The Volunteer Studies and Clinical Services Team operate a purpose-built Volunteer Suite including a comfortable lounge and dining area, a well-equipped diet kitchen for food preparation and a wide range of research equipment (BodPod, DXA, pQCT, BIA, cIMT, FMD plus others). The Team also provides and manages clinical services including the provision of medical procedures such as blood or tissue sampling and intravenous glucose tolerance tests.
Some research projects and national surveys involve field work with research participants in the community. HNR has two purpose-built / purpose-kitted out mobile research units. These are designed to provide a safe and comfortable space for research / survey procedures, including anthropometric measurements and blood sampling, and are equipped to provide sample processing facilities and cold/freezer storage. The units are staffed by trained research assistants/drivers and/or nurses/phlebotomists, depending on the requirements of the study and are used where participants are unable or unwilling to travel to HNR or other study research clinics, particularly for studies where rapid blood processing is required. Most recently the Units have been used on the National Infant Diet and Health Study.