Update on Clinical and Community Research Activities

May 28, 2021

Dear Research Community Colleagues,

As Chancellor Elliman has stated, starting June 1 there are changes coming to campus.  These changes are not intended to suggest a full return to on-campus operations as of June 1, but rather to help our community navigate a continued steady return of on campus research activities.

With the vaccine becoming more available we are seeing its positive impacts. More than 4,000 people were vaccinated by the campus community in the last two months and vaccine appointments are now readily available in the community.  

For the latest information on COVID-19 and our campus community visit the campus COVID-19 website.  

Access to campus buildings will remain on badge access via external building doors, although there will be increased freedom of movement in the lab-based research buildings once inside.  

Please take a moment and review the updates below as they are specific to our research community effective June 1st:

• Clinical Trials: The oversight of clinical research space is being delegated back to the clinical research space owner to manage in accordance with general campus COVID principles. Similar to the hospital environment, masks will still be required for researchers and participants during face-to-face research activities. There will no longer be the requirement for additional activation approval for clinical research protocols conducted on campus. We will revert back to the routine IRB, hospital and research unit approval process. 
• Community Research: The opening of new community research projects and the continuation of existing community research protocols will continue to be reviewed by the COVID community activation committee but this requirement will be re-evaluated in the coming months.  More details can be found here. 
• Research Labs: The laboratory spaces will not have any specific restrictions on the number of personnel present. However, university distancing and mask requirements for unvaccinated individuals must be followed.  Laboratory spaces must have staffing levels to allow for appropriate distancing for unvaccinated individuals.  
• Vivarium: To correspond with the campus changes, with a few exceptions, OLAR operations will return to pre-COVID procedures. For more detailed information, please see the OLAR updates from April 30 and May 14 located on the OLAR Intranet Site. 
• Occupational Health: Our team will continue performing case investigation and contact tracing. COVID-19 testing will still be available through COVID Check Colorado locations, such as the Aurora Public Schools site.  For contact tracing to be successful, please report any relevant symptoms (regardless of vaccination status), known COVID exposures, or personal COVID testing to our self-reporting form.

Thanks for your continued partnership as we work together and adjust to the improving conditions.

Sincerely,

Thomas Flaig, MD
Vice Chancellor for Research
University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus