Position: Research Personnel

Topic: Career Development

Description:

The Center for Clinical and Translational Science has organized a comprehensive educational certificate program for UIC research staff involved in human subjects research [clinical and translational, community-based and/or social/behavioral research].

Primary Audience: New and/or experienced Research Coordinators, Research Specialists, or Staff who work on research projects that involve human subjects, targeting those with project, personnel and/or grants management responsibilities.

Program Goals:

• Offer opportunities for training and professional development for research coordinators and other staff that will add value as they advance their careers at UIC.
• Increase knowledge and self-efficacy of research staff in performing their job responsibilities.
• Provide a seal of approval that Principal Investigators recognize as representing minimal competence when hiring and promoting research staff.
• Communicate standards and best practices for the responsible conduct of research specific to the roles and responsibilities of research coordinators at UIC.

Elements of the RC+ Certificate Program:

• Proof of CITI Trainings
• Complete online course modules
• Attend Best Practice Hour seminars
• Attend Master Classes

*Certificate program is ONLY open to Research Staff at UIC.

Position: Research Personnel, Graduate Students, Pre & Post-Doctoral Trainees, Faculty

Topic: Research Ethics

Description:

Informed Consent for Vulnerable Populations in Clinical Research: Balancing Protection, Access, and Equity

This talk explores the ethical and regulatory challenges of obtaining informed consent from vulnerable populations in clinical trials. It will discuss strategies to ensure ethical enrollment while balancing the need for scientific rigor, equitable access to research, and participant protection. Attendees will gain insights into regulatory frameworks, risk-benefit considerations, and best practices for fostering inclusivity in clinical research.

Speakers: 

Ryan Nguyen, DO
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Precision Oncology Program Lead

&

Meredith Russell, BS, CCRP
Associate Director of Clinical Research Operations, Clinical Trials Office
University of Illinois Cancer Center

Clinical Research Investigators Seminar Series (CRISS): This training seminar series is intended to provide faculty and other investigators with information and skills needed to conduct clinical research at UIC at all stages of a study’s lifecycle.

Contact: Sudeshna De, Lawrie Zhang, ccts-training@uic.edu

Position: Research Personnel, Graduate Students, Pre & Post-Doctoral Trainees, Faculty

Topic: Career Development

Description:

This seminar will cover the following topics: 

• Identify need/opportunity for transition
• Prioritize tasks associated with leaving a position and institution
• Describe strategies to enhance knowledge of the new organization and establish priorities
• Establish goals to be accomplished early
• Avoid common pitfalls
• Describe methods of building new collaborative relationships and effective teams

Speaker: 

Archana Chatterjee, MD, PhD
Dean, Chicago Medical School
Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs,
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Contact: Sudeshna De, Lawrie Zhang, ccts-training@uic.edu

Position: Research Personnel

Topic: Community Engagement

Description:

This 2-day workshop is designed to increase research coordinators’ knowledge and felt experience surrounding the complexities of community partnerships in academic research.

When: Wednesday, May 28th from 1 PM - 3 PM and Thursday, May 29th from 1 PM- 3 PM

Register for Zoom link! 

*The program will be recorded, and the recording will be made available to registrants for this seminar

Contact: Sudeshna De, ccts-training@uic.edu

Position: Research Personnel

Topic: Research Ethics

Description:

The CCTS Master Class seminar series helps clinicians, research coordinators/specialists and other health research personnel develop a better understanding of conducting human subjects research at UIC. These immersive training workshops enable participants to implement best practices for human research subject protection, recruitment, study conduct, and data safety/security.

The Master Class on Informed Consent will be held over 2 days, about 2 hours per day, and is designed to increase research coordinators’ knowledge and confidence regarding the informed consent document and process.

When: Wednesday, August 27th, from 1 PM - 3 PM and Thursday, August 28th, from 1 PM - 3 PM 

Register for Zoom link! 

*The program will be recorded, and the recording will be made available to registrants for this seminar

Contact: Sudeshna De, Lawrie Zhang, ccts-training@uic.edu

Position:

Topic: Human Subject Protections

Description:

CIRTification: Community Involvement in Research Training is a human research protections training program designed especially for community partners. If you will be involved in research and responsible for recruiting research participants, obtaining informed consent, or collecting data, this training is for you.  This course will cover:

• Introduction to Research: The basic terminology, activities, and people involved in research and various ethical considerations.
• Research History: Some research abuses that have happened in the past and the rules we have now to prevent those abuses.  This module also introduces the goals of community engagement in research and the important responsibilities shared by community research partners.
• Eligibility & Recruitment: The importance of adhering to study inclusion/exclusion criteria and best practices identifying and recruiting research participants.
• Informed Consent: The key components of informed consent, the kinds of information included in the consent form, how to respond to participants’ questions about enrollment and withdrawal, and discussion of practical challenges and good practices.
• The Institutional Review Board: The people on the IRB, the process of submitting to the IRB, and the criteria that IRBs apply to the review of research.
• Collecting & Protecting Data: How to protect participant privacy and keep data safe and confidential during collection, transport, and storage.
• Handling Issues in the Field: What do to if you suspect a co-worker of falsifying data, run into a study participant outside of work, and get challenging questions from study participants.

Position: Graduate Students, Pre & Post-Doctoral Trainees, Faculty

Topic: Career Development

Description:

Successful career development grants need a strong research concept, a solid career development plan, and skillful writing. CCTS Grant Writing Coaching Groups can help support you! Modeled after successful formats from the National Research Mentoring Network, these small groups are geared toward senior postdocs writing K99/R00 proposals and junior faculty writing other types of K grants. (Other types of career development proposals are also welcome.) With support from peers and a senior faculty coach with NIH reviewing experience, 4-5 participants will work together to refine their Specific Aims pages, sketches, and career development/training plans.

Current meetings are on Wednesdays at 11 AM (5 openings) via Zoom.

Eligibility:

To participate, you must

• Be a senior postdoc or junior faculty member planning to submit a K99, other types of K proposal, or similar career development proposals like AHA or ALA.
• Have an aims page drafted (no matter how rough)
• Have identified a primary mentor
• Planning to submit a proposal for deadlines in June 2025 (or October 2025) 

Sign up for a Group starting in February!

Position: Research Personnel

Topic: Clinical Research

Description:

Gain the necessary skills to be MVP of your clinical study team!

This day and a half long in-person workshop is designed to equip health research staff new to UIC and/or to clinical research with fundamental knowledge and hands-on clinical skills essential for success in human subject research. Through a mix of  didactic sessions and interactive workshops, participants will gain practical expertise to navigate the research environment confidently.

Designed for:

• New UIC research staff
• Experienced professionals starting out in clinical research

Time Commitment:

May 1, 2025, 8:30am - 4:00pm
May 2, 2025, 8:30am - 12:30pm

Investment:

$25 payable by UIC account (CFOP) or credit card only.

Cost includes light breakfast on both days and lunch on day 1.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Our system includes a check payment option by default. This option is not currently available.

Workshop Overview

Day 1: Foundations & Hands-on Training

AM Session: Engaging sessions on key topics in human subject research

PM Session: Hands-on skills training in three specialized workshops (participants may select two):

• Clinical Research Skills Lab: Hands-On Training in Phlebotomy, Vital Signs & Data Collection
• Informed Consent Workshop: Essential skills for obtaining informed consent
• Recruiting Participants Made Easy: Strategies and best practices for participant recruitment

Day 2: UIC-Specific Research Training

Focused sessions covering UIC-specific policies, procedures, and resources for human subject research

Contact:

Sudeshna De, Lawrie Zhang, ccts-training@uic.edu

Position: Research Personnel

Topic: Drug Discovery

Description:

This presentation will provide an overview of the services offered by the Investigational Drug Service (IDS) and their roles in supporting clinical investigations.

Speaker: 
David Chan, PharmD, PhD
Coordinator, Investigational Drug Services
Clinical Assistant Professor, Retzky College of Pharmacy
University of Illinois Chicago

RC+ Program: Core Competency #3: Medicines Development and Regulations

Contact: Sudeshna De, Lawrie Zhang, ccts-training@uic.edu

Position: Research Personnel

Topic: Clinical Trial Operations/Finances

Description:

Adverse Events/Serious Adverse Events & Unanticipated Problems Identification & Documentation

The Best Practice Hour (BPH) is a series sponsored by the University of Illinois Cancer Center and the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Each session will explore best practices for one aspect of conducting human subjects research (HSR).

OBJECTIVES:

1. Identify how GCPs protect research participants
2. Define adverse event (AE)
3. Define criteria for a serious adverse event (SAE)
4. Specify Research team members’ responsibilities for managing AE/SAE
5. Identify criteria for Prompt Reporting to the IRB
6. Identify minimum criteria for SAE reporting to the FDA and/or sponsor

Speaker: 
Lisa Lindemann, BSN RN
Senior Clinical Research Coordinator
Center for Clinical and Translational Science

RC+ Program:
Core Competency #4: Clinical Trial Operations

Contact: Sudeshna De, Lawrie Zhang, ccts-training@uic.edu

Position:

Topic: Biomedical Informatics/Data Science

Description:

QUICKSet, or “Query UIC Knowledge Set,” is the CCTS Biomedical Informatics Core built version of the i2b2 (Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside) framework. The purpose of this tool is to allow researchers to access de-identified clinical data from the UI Health system to obtain aggregate patient counts. QUICKSet can facilitate a study by helping researchers to quickly establish the feasibility of carrying out a research study or clinical trial, work through hypothesis creation by continually modifying their own searches, and to identify potential cohorts for clinical trials.

Completion of this training module is required to gain access to the QUICKSet system. To request a consultation or supplementary service at CCTS, please visit Research Ally.