Duke Translational Medicine Institute

KANNAPOLIS — After completing a design overhaul and an infusion of fresh content, Duke University’s MURDOCK Study has launched a new website.

View the new site at www.murdock-study.org. The website includes answers to frequently asked questions about the MURDOCK Study, details about each phase or “horizon” of the study, short biographies and photos of the study team and much more.

People can also begin the enrollment process by clicking one of the many “enroll today” buttons found throughout the website. It’s the first redesign since 2010.

“The new website is clean, modern and full of information, with a rotating banner on the homepage to highlight some of our participants and research opportunities,” said Perla Nunes, the clinical trials project leader who oversees community outreach and recruitment efforts for the MURDOCK Study. “As we work to recruit 50,000 participants, the website is a great way to introduce the study to new people while keeping our existing volunteers engaged and up-to-date.

“Encouraging potential collaborators to tap into the incredibly valuable tools and assets available through a partnership with the MURDOCK Study is another major strength of our new site.”

Visitors to the website will find information about the latest research findings from study investigators and a list of publications and abstracts resulting from this growing study. The research efforts of the MURDOCK Study are ongoing, but many studies have already produced important discoveries, and study investigators have presented their findings at numerous academic conferences and produced several publications.

The new website has a section dedicated to ongoing studies, with details about sub-studies like the Multiple Sclerosis Study, Healthy Aging Study and the Memory and Cognitive Health Study, as well as opportunities for people to participate in other research. Duke University welcomes collaboration, and the website has a section for potential research partners.

The website will keep visitors updated on volunteer opportunities, events in the community and mass enrollment dates and locations to share with friends. MURDOCK Study staff post the latest developments, including new conveniences like web enrollment and details about online follow-up.

The site also includes a timeline of milestone events and history of the study, which so far has enrolled nearly 11,000 people in Cabarrus County, Kannapolis and parts of Stanly, Rowan and Mecklenburg counties in a community registry. The MURDOCK Study is a long-term medical research project based at the N.C. Research Campus.

The website redesign team worked to streamline the site and make it more inviting and easier to use. The site includes a video player, RSS feeds to other valuable sources, links to the MURDOCK Study’s social media platforms and a live Twitter feed.

The MURDOCK Study aims to reclassify disease using advanced scientific technologies, experts from Duke and their collaborators, participation from the community and a network of partners. Researchers are using the community registry to identify links across major diseases and disorders and find ways to treat and even defeat some of today’s leading causes of illness and death.

Duke launched the MURDOCK Study in 2007 with a $35 million gift from David H. Murdock, founder and developer of the North Carolina Research Campus and chairman of Dole Foods. The study’s name stands for Measurement to Understand the Reclassification of Disease Of Cabarrus/Kannapolis.

Enrollment takes less than 45 minutes and is offered at nine convenient locations. To start the process, call 704-250-5861 or visit www.murdock-study.org. Participants are compensated.