Research August 2023 Newsletter

Colleagues,

The end of Summer and commencement of Fall signals activities such as leaf raking, football, world series games, and crisp clear days to replace the smoldering heat and humidity of Summer. For many of you, Fall is your favorite time of the year. The theme of this month’s newsletter is people. You will read about individuals taking on expanded responsibilities through promotion and new hires starting their research career at Carilion Clinic. You will also meet two of our newest researchers to discuss their work and its impact on our patients and community.  Through our association with iTHRIV, you can listen to Virginia Tech Professor Margie Lee, DVM, MS, PhD discuss her personal journey to her present position at the VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine. Lastly, I would like to welcome our new residents, fellows, and VTCSOM medical students as they start their chapter at Carilion Clinic.

Regards,

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

A Message from Dr. Robert Trestman

Over the last month, a group of us here at Carilion Clinic have been meeting to address barriers to successful research. We have begun to focus on a range of opportunities that we recognize are potential speed bumps or barriers to efficient research implementation. You will be hearing more about these efforts as our group addresses some of these challenges. These topics include, for example, challenges to data storage and sharing, expanding access to research participation, optimization of research protocols, and collaboration with those from other institutions. It's an exciting time here at Carilion as we work to vigorously expand our research portfolio and elevate both the number and scope of research studies conducted here in support of improving patient care and outcomes.

The Voices in Clinical and Translational Science Seminar Series is designed to lift underrepresented voices in research across the iTHRIV partnership.

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.

• Sept 7 from 10:30am – 12pm
• Sept 19 from 10:30am – 12pm
• Oct 12 from 10:30am – 12pm
• Oct 25 from 1:30 – 3pm
• Nov 15 from 10:30am – 12pm
• Dec 13 from 1:30 – 3pm

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

New Employees
 

Leila Zavar, BS, Clinical Research Coordinator I – Research & Development

Leila is a new centralized R&D Clinical Research Coordinator on our team who will initially focus on supporting Surgery and Dermatology clinical trials. She is a new Virginia Tech graduate in Clinical Neuroscience, and comes to us with undergraduate research and clinical shadowing experience.

Sydnee Moses, BS, Clinical Research Coordinator II - Oncology

Sydnee Moses joined our Oncology research team at the beginning of August and will serve primarily in our Pediatric Oncology Department. Sydnee comes to us from Virginia Tech (VT), where she studied Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise as well as Psychology. Prior to joining our team, she worked as the Head Assistant Researcher at the Mukherjee Lab at VT, where she honed her skills conducting pre-clinical trials and managing a team of undergraduate research assistants. In her free time over the past 2 years, Sydnee has worked to develop a successful business of her own, and we are excited about the unique skillset she brings to our team.

Research Position Openings

Current opening in Research & Development:

Regulatory Affairs Specialist – Research and Development  (hybrid)

The Regulatory Affairs Specialist will support clinical trials at Carilion Clinic in a variety of therapeutic areas. Basic responsibilities include supporting research physician-investigators and clinical research coordinators with guidance on research policies and processes, IRB submissions, and regulatory document collection/maintenance. This position will work under the supervision of the Regulatory Affairs Manager within the Department of Research and Development. This position requires frequent communication with clinical research personnel, including investigators, research coordinators, IRB personnel, sponsors, clinical research organizations, and students throughout the study life cycle. Candidate must be able to work within time constraints, keep abreast of external regulatory requirements and changes, and manage multiple priorities.

My Project Path:

Resources and Processes for Research, Grants, and QA/QI

Want to do a project, but don’t know where to start? Or, experienced but want to see what new resources are available?

To learn about Carilion’s resources and processes for Research, Grants and QA/QI, visit https://redcap.link/MyProjectPath.  This tool provides easy navigation to topics of interest, including links to the Research and Development Application and the IRB PRIS3M application.

* Carilion Clinic Research and Development is honored to partner with a growing list of prestigious national and statewide research centers and healthcare organizations. Find out more about our collaborative research initiatives; explore our unique public-private partnerships with the Virginia Tech Carilion (VTC) School of Medicine, Virginia Tech, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Radford University Carilion, and others. Connect with our team to discuss opportunities to collaborate with our experts or become a participant.