Category 3 Clinical Research Density to Increase from 25% to 50% on March 8, 2021

March 5, 2021

Dear Research Community:

I am writing to announce that Category 3 clinical research density will increase from 25% to 50% on Monday, March 8, 2021. COVID-19 clinical research and clinical research determined to be essential to the health and/or well-being of the participant can continue without restriction.

Laboratory research density was increased on January 28, 2021 and will remain at 50% density for the immediate future. The Office of Research is working to develop protocols for a further laboratory research density increase in compliance with the ongoing public health directives for physical distancing and other safety measures.

The ability to increase Category 3 clinical research density is due to the continued reduction in rates of COVID-19 infection in the Bay Area counties, the number of COVID-19 infections among UCSF employees, and the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in UCSF-affiliated hospitals. Another important metric is the vaccination of over 75% of our Phase 1A employee population, which includes our clinical research workforce. Lastly, UCSF's entire research community continues to adhere to campus public health protocols requiring face coverings, physical distancing, completing the daily health screening before coming to campus, and practicing good hand hygiene.

Despite the success of UCSF’s vaccination program for researchers, local public health orders and Cal/OSHA regulation continue to require strict adherence to public health protocols listed above. Anyone concerned about adherence to public health protocols in their work environment or building should email EH&S at [email protected] or submit an anonymous employee hazard report online.

As before, PIs and their research teams must be familiar with the detailed directives and safety information found in the current research policy documents:

Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) COVID-19 Training Course

We strongly encourage all CRCs to complete the online training course "Clinical Research During COVID-19." The brief course is hosted on the UC Learning platform and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Instructions for how to access the course are below. The course: 1) reviews fundamental information about COVID-19 and institutional policies governing the restart of onsite clinical research; 2) outlines COVID-related responsibilities of study teams; and 3) provides an aggregate list of institutional resources as a useful reference tool.

How to access "Clinical Research During COVID-19":

  1. Go to the UC Learning Center (can also be reached through MyAccess)
  2. Login to the site
  3. Click the “Find A Course” box on the homepage
  4. Search for “Clinical Research During COVID-19”

Framework for Decisions about On-site Research During COVID-19

To support decisions regarding research reopening and density, the Office of Research uses a framework that relies on indicators and metrics to assess the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and UCSF's resources and risks.

I greatly appreciate the research community's commitment to safely conducting research during the COVID-19 pandemic. The precautions we take will help ensure that UCSF can continue to care for patients and protect the health and well-being of our faculty, staff, students, visitors, and the general public.

Sincerely,

Daniel H. Lowenstein, MD
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Dr. Robert B. and Mrs. Ellinor Aird Professor of Neurology