On June 15, school leadership led a townhall meeting on restarting clinical and community-based research. View slides below.
View slide presentation
Pitt Public Health faculty who run research labs have received all of the paperwork and instructions for re-starting their non-COVID related lab research. (COVID-related lab research has been ongoing throughout the shutdown.) From the time each PI submits the associated paperwork it’s an estimated one-week timeline before the re-start process can be completed and the lab work will be able to resume. Any questions should be directed to departmental administrators. All staff and students returning to the lab will be contacted to confirm their consent, and will be ensured at least one week’s notice before returning. Many thanks to the school committee that developed all of the plans and processes.
Processes for re-starting clinical and community-based research are also underway, but because of potential protocol modifications these projects will require additional IRB review before re-start and the timeline will be a bit longer than for laboratory research.
All research that is normally performed in offices will continue to be done remotely at this time.
Please contact Velpandi Ayyavoo (velpandi@pitt.edu), Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs, with questions about research restart plans.
See also: www.svcresearch.pitt.edu/pitt-researchers/research-restart
OPERATIONS AND FACILITIES
All faculty and staff whose jobs can be performed remotely will continue to work from home at this time. Individuals who need brief access to their offices to retrieve materials or equipment should contact their department administrator, who can arrange timed access.
The University and our school are embedding infection prevention and control into everything we do. Specific approaches to minimize the risk of infection on campus will involve multiple strategies based on established public health guidance and validated by our Healthcare Advisory Group. The building has been “de-densified” for the return of lab staff, with bathroom modifications and furniture changes. There will be further modifications before the start of fall classes. IMPORTANT: water fountains have been turned off. Lab staff working in the building will need to bring their own beverages.
Please contact Renae Brinza, Associate Dean for Administration and Finance, with specific operations and facilities questions (brinza@pitt.edu).
6/15/2020