14 StudyFinder – Connecting the public with health research: Bridging the participation gap - PMC

Abstract:  Objectives/Goals: Recruiting and enrolling participants in health research can be challenging for both the public and study teams. The University of Minnesota (UMN) developed a mobile-friendly, public-facing tool to increase research awareness and connect individuals with active studies that match their interests. Methods/Study Population: UMN developed StudyFinder, which integrates with the clinical trial management, electronic IRB, and ClinicalTrials.gov systems to provide accurate, current study listings with plain-language summaries. The tool pages include advanced Elasticsearch with filters, direct email links to study teams, nightly data refreshes, and an admin dashboard for easy content management and homepage updates. Results/Anticipated Results: Since launch, StudyFinder has received over 1.4 million page views. From Sept 2024–Aug 2025, the site had 78,000 visits, with 10,782 contact emails sent from potential participants to study teams. Analytics show continued year-over-year growth in traffic and engagement, demonstrating StudyFinder’s effectiveness in connecting the public to active research opportunities. Discussion/Significance of Impact: StudyFinder offers a scalable, shareable model for improving public access to research participation. Its open-source code and no-cost license enable other institutions to adopt and adapt the platform, advancing a national ecosystem web-based recruitment. StudyFinder is now available at eight hubs.