ReSearch ReSource

October 2018

Dear Colleagues:

On October 1, Parnassus faculty members from different departments, divisions, and groups attended an Open Parnassus Faculty Meeting to update each other about progress on the Parnassus Rejuvenation project. Ideas were exchanged and updates on various in-progress initiatives were presented including the formation of several committees to facilitate and shape the future of Parnassus, progress in the active planning phase, the launch of the Bakar ImmunoX Initiative, and the initiation of the first five CoLabs at Parnassus.

To keep our community informed, the meeting organizers will be posting presentations, and other related documents on the Parnassus vision intranet site: Transforming the Future of Parnassus (MyAccess login required). Stay tuned for information about future meetings and opportunities to contribute your ideas about the rejuvenation of Parnassus!

Thank you for reading.

Regards,
Vice Chancellor Lindsey Criswell


Improving Industry-Sponsored Clinical Trial Processes:

Since the last September ReSearch ReSource update, the "Industry-Sponsored Clinical Trials Process Improvement Taskforce" has made further progress on the construction of metrics for the clinical trial activation process. In addition, the group is developing the concept of "clinical trial activation navigators" who would assist investigators with questions and concerns regarding trials in the activation pipeline and working on a "clinical trial activation dashboard" that would provide investigators with real-time information on where their clinical trials are in the activation process. CTSI is actively working to identify programs and resources that could support these and other interventions to assist investigators and improve clinical trial activation.


All Animal Users! AAALAC Accreditation Site Visit at UCSF:

The 2018 AAALAC site visit is October 15 - 18. Full engagement of all UCSF animal users is essential for ensuring a successful visit outcome and, more importantly, to continue maintaining an environment for an effective synergy between research and animal care.

The site visit includes lab visits and interviews to evaluate researcher practices in ensuring both animal welfare and laboratory safety. To help your research group prepare for the site visit, please complete the following steps:

  • Complete this self-evaluation checklist for each of your respective laboratories.
  • Use the completed checklist to identify any gaps in lab processes and practices that you may have.
  • Share the results with all of your lab members and discuss how any deficiencies will be corrected.
  • Review the Town Hall PowerPoint.
  • Take the Town Hall Quiz.

Upcoming Events:

  • Immunotherapy Researcher Networking EventJoin the Research Development Office Team Science Program and UCSF PREMIER Center on October 25 on the Parnassus campus.
  • Research Funding Opportunities in Europe Information session on grants and fellowships available from the European Union (EU) for researchers of all nationalities and research fields on November 9at the Mission Bay Campus.
  • Save the Date! Research-Related Resources (3Rs) SymposiumAre you new to research at UCSF? Save December 3 for the inaugural Research-Related Resources (3Rs) Symposium, where over twenty-five UCSF research providers will present a day-long, deep dive into resources available to assist your research mission.
  • Implementation Science and the Clinical ResearcherPlease plan to attend this exciting panel discussion and networking event focused on the intersection of clinical research and implementation science. Proposed date:  December 11 or December  13. Panelists will include: Drs. Claire Brindis and Margaret Handley.

Research Funding Opportunities:


Infrastructure and Operations:

  • PIs Required to Disclose Financial Conflicts of InterestThis NIH bulletin is being recirculated to remind PIs of the disclosures required, in particular, with respect to foreign financial interests.
  • IRB and eProposal Update iRIS, the online proposal and application system, is being updated with new features and a new User Interface on October 22. Read the announcements from IRB and eProposal for information about improvements, system downtime, and new training materials.
  • International Clinical Trials UCSF Risk Management and Insurance Services provides important information regarding insurance to protect UCSF investigators and programs conducting foreign clinical trials.

Training and Tools:

  • MATLAB Access for Everyone at UCSFMATLAB, the world's leading computational platform for engineering, scientific, and mathematic applications, is now available to all faculty, researchers, and students for use on personal computers and laptops. If you are not familiar with MATLAB, there is a two-hour MATLAB Onramp training on the MATLAB Portal Page. Click "Get free training" in the MATLAB Training box.
  • Need Help Developing Recruitment Materials?CTSI's Participant Recruitment Program has partnered with health literacy experts and the UCSF Brand Communications Office to offer free customized consultations; otherwise, join our workshop "What's your hook? Creating effective marketing materials" on November 5.
  • PIs - Let Your CRCs Know to Register Now!Next Training Series for CRCs is offered October 25 and October 29. Don't miss this opportunity for CRC Bootcamp, which provides foundational training for new CRCs, as well as Effective Communications for CRCs and Data Management for CRCs, for coordinators at any career stage. Courses are free and open to all UCSF study teams.

Useful Links:

  • NIH Updates One stop informational shop for daily NIH announcements including: continuous submission, submission/resubmission policy reminders, RPPR updates, 2018 Common Rule, Basic Sciences Studies, fixed amount awards, fellowship/research/career development applications updates, and much more . . .
  • Research Advisory Board UpdatesExplore meeting notes from the Research Advisory Board (RAB) to learn about research administration topics being discussed with stakeholders from across campus. The RAB is charged with identifying research-related issues important to investigators and to work with the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost on improving operations that affect research. If you have an issue that you would like the RAB to discuss, please send an email and include "RAB" in the subject line.