Elite Clinical Network, a leading nationwide integrated clinical research site organization, has announced a strategic partnership with HealthyU Clinics, a digitally enabled primary care provider. The collaboration, announced from Mesa, Arizona on April 22, 2025, aims to bridge the gap between clinical care and clinical research while expanding access to clinical trials for underserved populations.
The partnership leverages Elite Clinical Network's extensive research infrastructure alongside HealthyU Clinics' innovative patient-centered healthcare model to create a more inclusive and efficient approach to clinical research.
Expanding Research Access in Community Settings
A key focus of the partnership will be embedding clinical research opportunities directly into community-based care settings, with particular attention to historically underserved areas. This integration aims to make participation in clinical trials more accessible to diverse patient populations who have traditionally been underrepresented in medical research.
"This collaboration represents a powerful opportunity to bring research directly into the communities where care is delivered," said Lauren Havard, MD, Associate Chief Medical Officer at HealthyU Clinics. "By bridging clinical care with clinical research, we can create more inclusive, accessible, and impactful studies that better reflect the needs of all patients."
Digital Innovation in Clinical Trial Execution
The strategic alliance introduces new digital engagement strategies designed to streamline patient recruitment and retention processes. These technological innovations will support hybrid and decentralized trial models, allowing for more flexible participation options that can accommodate patients' varied needs and circumstances.
By implementing these digital solutions, the partnership aims to accelerate trial enrollment timelines while maintaining high standards for data quality. This approach addresses one of the persistent challenges in clinical research: recruiting sufficient numbers of appropriate participants within projected timeframes.
Benefits for Sponsors and Research Organizations
For pharmaceutical sponsors and Contract Research Organizations (CROs), the partnership promises delivery of high-quality data across a wide range of therapeutic areas. The combined network offers access to diverse patient populations through HealthyU's primary care settings, potentially improving the generalizability of research findings.
The collaboration also creates opportunities for more efficient study execution through streamlined processes and integrated care-research pathways. This integration may reduce redundancies and administrative burdens that typically slow the research process.
Reimagining the Clinical Research Landscape
Together, Elite Clinical Network and HealthyU Clinics are working to transform how clinical research is conducted, with the goal of building a more equitable, efficient, and patient-centered future for medical research.
The partnership represents a growing trend in the clinical research industry toward models that more closely integrate research with routine clinical care. This approach has the potential to normalize research participation as part of the healthcare experience while improving the diversity of study populations.
By combining Elite's research expertise with HealthyU's innovative care delivery model, the collaboration aims to address longstanding challenges in clinical trial execution while expanding access to cutting-edge medical research for communities that have historically had limited opportunities to participate.
