Center Overview

In 2002, Billings Clinic Research Center significantly expanded both physical space and research efforts by moving into a new 22,000 square foot building located on the campus of Billings Clinic.

Dr. Howard R. Knapp, M.D., Ph.D. is the Vice President of Research. The overall goal of the Billings Clinic Research Center is to bring the benefits of the newest medical research to patients and their physicians in the Billings area, and to provide a medical research focus here that is both clinical and laboratory-based.

Billings Clinic Research Center is involved in phase I, II, III, and IV clinical trials in human participants.

A state-of-the-art laboratory is equipped and staffed to study lipids, nutraceuticals and other health related topics.

Billings Clinic Research also expanded their outreach efforts by equipping one 35-foot mobile vehicle with a DEXA scan and clinical lab for nutrition research and a similar vehicle with a cardiology lab that will travel throughout Montana and adjoining states. Our latest outreach effort will find our "bus" traveling to eight Native American reservations; seven in Montana and one in Wyoming.

Billings Clinic Research Center is involved daily with DEXA (bone density) scans, as a leading referral site by many area physicians for their patients with osteoporosis or bone health concerns. Billings Clinic Research is equipped with a unique software program that, when combined with a DEXA scan, will enable clinicians to evaluate a patient’s risk for fractures. This is called an Instant Vertebral Assessment or IVA.

Patients with lipid disorders can receive highly specialized lipid expertise here.

Every spring, students from 25 counties in southeast Montana and northern Wyoming have an opportunity to compete in a sanctioned, regional science fair through our Science Expo program.

Future areas of growth for the Research Center may include an expansion of the building, faster diagnostic tests to complement clinical studies that now must be sent to Mayo or other reference labs, collaboration with businesses such as the Montana Department of Commerce, area colleges and physicians, and provide lab space for physicians interested in part-time clinical work.

All of these efforts are designed to improve the treatment of disease in area patients which we have been doing since 1988.

Clinical Research Experience

Since 1988, the Deaconess Billings Clinic Research Center has been involved in the following areas:

Facility Description

Built in 2002, the Research building encompasses over 22,000 square feet located within the medical corridor at 1045 N. 30th Street in Billings, Montana. Prior to this site, operations were located on Poly Drive. Future plans include the addition of a third floor for clinical research and a fourth floor for laboratories.

Investigator Experience

Howard R. Knapp, M.D., Ph.D. began as Executive Director of the Billings Clinic Research Center in March 2000 and was promoted to Vice President Research in 2006. Prior to his arrival, Dr. Knapp was appointed Professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of Iowa. He obtained his M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1977, and his Ph.D. in Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University in 1984.

Dr. Knapp was the Associate Director of the Clinical Research Center and Director of the Lipid Clinic at the University of Iowa. In 1996, he created the Bariatric Pharmacology Clinic for the drug treatment of obesity. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Lipids from 1995 to 2006 and is on the editorial board of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. He was a member of the Governing Board of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids (1999-2003). Since moving to Billings, Dr. Knapp was elected to a 5-year term on the Expert Committee for Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs of the USP.

Dr. Knapp’s primary research interest is in clinical pharmacology, which involves both developing new treatments for human diseases and using drugs with known actions to get a better understanding of disease processes. He has authored over 75 scientific articles and reviews. The overall goal of the Billings Clinic Research Center is to bring the benefits of the newest medical research to patients and their physicians in the Billings area, and to provide a medical research focus in Billings that is both clinical and laboratory-based. He hopes to establish a number of collaborations with other doctors and researchers in the Billings area to attract more funding opportunities and support an array of new treatments for patients in our region.

Staff Expertise

The Billings Clinic Research Center is currently working with 35 nurses, doctors, dietitians, radiology technologists, respiratory therapists and other staff carrying out different aspects of our studies by NIH and major pharmaceutical companies.

The Research Center employs the following personnel:

• One Research Manager
• One Administrative Assistant
• Five RN Study Coordinators
• One LPN for Clinical Trial Recruitment
• Two Radiology/DEXA Technologists with a combined 18 years experience
• Two Full Time Medical Assistants
• One Satellite Project Chauffeur
• Two Clinical Data Specialists
• One Regulatory Specialist
• Two Research Chemists
• One Science Expo Specialist
• One Accountant
• Five Secretarial/Support Staff

Patient Demographics

Billings, Montana is a central location for a multi-state region serving both rural and urban populations. The population is primarily Caucasian, with 52% female and 48% male. The age ratio is: 1 - 18 years (29%), 19 - 39 years (33%), 40 - 59 years (22%), 60+ years (16%).

Contact Information

Marilyn Lindell, LPN
Recruitment Nurse
Billings Clinic Research Center
1045 North 30th Street
Billings, MT 59101
USA
Phone: 406-255-8470 or toll free 1-800-996-2663
Fax: 406-255-8479
EMail: research@billingsclinic.org
Web Site: http://www.billingsclinic.org/

Currently Enrolling Trials

• Are You a Type 2 Diabetic and Your Current Medications Are Just Not Enough?
• Are you between the age of 18 and 65 with a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis?
• Are you or someone you know between the ages of 50 and 89 years of age with a diagnosis of mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease?
• Attention Type 1 Diabetics!
• Attention Type 2 Diabetics!
• Do You Have Type 2 Diabetes? Are Diet and Exercise Not Working?
• Do you suffer from Type I or Type II Diabetes and Mild COPD? Men and women, 18 to 70 years of age, with mild COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)and Type I or Type II diabetes may qualify to be a participant in a research study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of inhaled Insulin.
• Do You Suffer With Rheumatoid Arthritis?
• Insulin Resistance Intervention After Stroke Trial (IRIS)
• Interested in your Bone Health?
• Post-Menopausal Osteoporosis

If you are interested in contacting this center to discuss placing a clinical trial there, please complete and send the E-mail form below. A representative from the research center will then follow up with you.