Nashville is known for music, but in medicine it is known for something else: it is the headquarters of the American hospital industry. HCA Healthcare, one of the largest hospital operators in the country, is based here, along with hundreds of other health care companies. That concentration produces a research profile no other mid sized city has. Of about 1,300 studies actively recruiting in Nashville, 54 percent are cancer trials, a higher share than Houston or any other large US city. This guide explains where that research happens, why cancer dominates, and how to find a study you can reach.
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Where clinical trials happen in Nashville
Nashville's research runs through two very different institutions that sit a few miles apart. Vanderbilt University Medical Center is the academic anchor: its Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, founded in 1993, is the only National Cancer Institute designated comprehensive cancer center in Tennessee that treats adults, with more than 280 research members, and Vanderbilt runs studies across nearly every specialty, from cardiology to pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital. The second institution is Sarah Cannon Research Institute, the research arm of HCA Healthcare, which describes itself as one of the largest community based oncology research programs in the world. Through Tennessee Oncology and its affiliated practices, Sarah Cannon opens cancer trials, including many early phase studies, at community clinics rather than only at academic hospitals. Add TriStar Centennial and the other HCA hospitals in the city, Ascension Saint Thomas, and a cluster of private research clinics, and Nashville has research density well beyond its population of about 700,000.
What conditions Nashville studies most
Cancer, overwhelmingly. The 54 percent share reflects both Vanderbilt-Ingram's academic program and Sarah Cannon's model of bringing early phase cancer trials into community practice, which means a new cancer drug is often available at a Nashville clinic at the same time as at the big coastal centers. Lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia are the most common cancer studies. The remaining 46 percent is broad and practical: migraine trials at dedicated neurology research sites, obesity and weight loss medicine studies, cardiovascular and atherosclerosis research at Vanderbilt, inflammatory bowel disease, and eye conditions. Because Nashville draws patients from across Tennessee, Kentucky, and northern Alabama, sponsors also use it to reach rural populations that larger cities miss.
Clinical trials recruiting in Nashville right now
A Phase 2 study of a new medicine for atherosclerosis is enrolling at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. A Phase 3 trial in small cell lung cancer, one of the hardest cancers to treat, is recruiting at SCRI Oncology Partners, and a study of glofitamab in aggressive B cell lymphoma is open at Tennessee Oncology. A Phase 3 trial of atogepant for chronic migraine is enrolling at Access Clinical Trials, and a Phase 2 obesity study of ABBV-295 is recruiting at Clinical Research Associates. These and about 1,250 other studies are listed on our Nashville clinical trials page.
Paid clinical trials in Nashville
Nashville has a healthy number of dedicated research clinics for a city its size, in part because of the health care industry based here, so studies that compensate participants are easy to find. The pattern matches every other city: short Phase 1 studies in healthy volunteers pay the most and may involve overnight stays; treatment trials for a medical condition usually reimburse travel and mileage, which matters for people driving in from rural Tennessee, and pay modestly per visit. Compensation is stated during informed consent and is never the reason a study exists. Our article on how much clinical trials pay explains the ranges, and the Nashville location page lets you filter for studies that compensate.
How to find and apply for clinical trials in Nashville
A study "in Nashville" may be at Vanderbilt near downtown, at a Tennessee Oncology clinic in the suburbs, at TriStar Centennial, or at a research clinic in Franklin or Hendersonville, so check the site address on each listing. Because Sarah Cannon runs the same cancer studies at several community sites across Middle Tennessee, a closer location often exists. Browse the Nashville clinical trials page, filter by your condition, and click Get started on any study that fits. The application takes about 5 minutes, the research team contacts you if you appear to match, and nothing is decided until you have gone through informed consent. Participation is voluntary at every step, and your own doctors stay involved. Our general guide to finding trials near you covers listings and eligibility in detail.
Common questions
Which Nashville hospitals run clinical trials? Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Sarah Cannon Research Institute through Tennessee Oncology and SCRI Oncology Partners, TriStar Centennial and other HCA hospitals, Ascension Saint Thomas, and private research clinics across Middle Tennessee.
Do I need to be a Vanderbilt patient to join a trial there? No. Trials enroll people who meet the study criteria regardless of where they receive care, and your own doctor stays involved.
Why does Nashville have so many cancer trials? Two reasons: Vanderbilt-Ingram's academic cancer program and Sarah Cannon's model of running early phase cancer trials at community clinics, which opens many more studies than a city this size would normally host.
Can people from elsewhere in Tennessee or Kentucky join Nashville trials? Yes, and many do. Nashville is the research hub for Middle Tennessee and neighboring states, and some sponsors cover travel for people driving in. Ask the study team before ruling a study out for distance.
See clinical trials in Nashville recruiting now
Browse open studies, filter by location, and apply in about 5 minutes: Nashville Clinical Trials