Research Service Update

1. Research Service Update September 2014

2. Overview • Good news • Hospital news • News from Central Office • Academic affiliation-related news • Research Service Committees’ info • Local Research Service info/reminders • Open discussion

3. Good News • Good News • Dr. Punita Dhawan is joining UNMC Biochemistry Department in October and comes with an active Merit Review from Nashville VA and Vanderbilt. • Rhonda Finch is new employee in RAO. She is research safety committee coordinator. • Congrats to UNO biomechanics group on new NIH COBRE grant! • Other good news or introductions?

4. Hospital news Eileen Kingston is Acting Director

5. In Omaha Aug 2015

6. Time for VA Employee Survey • If you are paid by VA, you should have gotten e-mail with link to employee survey and your job code. • Please complete by September 30. • Chief of Staff expects 60% participation-please help our service achieve this

8. News from Central Office • New CRADO • New Secretary of VA and his blueprint for excellence • Some ORD handbook changes

9. Dr. Timothy O’Leary- new VA CRADO • O'Leary holds a doctorate in physical chemistry from Stanford University and a medical degree from the University of Michigan. He is certified in anatomic pathology by the American Board of Pathology and in molecular genetic pathology by the American Board of Pathology and the American Board of Medical Genetics.  • Prior to his VA service, O’Leary chaired the department of cellular pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology for more than 15 years. He joined VA in 2004, initially as director of Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development, then director of Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development and Clinical Research and Development, then moved to deputy CRADO and director of Clinical Research and Development before becoming acting CRADO last year. •  His own research interests include genomics, proteomics, and ultrasensitive detection of biological toxins. He has served on numerous federal panels and advisory committees, including the Health and Human Services Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee and the Food and Drug Administration Hematology and Devices Panel.

10. Secretary Robert McDonald’sBlueprint for Excellence Strategies • Strategy 1: Operate a healthcare network that anticipates and meets the unique needs of enrolled Veterans, in general, and the service disabled and most vulnerable Veterans, in particular. • Strategy 2: Deliver high quality, Veteran-centered care that compares favorably to the best of private sector in measured outcomes, value, access and patient experience. • Strategy 3: Leverage information technologies, analytics, and models of healthcare delivery to optimize individual well-being and population health outcomes. • Strategy 4: Grow an organizational culture, rooted in VA’s core values and mission, that prioritizes the Veteran first, engaging and inspiring employees to their highest possible level of performance and conduct. • Strategy 5: Foster an environment of continuous learning, responsible risk-taking, and personal accountability.

11. Blueprint for Excellence Strategies (cont) • Strategy 6: Advance a model of healthcare that is personalized, proactive, and patient-driven, and engages and inspires Veterans to their highest possible level of health and well-being. • Strategy 7: Lead the nation in research and treatment of military service-related conditions. • Strategy 8: Support innovation in health services through academic affiliations, information exchange, intergovernmental, public-private, and community-based initiatives. • Strategy 9: Operate and communicate with integrity, transparency and accountability to earn and maintain the trust of Veterans, stewards of the system (Congress, Veteran Service Organizations) and the public. • Strategy 10: Modernize management processes in human resources, procurement, payment, capital infrastructure, and information technology to operate with benchmark agility and efficiency.

12. Research Handbook: Use of VA e-mail • The revised VHA Handbook 1200.15(1) Eligibility for VA Research Support, has been approved for publication.   • The pertinent change was to state that “To the extent possible, VA investigators should use VA email when conducting VA business. VA investigators must comply with all VA privacy and information security requirements. See VA Handbook 6500 …” • The Handbook asks that you make a good faith effort to use your VA email when possible while conducting VA business and at the same time reminds you of your obligation to protect VA and Veterans’ privacy and security.   

13. Use of VA e-mail • There are times when the use of VA email, often with encryption, is truly obligatory – such as to relay Veterans’ identifiable information.    • There are times when the use of VA email is a critical way of identifying yourself as being within the VA.  For example, VA attorneys can only give legal advice to those within the VA.  By using your VA email when communicating with the VA attorneys, you make it clear that you are within the VA.  • There are times when it is ideal to use your VA email, such as when you are in your role as a VA researcher.  This reinforces that you are part of the intramural VA community and helps to remind the world that VA has a research program and we are mindful of our obligation to the taxpayers who support us.      • The revised Handbook can be found by clicking on the following link  1200.15(1) Eligibility for VA Research Support   or the following Web sites: http://vaww1.va.gov/vhapublications/   or  http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/

15. Registration for meetings The use of VA funds for travel to conferences/meetings is being tracked quite closely. Special approvals are needed for meetings with more than about 15 VA attendees nationwide. To determine when to prepare the paperwork for the higher level of review, VA looks at the number of people who pre-register for the meeting in ACES. In order to insure that the paperwork for approving large meetings is initiated in time, it is important that ACES reflects projected attendance at large meetings as early as possible. If ORD doesn’t get the approval for larger meetings and more than 15 want to attend, they will have to decide who does and doesn’t get to go to a research meeting on VA funds. Bottom line: Please warn folks to pre-register for meetings in ACES as early as possible – typically right after registration opens for the meeting. Preregistering in ACES does not obligate you to attend the meeting, but it does serve as an indication to VA when paperwork for approval of more than 15 registrants should be initiated. Note that this only applies to individuals who will be using VA funds (whether research or medical) to support any part of their travel. If you are traveling on VA time, but the travel is funded by a non-VA source, your VA salary while on travel does not count as VA support requiring ACES approval.

16. News from local affiliates-CUMC • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have awarded Mohammed Akhter, Ph.D., P.E., professor of medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine and director of the biomechanics laboratory at the Osteoporosis Research Center, a nearly $600,000 Shared Instrumentation Grant to install the area's first high-resolution 3D X-ray Microscope, the Xradia MicroXCT-200. • The state-of-the-art instrument, which will be housed within the Osteoporosis Research Center at Alegent Creighton Health Creighton University Medical Center, will help further the objectives of six National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded studies and at least six additional users from Creighton, Boys Town National Research Hospital, University of Missouri - Kansas City, University of Nebraska - Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

17. News from local affiliates-UNMC • Practical Flow Cytometry Training Class • Durham Research Center, room 7003Monday, September 29, 2014 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm This class covers principles of flow cytometry technology, application, and using the UNMC Flow Cytometry Research Facility. The class is required of all new users of the facility. There is no charge but registration is required. Please contact the facility director, Phil Hexley, PhD for additional information.

18. News from IACUC

19. Safety committee- Time for annual safety training • Annual safety training due now—access on the Research Service website

20. News from IRB • Hand carry all completed informed consents for research projects to the CRU to be sent to med records for scannning. • Do NOT send completed informed consent documents thru VA mail.

21. NWI Research Service Update Research Compliance Audits September 26, 2014

22. Research Compliance Informed ConsentAnnualAudit Old process • Perform informed consent monitor and report results as a monitor • Deficiencies were corrected • Follow up with annual audit of informed consent documents • Audit Results = 100% Compliance New process • Real-time audit of informed consent documents as consents are received • PIs will be notified in advance of ICD protocol file audit and provided audit guidelines - Audit results will be reported to PI, ACOS and IRB

23. Research Compliance Triennial Audits Human, Animal & Safety Research: • Regulatory audits required at least every 3 years • PIs notified in advance and provided audit guidelines • Auditor will arrange meeting with PI to conduct audit

25. Announcements/Reminders • Time of year to report to ORD/central office about our total research funding. This is based on RDIS page 20s which PIs will be receiving by e-mail. For all R&D approved protocols, you need provide $ expended and what % done on VA time. • Note—this contributes to VERA formula for $s that come to our facility.

26. Reminders • There are increased number of errors (i.e., inaccurate information, blank answers) on protocol paperwork for Initial & Continuing Reviews; Amendments, etc. If you aren’t sure how to complete something, please do not just leave it blank--- ask us for assistance so we can ensure the paperwork is completed accurately. • New Travel system....start process early. Dr. Hudson available to assist.

27. Announcements/Reminders • We are formulating goals for Research Service for the next year– please let me know if you have suggestions. • We will also be doing annual update of Research committees soon with new committee members starting in January—let me know of interests. • We hope that contract for nuclear reactor decommissioning will be awarded soon.

28. Open Discussion .