Insurances accepted: CareFirst/Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, Maryland Medicaid, Aetna, Cigna, & United Health Care

Clinical Research

Clinical Research with Integrity and Compassion

At Visage Clinical Research, we are selective of the studies that we choose to conduct. We conduct studies with YOU in mind. We are not simply a research center. Visage Clinical Research is operated by Dr. Sharleen St. Surin-Lord, who is a Board-Certified Dermatologist, practicing Dermatology for over 15 years. Being a Physician and Woman of Color, Dr. St. Surin-Lord understands the need for People of Color to be represented in clinical trials.

Visage Clinical Research staff ensure that patients are comfortable, feel safe, and understand the purpose of each study and what participation in a research study at Visage Clinical Research entails. Because clinical research has had a dark past with how it has treated vulnerable populations in the Tuskegee Study and in the case of Henrietta Lacks, clinical trials are now closely monitored by study sponsors and the FDA to safeguard against such violations. At Visage Clinical Research, we follow strict FDA protocols and requirements set forth to ensure the safety of all our study participants – young and older. We provide full transparency so that every population, regardless of racegenderagereligionpronoun, or ethnicity, may fully understand and feel comfortable contributing to medical research at our research center.

Respect for People & Clinical Research

Conducting clinical research trials plays a vital role in the advancement of medicine. The participation of People of Color, especially Black people, in clinical research is important so that we may be represented in the study data. Skin of color has special needs and behaves differently after rashes or break outs with dyspigmentation. This is why minority populations must have equal representation in clinical research trials. This will improve their health and that of their community as whole. At Visage Clinical Research, we serve a diverse population of people. We are proud that our patient population reflects that of the United States of America – diverse in every way. Our standards are high because we take your care and your trust seriously. We look forward to seeing you at our research site, so click on the button to see our current studies.

Clinical Research with Integrity and Compassion

At Visage Clinical Research, we are selective of the studies that we choose to conduct. We conduct studies with YOU in mind. We are not simply a research center. Visage Clinical Research is operated by Dr. Sharleen St. Surin-Lord, who is a Board-Certified Dermatologist who has been practicing Dermatology for over 15 years. Being a physician of color Dr. St. Surin-Lord understands the need for People of Color to be represented in clinical trials. She ensures that patients are comfortable, feel safe, and understand the purpose of each study and what participation in a research study at Visage Clinical Research entails. Because clinical research has had a dark past with how it has treated vulnerable populations in the Tuskegee Study and in the case of Henrietta Lacks, clinical trials are now closely monitored and at Visage Clinical Research, we offer full transparency so that every population, including Pediatric patients may feel comfortable contributing to medical research that will improve their health and that of their community as whole.

Experience Matters

Dr. St. Surin-Lord’s interest in research began before medical school, while she was still and undergraduate student at Howard University, as Clinical Laboratory Science major. She conducted research at the Irving Center for Clinical Research at Columbia University and then graduated and became Associate Scientist in Vaccine Technology and Engineering at Merck & Co, Inc., where Dr. St. Surin was charged with monitoring the vaccine manufacturing process and ensuring the integrity of vaccines. In medical school, Dr. St. Surin became a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Summer Research Fellow, which then led to her taking a year off from medical school to conduct research within the NIH as a Howard Highes Medical Institute Research Scholar. Research on the Cutaneous Manifestations of HIV. During her residency, she conducted research in the Cutaneous Manifestations of HIV.

Dr. St. Surin-Lord is also an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Howard University Department of Dermatology. Things have now come full circle as Dr. St. Surin-Lord has taken her corporate experience and merged it with her medical education and benchside lab research experience to best serve you in clinical research as she continues to see patients and teach.

Cut from a Different Cloth

Visage Clinical Research participants end up becoming Visage Dermatology practice patients long after the study is completed. Participants tell us that we make them feel at home and they know that we genuinely care about them, that is because we do. We foster a warm environment with open communication, where research patients can have all of their questions answered throughout the study, not just during the consent process. We also call our study participants to check on them.

Types of ClinicalTrials

The skin and hair are complex structures. Your skin is the largest organ of the human body. Dermatology is the study of skin hair and nails. At different times, we may enroll for different studies such as those providing medicines for acneeczemahidradenitis suppurativavitiligohair loss, and even cosmetics! Dr. St. Surin is selective of the studies that she chooses to participate in and of whom she partners with. Visage Clinical Research considers our patients, the research participant population, the community, and their needs in the study selection process.

We hope that you will participate in one of our clinical trials should you be eligible. It is a rewarding feeling to know that you have contributed to the advancement of modern medicine and have been included in the clinical research of medications that you will soon see on the shelves and in advertisements. The “I did that” feeling is priceless. Congratulations to entering a new frontier with our team at Visage Clinical Research.