Here are three important links for researchers:

• University’s COVID-19 website for important updates and guidance on working, teaching, and learning remotely
• University of Rochester Medical Center website for restrictions, resources, and news
• Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA) site on Coronavirus 2019 resources related to sponsored programs

Over the last few days, there has been a tremendous response from the University research community to the COVID-19 pandemic, including many proposals for research involving COVID-19 subjects and samples.

These activities are a visible demonstration of the strength of our research community.

A central process for evaluating COVID-19 clinical trial and research proposals has been established to:

• minimize confusion among clinical research sponsors as to who will be the UR lead on a trial.
• ensure that competition for research study enrollment does not interfere with clinical care of COVID-19 patients.
• ensure that we do not exceed our bandwidth for participation in COVID-19 trials.

Read more here.

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is participating in a NIH-sponsored clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the investigational antiviral drug remdesivir in hospitalized adults diagnosed with COVID-19. The study is being led by Ann R. Falsey and Angela R. Branche with the Vaccine Trials and Evaluation Unit (VTEU).

Remdesivir, developed by Gilead Sciences, is a broad-spectrum antiviral treatment that has been previously tested in humans with the Ebola virus and has shown promise in animal models for treating Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which are caused by other coronaviruses.  It is believed that the drug blocks a particular enzyme that is required for viral replication.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will involve acute COVID-19 inpatients at Strong Memorial Hospital. The study may be expanded over time to include additional investigational antiviral treatments.

The URMC VTEU was established with support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to conduct clinical trials of vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics for known and emergent infectious threats.  URMC is one of only nine VTEU sites in the U.S.

With support from the Governor’s office, Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program, and Wadsworth Laboratory, the UR Medicine central lab began processing COVID-19 tests on March 16, and employs a method that determines whether a patient has COVID-19 or the flu using a single sample.

UR Medicine labs place a top priority on processing COVID 19 tests for high-risk patients — people who are hospitalized, who live in long-term care facilities or whose health is compromised by other illnesses – where the test result will help to guide their care.

Click here to read more about who needs testing, how testing is done, turnaround times, and what patients should do if they think they are ill with COVID-19.

People with cancer often have weakened immune systems, which make it harder for their bodies to fight off infections like the flu or COVID-19.

Patients who are in active treatment, those who have undergone bone marrow transplants and those who have blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma may be at higher risk from COVID-19.

Patients who are no longer in treatment may still want to be extra cautious as well.

Learn more about precautions patients can take and about setting up appointments at the Wilmot Cancer Institute in this Q&A.

WILMOT LAUNCHES TELEMEDICINE VISITS FOR SOME PATIENTS

Telemedicine is a way to replace in-person clinic visits with phone calls or video-conferencing. Currently, Wilmot’s telemedicine visits only involve phone calls but in the coming weeks, oncologists plan to offer video options, too.

Using telemedicine, when appropriate, encourages social distancing, which could reduce the spread of the virus. This is incredibly important for people with cancer, who often have weakened immune systems and who are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they contract coronavirus.

Learn more in this Q&A about who is eligible, how to set up appointments, how telemedicine is conducted, and related topics.

University experts weigh in on how to combat loneliness and boredom — and how to support your children — as we distance ourselves during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• “In a way we’re stepping back in time a bit because right now we can’t have our fast-paced lives where we are darting from this to that. Families will find that they have a lot more time to spend with each other and that can be a challenge, yes, but also a real opportunity,” says Ronald Rogge, an associate professor of psychology, who joins Harry Reis, professor of psychology and the Dean’s Professor in Arts, Sciences & Engineering, in discussing the psychological consquences of social distancing.
• With schools closed and children staying at home, Rochester school counseling expert Bonnie Rubenstein, professor at the Warner School of Education, describes how parents can provide a supportive environment. “While this is a scary time, it could very well be remembered as one of their best childhood memories,” she says. Read more here.
• Judy Zeeman-Golden, manager of the Pluta Integrative Oncology and Wellness Center, offers ideas for communicating, exercising, meditating, cooking, trying a new hobby, and listening to music. Read more here.

With the move to remote working situations for many employees and the move to online coursework for students, the University’s IT systems, including the phone network, must stay operational and accessible to a larger than normal number of users working simultaneously. To ensure the networks and services continue to run smoothly, IT is requesting that members of the University community adopt the following practices:

REMOTE ACCESS/VPN

VPN is used by faculty, staff, and students to access the University computer network from a remote location. IT is asking users to avoid unnecessary VPN logins.  This will reduce the number of users competing for system resources and help maintain services for critical business use.

As a reminder, for non-Medical Center employees and students, the following do NOT require VPN but may require DUO:   URFinancials, URStudent, O365 email, Gmail (except from China), Blackboard, HRMS, Service Desk, and Microsoft Office.

VOICEMAIL

Check the voicemail reference guides for instructions to retrieve your messages from outside the office. You could also create a secondary voicemail message or update your email signature to let people know when you’re working remotely and to use your mobile or other number to reach you. This can help prevent office voicemail boxes from getting full and unable to accept new messages.

Faculty and staff should not forward their office phone line to an off-campus phone number because this significantly strains the University’s telecommunications system. University IT will need to proactively remove non-essential phone forwards to non-University phones.

Blackboard, Zoom and other instructional strategies for SMD grad faculty will be taught by Sarah Peyre and Lisa Brown in a Zoom session from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. today.

This session will cover:

• Planning and Preparing for Teaching at a Distance
• Getting online
  How do I Offer Live Lectures and Class Meetings?
• Creating your learning environment
  How do I Communicate with my Students?
• Sharing Educational Materials
  How do I Share Content with my Students?
  How do I Pre-Record Lectures for my Students?
• Engaging your Students
  How do I Facilitate Discussions with my Students?
• Testing and Assignments
  How do I Collect Assignments?
  How do I Facilitate Exams or Tests?
  How do I Share Student Grades Confidentially?
• Questions and Answers

Join Zoom Meeting https://rochester.zoom.us/j/950486686

Meeting ID: 950 486 686

ONLINE LEARNING WORKSHOPS

In an effort to better meet the needs of faculty during these disrupting times, the following new zoom workshops have been added to the Online Learning Workshops for University faculty members, graduate students, and other instructors. NOTE: They replace previously scheduled sessions on Tools for Facilitating Synchronous Experiences and Ensuring a High-Quality Experience.

Teaching During Times of Disruption – Part II
This will build on the first TDTD workshop and cover Advanced capabilities in Zoom, Strategies for Online Discussion, Rubrics for Assignments, Peer Review activities, and Facilitating Student presentations.
April 7 – noon -1 pm
April 10 – 10-11 am
April 13 – 4-5 pm

(Click here for a site with more information about Learning During Times of Disruption.)

Moving from Disruption to Online Teaching
This will cover Misperceptions about Online Learning, Online Learning Research, Designing instruction, the Online course template, a faculty guest, and the Advanced Series in Online Teaching for UR faculty.
April 16 -noon-1 pm
April 20 – 10-11 am

Please confirm that audio and video preferences on your computer are enabled prior to the start of the sessions. RSVP here. Questions? Email Adele Coelho.

(In light of the University’s new guidance on Coronavirus —and to help eliminate confusion about the status of upcoming University events during this rapidly evolving situation — Research Connections will not be including any event listings, at least for the short term. The best way to stay up to date on the status of University events is to check events.rochester.edu, which will include cancellations or other changes as they are announced. Thank you for your understanding.)

COMPETITIONS

April 15: Deadline to submit images for the annual Art of Science competition. Read more here.

GRANT DEADLINES

May 1: Deadline to apply for pilot project funding from five programs, through the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. Learn more.

May 3: Deadline to apply for pilot project funding from the Center for Research on Flavored Tobacco (CRoFT) for research to inform FDA regulation of tobacco products. The application should be submitted through the REDCap portal at http://j.mp/39bC1WF. Questions?  Application contact: Jacqueline Attia, WNY_CRoFT@urmc.rochester.edu Scientific/research contacts:  Scott Steele, scott_steele@urmc.rochester.edu or Deborah Ossip, deborah_ossip@urmc.rochester.edu