Volunteer for coronavirus research at VA

VA has begun its nationwide effort to recruit volunteers for COVID-19 clinical trials at select VA facilities across the country.

More than 50 VA medical centers are participating in trials to test vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.

Vice Admiral Jerome Adams

Dr. Anthony Fauci and U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome Adams invite you to join VA’s COVID-19 clinical trials for vaccines and treatments.

VA’s volunteer list is open to Veterans and non-Veterans, 18 years or older. Participation in any research study is strictly voluntary. Volunteers go through an informed-consent process that ensures they understand the risks and benefits to joining a study before they make the decision to participate.

Vaccines being studied by VA include candidates developed by Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Janssen. VA’s trials for COVID-19 treatments include remdesivir, monoclonal antibodies, tocilizumab and others.

As a research study participant, you help us:

• Better understand how COVID-19 affects different people.
• Find ways to prevent and treat COVID-19 for you, your family and your community.
• Make sure vaccines and treatments are safe and effective for people of all ages, genders, races and ethnicities.

We especially want to make sure that any vaccines or treatments work in the people most affected by COVID-19. Data shows this includes people over age 65, people with chronic (long-term) health conditions, and Black, Hispanic and Indigenous people.

Anyone over the age of 18 can volunteer.

We especially need communities of color to sign up. Why? Because Black, Hispanic and Native Americans are several times more likely to get sick, have complications, and die from COVID-19 than White Americans. But few from these most vulnerable communities are participating in clinical trials for vaccines and treatments.

We don’t expose you to the virus that causes COVID-19 as part of any studies.

Sign up to volunteer

Anyone over the age of 18 can now sign up online to volunteer for these VA clinical trials, including Veterans, friends and family of Veterans, and VA staff.

When you join our volunteer list, you’re not enrolling in a treatment study. You’re simply making yourself available to be called if there’s a trial that the study team thinks might be right for you.

We want you to be informed before making any decision to join a study. You will be provided a detailed informed consent document describing all the known risks and benefits of the study. You’ll have the chance to speak with the study team and ask all your questions. We want you to make the right decision for you.

Molly Klote, MD, is director of the Office of Research Protections, Policy and Education within the Office of Research and Development.