January 2024
Save the Date: February 20 Office of Research Town Hall
Join Vice Chancellor for Research Harold Collard for the next quarterly Town Hall on Tuesday, February 20 at 1 p.m.

The presentation will focus on the current landscape at UCSF for the funding of graduate student researcher (GSR) and postdoctoral scholar salaries, including a look at the national climate and conversation; UCSF’s advocacy efforts with Federal research funders and other stakeholders; policies and guidelines for UCSF faculty in supporting GSR and postdoctoral scholar salaries; and resources available to faculty in navigating salary support for GSRs and postdoctoral scholars.

Register here and save the date!
Clinical Trial Excellence Campaign Highlights
Campaign Goal Update
A key metric of CTEC performance will measure the time from first submission of a trial protocol into a UCSF system (IRB or OCTA) to contract execution. The campaign aims to achieve an institutional median of 90 days for this metric.

Enhancing the IRB Review Process
In cases where it is deemed to be beneficial, PIs may be invited to attend IRB Committee meetings. PI attendance at IRB committee meetings shows a near 50% reduction in median time to IRB approval, compared to clinical trials that did not apply this method.

PI Testimony
“Attending the IRB meetings as Principal Investigator has facilitated addressing potential queries in real-time as well as gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation for the specific issues that are considered by the IRB during the trial activation process. I see this as a valuable step in the trial activation process particularly for investigator-initiated trials.”
- Rahul Aggarwal, MD

Stay up to date on CTEC elements, tools and offerings on our campaign page!
Share Your ReSearch ReSource Feedback
ReSearch ReSource is getting a refresh in 2024, and we need your help!

Please fill out this reader survey to inform future updates and ensure that the newsletter is best serving the UCSF research community. Thank you in advance for your feedback.
K Scholars Program Seeking Faculty
The K Scholars Program is recruiting two new faculty members to help guide early career investigators in clinical and translational research. Review the job descriptions and application instructions.
Paper on IDEA and Clinical Trial Readiness
AVCR-IDEA Tung Nguyen, MD, and colleagues recently published a new paper titled, "Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access are necessary for clinical trial site readiness," in which they discuss select site readiness practices that are particularly relevant to promoting IDEA in clinical trials.
Important Updates from the Office of Clinical Trials Activation (OCTA)
New training courses, budgeting services changes, and study pipeline updates for 2024 have been announced.

Please visit OCTA's website for more details.
New Clinical Trials Features Highlight UCSF Dedication to Equity in Research
CTSI’s Research Technology (RT) team, in conjunction with the Research Action Group for Equity (RAGE), launched new features on the Clinical Trials website, which includes more information about UCSF's dedication to equity in research and logic to build specialized pages for trials that are specifically recruiting historically underrepresented populations.
 
While these pages may facilitate some recruitment, they're primarily designed to let people know that UCSF is welcome to all.
January 25 Health Equity Science Symposium
The virtual "Health Equity: From Lens to Science" symposium will bring together leaders and learners representing academics, health practitioners, policy experts, and other stakeholders working on health, public health, and health equity issues. Read more information and register here.
Gordon Fung to Lead New Cardiology IRB Panel
Longtime IRB committee member and Mission Bay chair, Gordon Fung, MD, PhD, MPH, has taken on a role to lead a newly formed cardiology-focused panel that will support studies across a wide and growing range of cardiology sub-specialties.

Read a Q&A with Fung about his time on the IRB and the new cardiology-focused panel.
Profiles Highlights
Associate Professor, Institute for Health & Aging, School of Nursing
AMA Journal of Ethics
Funding and Fellowship Opportunities
Applications are available for two physician-scientists who are committed to academic research careers discovering and translating novel applications of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine to clinical problems. Deadline: February 15.

These supplements support the dissemination of completed research (either one study or a body of research) to policymakers in governmental and non-governmental sectors. Call for applications open: January 29.

New administrative supplements aim to support research on bioethical issues that either inform future policy directions or augment bioethics research capacity. Deadline: April 1.
NIH Updates
NIH operates under the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act 2024. The Act (CR) continues government operations through February 2 at the FY 2023 enacted level with no reduction.

New validation error for NIH applications: Please ensure that all key personnel and other significant contributors listed on the Senior/Key Person Profile form have active eRA Commons user IDs.

All NIH awards must be properly closed out. NIH will implement additional email reminders effective January 2024.     
Events
January 22, 2-6 p.m., UCSF Health Sciences West, Room 303
Please join UCSF Bioethics and the UCSF School of Nursing for an afternoon of panels inspired by themes from the career of Barbara Koenig, PhD, Director Emeritus of UCSF Bioethics.

January 22, 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Byers Auditorium
The UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center presents an all-day symposium focused on the opportunities and challenges of Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) tests.

January 22, 2-3:30 p.m., SFVAMC Campus Auditorium
Join these open houses to learn about CTSI programs and services that support the UCSF research community and share your feedback with program leads. All are welcome!

January 5–March 22, 11:05 a.m. – 12 p.m., Virtual and Mission Bay FAMRI Library
Join this free R programming workshop series. All skill levels are encouraged to participate and all sessions will be recorded.

January 24, 6–7 p.m., Virtual
Learn about offered programs, including a master’s, a certificate, and two workshops. Receive faculty mentorship, publish original research, and secure your research career.

January 25, 2024 3–3:30 p.m., Virtual
Campus Life Services and the Office of Sustainability are bringing the zoo to you! Meet Malala, a Peregrine Falcon, and Lule, a wild Geoffroy’s cat.

January 26, 1–5 p.m., Mission Bay Stem Kitchen and Garden
Join the Center for Maternal-Fetal Precision Medicine for a discussion of emerging technologies for prenatal diagnosis and prenatal therapies for genetic diseases.

January 29, 3–4 p.m., Virtual and Genentech N114
This presentation will discuss the development, validation, database needs, and ultimate future implementation of AI in the radiology workflow including examples from cancer and COVID-19.

January 30, 1–2 p.m., Parnassus, HSW 302
Join UCSF Broad Stem Cell Center to hear Nicolas Plachta, PhD on “Seeing how life starts: Imaging the dynamics that form the early mammalian embryo.” All are welcome!

February 7, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Mission Bay Pub Lounge
Join us as we create valentines for patients at the Family House and the VA Hospital. Once you're done, make a second one for a loved one in your own life.

February 12–16, Various times, Virtual
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to join this week-long offering to learn about data tools, methodologies, and platforms. The 20+ presentations and workshops are free and open to any member of the UC community.

April 29, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Mission Bay Conference Center
The San Francisco Bay Collaborative Research Network (SFBayCRN) and the UCSF Impacting Practice and Policy by Accelerating Translation (IMPACT) Program cordially invite you to join this meeting to discuss the topic, "Housing, Labor, and Health Care: Mapping the Future of Community Engaged Research and Action."
Information, Trainings, and Tools
Now offering CTO 203 and 204, two new instructor-led training sessions, as well as CTO 106e, an on-demand course. All sessions are free, and study team members are encouraged to join. Explore the complete 2024 schedule on the CTO website.

New studies submitted to the IRB are required to use the plain language consent form template. Access the template and corresponding materials (e.g., Companion Document, memo to Sponsors, demonstration video, etc.) on the IRB website.

The Office of Clinical Trial Activation (OCTA) is excited to announce that James Sulahian has accepted the role of OnCore Manager effective January 14, 2024.
Infrastructure and Operations
UCSF is instituting a new policy requiring the purchase of Energy Star-certified –80°C ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers and continuing its ULT Freezer Rebate Program. Please contact UCSF Sustainability with questions.
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