History:
In 1994, Dr. Prem Pais began work with cardio vascular disease research and set up the Clinical Epidemiology Research and Training Centre (CERTC) in the St. John’s Medical College. This later evolved to the Division of Clinical Research and Training (DCRT) and was integrated into the St. John’s Research Institute in 2004. Dr Denis Xavier joined the group in 1998.
Research Projects:
The Division of Clinical Research and Training (DCRT) designs and conducts, large national and international clinical trials and observational studies in cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, oncology, nephrology and infectious diseases. Our collaboration includes over 240 Institutions in India and South Asia. To date we have or are conducting 67 large multi-centre projects and included over 160,400 participants.
Most of these are investigator-initiated studies funded by peer-reviewed grants and some are supported by Industry. Our studies have been published in leading journals including the Lancet, JAMA, NEJM, Nature Cardiovascular, American Heart Journal, Circulation, European Heart Journal, Indian Heart Journal, JAPI, IJMR etc. Click here for our publications.
Key Recognitions:
NIH –Centre of Excellence
We have been recognised as a Centre of Excellence by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) USA for the prevention and control of chronic disease (2009-2014). Over 5 years, we conducted 3 large multi-centre knowledge translation studies. These included primary (PREPARE) and secondary (SPREAD) prevention of ischemic heart disease and an observational study in strokes (INSPIRE). We also initiated several training programmes in Research methods and are now conducting 2 short courses every year. Dr Denis Xavier is the Principal Investigator.
ICMR- Centres for Advanced Research (CAR)
We have been recognised by The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) as a Centre for Advance Research (CAR) for the period 2024 to 2029. Dr. Denis Xavier is the Principal Investigator for the study titled “Impact, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of a synergistic, multipronged, customized, low-cost intervention package (IP) to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden among diverse populations across India.
Over 5 years we will conduct the project in three steps – 1. Formative research to develop the interventions - systematic review, cross-sectional and a qualitative study followed by a DELPHI process. 2. A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial 3. Policy level engagement and advocacy based on the results of the trial. The results will be disseminated through patient engagement activities and symposia. Click here for more details.
ICMR-Collaborating Centre of Excellence (CCoE)
We have been recently recognised as an ICMR Collaborating Centre of Excellence, one of 20 centres in India, to receive this honour in recognition of our three decades of work in cardiovascular disease prevention. The Director General of the ICMR mentioned that this is the highest honour biomedical scientists in India can get from the ICMR. Our mandate is to conduct high quality collaborative research and train individuals and institutions nationwide for better health. Click here for more details.
Training:
Since 16 years we are conducting courses and workshops on clinical research methods for faculty and postgraduate students in medical colleges, personnel in government agencies, ethics committees and industry. Till date we have conducted 31 programs and about 2197 participants from 83 institutions in 45 cities across 12 countries have participated. Click here for more details.
Contribution and Future Focus:
Over almost 3 decades we have helped to understand the burden of ischemic heart disease and strokes across the country, its risk factors and treatments.Our new areas of focus include knowledge translation research in these areas as well as multi morbidity. We are currently evaluating interventions for self -care in chronic diseases, including optimal use of health technologies. Click here for a list of our projects.
Updated on Sept 2025