of the panel that helps optimize your project. Look
forward to experiencing the brainpower of these regular leadership participants.
Raj C. Shah, MD
Professor Department Of Family Medicine
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center
Rush Medical College
Santosh Basapur, PhD
Director of Design, RUSH University
Assistant Professor, Graduate College Founder, Health + Design Integration Lab
Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Rush Medical College Illinois Faculty Of Technology
Rush Medical College
Claudia Leung, MD, FAAP
Assistant Professor Section of General Internal Medicine Department of Medicine
University of Chicago
Melissa Crane, PhD
Assistant Professor Department of Family & Preventative Medicine
Rush Medical College
Tarisha J. Washington, PhD
Epidemiology Research Coordinator
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center
Sebastian Otero
Network Capacity Cluster Lead
University of Chicago
Naequel Patterson
Studio Navigator
University of Chicago
Elsie Williams
Studio Navigator
University of Chicago
Emily Waskowitz
ITM TRIO Studio Navigator
Endeavor Health Local Navigator
Endeavor Health
Elliott Morris
Studio Navigator
Illinois Institute of Technology
READY TO DIVE IN?
Reach out to Sebastian Otero, Network Capacity Cluster Lead below.
