The Physicians Research Network at Methodist Healthcare facilitates research conducted at Methodist Healthcare and serves as a source for information regarding clinical research. Methodist Healthcare is home to some of the best researchers in the United States. They conduct clinical drug trials and other research in a variety of areas. Research is sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and through internal sources.

Choosing to participate in a clinical trial is a very important personal decision. People choose to participate in device or drug trials for a variety of reasons. Many times these trials offer promising new drugs to patients long before they are commercially available to the public.Other times the drugs offer lifesaving alternatives when no current therapies exist to treat or cure a specific disease. In some instances, the drug trial may offer improvements, such as less side effects or less frequent dosing, to therapies that are currently available.

The rights and safety of patients participating in research are protected in two important ways. First, any physician conducting research must obtain approval to conduct the study from an Institutional Review Board. The review board, which is usually composed of physicians and lay people, is charged with examining the study's protocol to ensure that the patient's rights are protected, and that the study does not present an undue or unnecessary risk to the patient. Second, anyone participating in a research trial is required to sign an informed consent form. This form details the nature of the study, the risks and benefits involved and what the patient may expect to happen during the course of the study. The informed consent also tells the patients that they have a right to terminate the study at any time.