1

[CLINTIALS                PRESS RELEASE        Contact:  Mary A. Chaput
RESEARCH INC.                                            Chief Financial Officer
LOGO]                                                    615-665-9665

                            Exhibit 1                    Kevin McGrath
                                                         Cameron Associates
                                                         212-245-8800 
                                  


                  CLINTRIALS RESEARCH ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF
           JERRY R. MITCHELL, M.D., PH.D. AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                       AND WILLIAM U. PARFET AS CONSULTANT


NASHVILLE, TENN . . .January 30, 1998 . . . ClinTrials Research Inc.
(NASDAQ:CCRO) today announced that Jerry R. Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D. has been
appointed Chief Executive Officer and President and a member of the Board of
Directors, effective February 1, 1998. William C. O'Neil, Jr. will remain
Chairman of the Board and will work full time in support of business development
activities and implementation of strategic initiatives.

"We are clearly delighted that Dr. Mitchell is joining the ClinTrials Research
team to take the Company to a new level of growth and capability. Dr. Mitchell's
distinguished career in pharmacology and medicine, combined with his corporate
experience as President of Upjohn Laboratories and Vice Chairman of the Board of
Upjohn, make him an important strategic asset for ClinTrials Research,"
commented William C. O'Neil, Jr., Chairman.

Dr. Mitchell, age 56, received both his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Vanderbilt
University. After serving at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of
the National Institutes of Health, he became Director of the Center for
Experimental Therapeutics and Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at the
Baylor College of Medicine. Subsequently, he was appointed Corporate Vice
President for Research & Development for Upjohn Laboratories. In 1990, he became
President of Upjohn Laboratories and in 1993 was appointed Vice Chairman of the
Board. Dr. Mitchell left Upjohn in November 1995 to co-found with William U.
Parfet, MPI Research, ("MPI"), a drug safety and pharmaceutical development
company. Dr. Mitchell has also served on a number of national science committees
for the National Academy of Sciences, the Food and Drug Administration, and the
Association of Professors of Medicine-Industry Roundtable. Dr. Mitchell is the
author of some 200 research publications in the areas of pharmacology,
toxicology and therapeutics.

ClinTrials Research also announced the retention of William U. Parfet, age 51,
as a consultant to the Company. Currently, Chairman of the Financial Executives
Institute, Mr. Parfet received his BA degree with honors from Lake Forest
College and his MBA from the University of Michigan. A member of the Board of
Directors of Pharmacia and Upjohn since October 1985, Mr. Parfet served as
Executive Vice President, President and Vice Chairman of the Board of The Upjohn
Company. From 1993 to 1996 Mr. Parfet served as President and Chief Executive
Officer of Richard Allan Medical, a Michigan worldwide manufacturer of surgical
products. Mr. Parfet currently serves as Co-Chairman of MPI Research, Mattawan,
Michigan, a drug safety and pharmaceutical development company. He also serves
as a Director of the Stryker Corporation, CMS Energy, Sybron International and
is a Commissioner of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.




   2



ClinTrials Research will pay $1.5 million in cash to Dr. Mitchell and Mr.
Parfet, the owners of MPI, for the option to purchase MPI at fair market value
within the next 26 months.

ClinTrials Research Inc. is a global contract research services organization
headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with offices in Research Triangle Park,
North Carolina; Lexington, Kentucky; Chicago, Illinois; Maidenhead, U.K.;
Glasgow, Scotland; Brussels, Belgium; Paris, France; Melbourne, Australia;
Jerusalem, Israel; Santiago, Chile; Milan, Italy; Tokyo, Japan and Montreal,
Canada. With approximately 1500 employees, ClinTrials Research provides
comprehensive regulatory as well as preclinical and clinical research services,
including data management, biostatistics and medical monitoring to
pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device clients.


                                      # # #



                        [CLINTRIALS RESEARCH INC. LOGO]