R&D April Newsletter

Colleagues,

The arrival of Spring marks the emergence of temperate weather, pollination, and new growth. It also marks the winding down of the academic year including graduation and completion of research projects. To this end, Carilion Clinic Research Day celebrated the plethora of projects that our residents/ fellows and students completed with their respective Principal Investigator/ mentor. During the day, we learned about how our Department of Pharmacy is investigating new dosing paradigms to directly impact patient care. In addition, the new treatment options for depression and pain using low-intensity focused ultrasound and transcranial magnetic stimulation were discussed by our residents and VTCSOM medical students. Lastly, we also learned the important work conducted by Carilion Clinic and Radford University Carilion to detect COVID-19 in our wastewater in Roanoke and Salem VA sewersheds. As you browse the newsletter, I would like for you to read about our new Clinical Research Suite by Dr. Robert Trestman and the accomplishments of our faculty/ staff at the state, national and international levels.

Regards,
Francis X. Farrell, PhD
Senior Director, Research and Development

Memo from Dr. Robert Trestman, Institutional Research Officer

Carilion is rapidly progressing in our efforts to grow patient-centered research. As part of the process, we are pleased to announce the opening of the Riverside 4 Clinical Research Suite (RS4 CRS). This facility will serve as a multi-functional hub supporting clinical research activities. Research personnel will now have access to dedicated research space in the Riverside Complex, allowing for efficiencies in clinical trial coordination and participant experience. The suite will include Study Visit Rooms, a Specimen Processing Lab, and Hoteling Space for Research Personnel.

Study Visit Rooms: The RS4 Clinical Research Suite offers 3 study visit rooms, available by reservation, to accommodate research visits. The study visit rooms must be utilized for visits that can be completed by research personnel such as consent visits, survey and data collection visits, follow up study visits, and assessment visits that can be performed by certified clinical research staff (vital signs, ECGs). Future phases of development may allow for more advanced clinical procedures that require nursing or physician licensing. The RS4 suite is not staffed by clinical personnel during this phase. 

Specimen Processing Lab: In addition to study visit rooms, research personnel will have access to basic specimen processing equipment such as a centrifuge in the specimen processing lab. The specimen processing lab is limited to study teams who have active studies in the RS4 CRS.  

Hoteling Space for Research Personnel: The Clinical Research Suite has two workstations that may be used as hoteling space for research personnel. Study teams who do not have dedicated office space within the Riverside Complex may reserve workstations for use.  

We are delighted to share with you this next step in our development of Carilion’s research capacity. Details on the use of the RS4 Clinical Research Suite are listed below. Don’t hesitate to contact us at  Research@carilionclinic.org for more information or to arrange a visit.

Bob

Riverside 4 Clinical Research Suite Reservations and Fees 

Reservations 

1. A central calendar is set up via Microsoft Outlook, whereby investigators and study teams can reserve research rooms for study visits and workstations for hoteling 
2. The reservation process will be analogous to reserving conference rooms in Microsoft Outlook 
3. Reservations will be managed by R&D 

To make a reservation, contact Research@carilionclinic.org and include the following information: 

• Type of space needed (study visit room or workstation, specimen processing lab does not require reservations) 
• Date needed and duration needed, in hours 
•  Activity code for reservation billing 

 Fees 

1. Reservations will be reviewed for the previous month and related study activity codes will be charged at $50 per hour for exam rooms 
2. Reservations must be made at least 2 business days in advance and are first come, first serve. If it is your first reservation, please reserve at least 1 week in advance to allow for R&D to request badge access for you to enter the suite. 
3. No fee will be charged for hoteling space, but a reservation will be required 
4. Usage fee will apply for cancellations submitted with less than 24 hours’ notice 
5.  Study teams will be instructed to incorporate RS4 exam room fees into study budgets at the time of theinitial R&D application review, if applicable 

Promotions and New Employees
 

Jessica Nichols, B.S. - Clinical Research Coordinator IV

Please join me in congratulating Jessica Nichols for her promotion to the Clinical Research Coordinator IV position. Jessica began her research career in 2009 working as a CRC in Neurology. She transitioned into the Oncology research space in 2011, and worked as a CRC at Blue Ridge Cancer Care until she joined our team last year. Jessica has been ACRP certified since 2015, and she recently graduated from Radford University Carilion (RUC) in May of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Science. She is now pursuing the MSHS/ DHSc Dual Degree program at RUC. Jessica has been instrumental in the development of Carilion’s Oncology Research Program through her role as a preceptor for our newest Oncology CRCs. Congratulations, Jessica!

Nanci Dodson, BS, Clinical Research Coordinator I – Research & Development 

Nanci recently joined our team as a Research and Development Clinical Research Coordinator who will primarily support sponsored clinical trials in the surgery therapeutic area. Nanci had a prior career in the fitness industry and recently changed fields by pursuing a B.S. in Health Promotion, which she completed at the University of Lynchburg this past December. During her time there, Nanci was able to contribute to a handful of health promotion studies as a Research Assistant.

Bailey Steele, B.S. - Clinical Research Coordinator II - Oncology

Bailey Steele joined our team as a CRC II in Oncology last month. She will be working primarily in Surgical Oncology as we navigate opening new trials in that space. Bailey will be graduating in May with her Master of Public Health. She previously worked in qualitative data analysis at UVA Cancer Center Without Walls. She also has experience as a Public Health Ambassador at the New River Valley Regional Commission and as a Medical Assistant at Blue Ridge Pain Management. Bailey minored in horticulture at Virginia Tech and loves all things plants. She also has a blue pit bull, Oliver, who keeps her on her toes by wrestling with the neighborhood groundhogs.

Shannan Postell, M.S., Pharm.D. - Clinical Research Coordinator II - Oncology

Shannan Postell joined our team as a CRC II in Oncology last month. She will be supporting Pediatric Oncology as we work to expand outside of COG and into the industry sponsored space. Shannan earned her Doctor of Pharmacy and M.S. in Clinical Research from Campbell University in 2014 and has worked in retail pharmacy for over 15 years. She is now looking to make a chance and transition into clinical research. Shannan recently moved to Roanoke from Raleigh, NC, and she spends most of her free time with her one-year-old daughter and two Boston Terriers, Salt and Pepper. 

Rebecca (Becca) Butterworth, B.S. - Clinical Research Assistant

Becca supports Carilion Mental Health. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise. She came to R&D with a strong clinical background. Her work at Carilion Clinic providing direct patient care as a Clinical Associate provides valuable experience as she assumes research responsibilities.

Abigail Crawford, B.S. - Clinical Research Assistant

Abigail supports Carilion Mental Health. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Bridgewater College. Her minor was in Psychology. At Bridgewater, she engaged in undergraduate bench research and worked as a Lab Assistant and Social Media Assistant.

Carilion Clinic TriNetX Virtual Training Schedule

Carilion offers instructor-led, focused training for an in-depth, step-by-step learning experience building patient cohorts and delving into Analytics. The facilitator will be Dee Myers. Please get in touch with HART@carilionclinic.org with the subject of 'TriNetX Training' for training outside of the scheduled sessions. If you haven’t taken a class or need a refresher, this is your opportunity to do so!  Let Dee Myers know which date you prefer and she will send a meeting invitation.

• Apr 19 from 1:30-3pm
• May 9 from 10:30am – 12pm
• May 25 from 1:30-3pm

For more information visit: https://carilionclinic.org/health-analytics-research-team

Research Position Openings

Current opening in Research & Development:

Clinical Research Coordinator (Cardiology)
https://jobs.carilionclinic.org/job/Roanoke-Clinical-Research-Coordinator-%28Cardiology%29-VA-24014/987389300/