Seminars & Workshops

There is an urgent need to develop diverse, equitable, and collaborative research teams to improve research impact and health outcomes. However, several barriers remain to achieving this goal, including implementation of strategies for creating an equitable and inclusive research team.

Tufts CTSI invites you to join us for “Fundamentals for Building Inclusive Research Teams” on Friday, March 31  and Friday, April 7, from 11:00AM-12:00PM. This workshop will share practical skills for building collaborative and inclusive research teams.  Participants will learn about fostering teams that welcome diverse identities, working and learning styles, disciplines, and forms of knowledge. The format will involve case studies, presentations, a panel discussion, and reflection/discussion.

Topics covered will include:

• Cultural humility as a basis for equitable collaboration
• Creating, supporting, and sustaining cohesive, equitable, and collaborative research teams
• Leveraging a team’s diversity to improve translational research

Participants will leave with tools and frameworks that will help them implement a plan to operationalize skills learned.

Learning Objectives

After attending this event, participants will be able to do the following as part of dynamic research teams:

• Describe strategies that promote equitable collaboration
• Apply best practices for building diverse, collaborative research teams

Who Should Attend

Investigators with varied research collaboration experience and varied disciplinary interests, as well as research staff and others responsible for supporting collaborative research projects are encouraged to attend.

Details

Friday, March 31, 2023, 11:00AM-12:00PM

Friday, April 7, 2023, 11:00AM-12:00PM

This workshop will be held remotely via Zoom over two separate 1-hour sessions. Registrants should plan to attend both.

Registration

Click here to register. Registration for this workshop closes March 24, 2023.

Tufts CTSI cordially invites you to attend our 2nd Annual Dissemination of Research Results Open House!

This online event, held Wednesday, March 29 at 6:00PM EST, is an opportunity to learn about research happening at Tufts University and Baystate Health. Study participants will also have an opportunity to learn about the results of the study in which they participated. This hour-long event will include two 15-minute presentations given by the researchers. The audience will also have a chance to ask questions following each presentation.

Presenters

Dr. Nancy Baker, Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy, Tufts University | “The Feasibility of Immersive Virtual Reality as a Treatment for Chronic Back Pain”

Dr. Elizabeth Peacock-Chambers, Department of Pediatrics, Baystate Health; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, UMass Chan Medical School | “Assessment of a Train-the-Trainer Model for a Parenting Intervention for Mothers in Recovery”

Details

Live session via Zoom: Wednesday, March 29, 2023, 6:00PM-7:00PM EST 

Registration

Registration is required! Click here to register.

Information

If you have any questions, please contact Stasia Swiadas.

Interested in addiction research? Want to meet collaborators and develop grant proposals?

Join Tufts CTSI for our Addiction Research Symposium Plus on Wednesday, March 13 at Tufts University’s Boston Health Sciences Campus. This interactive event will focus on nascent research projects with the goals of assisting teams to develop research project proposals for future grant submissions and engaging all event participants in team science approaches to further catalyze research ideas.

By the end of this interactive symposium, event participants should be able to:

• Identify common regulatory concerns surrounding the unique populations involved in addiction research.
• Recognize how research teams develop research projects, from concept toward a written funding proposal.
• Identify Tufts CTSI team-based translational science resources that can help advance a research project.
• Articulate the value of gathering peer and expert feedback during the development of fundable proposal.

Selected Proposals

The following projects will be presented and discussed:

• Oxygenating the Addicted Brain Through Aerobic Exercise, Eduardo Fontes, PhD, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences
• Incorporating Acupuncture into the Continuum of Care for People with Severe Opioid Use Disorder, Barbara Herbert, MD, Column Health and Tufts University School of Medicine
• Intranasal Glial-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) Gene Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder, Barbara Waszczak, PhD, Northeastern University Bouve College of Health Sciences; Emmanuel Pothos, PhD, Tufts University School of Medicine
• Salivary Gene Analysis and Brain MRI to Understand Hypothalamic and Reward Pathway Dysregulation Affecting Oral Feeding in Infants with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome, Elizabeth Yen, MD; Jill Maron, MD, and Jonathan Davis, MD, Tufts Medical Center Pediatrics Department

Details

Wednesday, March 13, 9:00AM-3:00PM
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Room 216A
145 Harrison Avenue, Boston MA

Registration

To attend, please register here by March 4, 2019.

Are you utilizing best practices when completing regulatory documents?

Tufts Medical Center and Tufts CTSI Professional Education invite you to join us on September 15 for the next Clinical Research Staff Quarterly Training session. This interactive, live session will highlight best practices for completing and managing regulatory documents for industry-funded clinical trials. We will focus on the regulatory documents that are required before study initiation. You will also learn strategies for keeping a well-organized digital regulatory binder. Plus – participate in a team-based scavenger hunt activity for a chance to win a $5 Dunkin gift card for all team members.

Who Should Attend?

All clinical research staff involved in study start-up for industry-funded trials at Tufts MC are invited.

Featured Speaker

Vidya Iyer, MBBS, CPI, Director of Clinical Research at Tufts Medical Center

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify the required documents for study start up
• Distinguish between FDA-required and sponsor-specific forms
• Discuss tips and tricks for completing regulatory documents
• Utilize best practices for organizing regulatory forms in digital format (“Regulatory Binder”)

Details

Thursday, September 15, 2022
1:00-2:00PM
Live online (a link will be sent to those who register).

Registration

To attend, please enroll here via Tufts CTSI I LEARN by noon on September 15, 2022.

For questions and further information, please email Shane Cox.

Where can you go from here?

Tufts Medical Center and Tufts CTSI Professional Education invite you to join us on May 19 for the next Clinical Research Staff Quarterly Training session.

In this session we feature a panel discussion focused on the variety of traditional and non-traditional careers in clinical and translational research. Hear success stories of Tufts Medical Center research staff. Learn how you can leverage the skills you are developing now into avenues you might not have considered. This will be an interactive session, and we encourage you to send us your questions in advance – we can’t wait to see you there!

Research coordinators and anyone else interested in learning about research career paths are invited to attend.

Learning Objectives

After attending this event, participants should be able to:

• Identify at least three possible career paths for research coordinators.
• Describe the transferable skills developed by working as research staff.
• Identify certifications and other educational options for career advancement.

Details

Thursday, May 19, 2022
1:00-2:00PM
Live online (a link will be sent to those who register).

Registration

To attend, please enroll here via Tufts CTSI I LEARN by noon on May 19, 2022.

For further information, please email Shane Cox.

What is the role of the research coordinator in the clinical trials agreement and budget process? What can hold up study approval?

Tufts Medical Center (Tufts MC) and Tufts CTSI Professional Education invite you to join us on Thursday, January 27, 1:00-2:00PM for the next Clinical Research Staff Quarterly Training session. We will kick off our 2022 series with an interactive session focusing on the clinical research process from the Research Administration perspective.

You will learn how to help Research Administration develop clinical research budgets and complete the Medicare Coverage Analysis. We will walk through an overview of the Medicare Coverage Analysis process and give insight to the process of negotiating Clinical Research agreements. You will also learn how to help your Research Administrator develop budgets, track expenses, and closeout the study from a financial perspective. We will also cover how to utilize the CTMS to improve communication with Research Administration and will preview how upcoming changes in EPIC will affect the pre-registration process for clinical research studies.

Research coordinators, research managers, and anyone involved in study start-up & close-out at Tufts MC are invited to attend. This training will give you the knowledge to confidently navigate the approval process.

Featured Speakers

Olivia Lovegreen, Manager, Clinical Trials and Compliance, Research Administration

Carly Tucker, MPH, Clinical Research Compliance Specialist, Compliance Department

Swetha Chinta, MS, Research Analyst, Tufts CTSI

Learning Objectives

After attending this event, participants should be able to:

• Identify barriers in the startup process.
• Identify methods for improving the startup process.
• Identify what your research administrator needs from you and/or your PI, and when.
• Describe techniques for improving communication with the Research Administration department.

Details

Thursday, January 27, 2022
1;00-2:00PM
Online via Zoom (a link will be sent to those who register).

Registration

To attend, please enroll here via Tufts CTSI I LEARN by noon on January 27, 2022.

For further information, please email Shane Cox.

Tufts Medical Center and Tufts CTSI Professional Education invite you to join them on Zoom on Thursday, December 15 at 1:00PM for the next Clinical Research Staff Quarterly Training session: “Integrating the “Clinical Trials Management System into Your Research Workflow.”

This quarter’s session is all about how research staff can use the Clinical Trials Management System (CTMS) to its full potential. Using the system is a requirement at Tufts MC and it’s designed to address the needs of research staff for activating new clinical studies, tracking clinical progress, and managing financials.

You’ll get a brief overview of the CTMS, then take a deeper look from four different perspectives: clinical research billing review, Research Administration, Research IT, and clinical research coordinator workflow. Learn from your peers in breakout rooms to see live demonstrations of the CTMS in action for different study activities. This is a great opportunity for advanced CTMS users to share their own tips and tricks with their peers, and for newer users to learn how other departments are using the CTMS. Come prepared to discuss your experience with the CTMS in breakout rooms.

Who Should Attend?

All clinical research staff involved in entering clinical trial data through the CTMS at Tufts MC are invited to attend. Both experienced and new users of the CTMS should attend.

Featured Speakers

Swetha Chinta, Research Analyst II, Tufts CTSI

Christian Lawlor, Clinical Research Coordinator III, Neely Cancer Center, Tufts Medical Center

Olivia Lovegreen, Director of Clinical Trials Office & Regulatory Operations, Tufts Medical Center

Danielle Riggs, Executive Director of Research Administration, Tufts Medical Center

Ajay Tupil, Clinical Research Coordinator I, Neely Cancer Center, Tufts Medical Center

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Describe the benefits of using the CTMS
• Identify points in the research process when data should be entered into the CTMS
• Describe the process for entering patient and study data into the CTMS
• Describe how study data entered into the CTMS are used by Research Administration and clinical research billing review

Details

Thursday, December 15, 2022
1:00-2:00PM
Live online (a link will be sent to those who register).

Registration

To attend, please enroll here via Tufts CTSI I LEARN by noon on December 15, 2022.

For questions and further information, please email training@tuftsctsi.org.

The July 2021 Clinical Research Staff Quarterly Training will focus on hot topics in IRB and research compliance.

Big changes are coming to IRB forms and submission processes. Join us on July 15 for the next session of the Tufts Medical Center (Tufts MC) and Tufts CTSI Professional Education Clinical Research Staff Quarterly Training series. You’ll get the inside scoop on what is new, what you will be required to do, and best practices for working with the Tufts IRB. If you are involved in study start-up activities or interact with research participants or IRB submissions, these sessions are for you! These quarterly trainings are also a great way to get connected to the community of clinical research professionals at Tufts MC.

The July session continues our focus on topics in research compliance specific to Tufts MC. Whether you are an experienced coordinator, or new to Tufts MC, there will be something here that is relevant to your work.

Featured Speakers

Christine Choy, IRB Supervisor and Database Administrator

Caitlin Farley, IRB Administrator II

Carly Tucker, Clinical Research Compliance Manager

Featured Topics

Diversity Enrollment, Biospecimen Banking, and More

The IRB office recently updated their forms and templates to reflect new processes to highlight and improve enrollment of diverse populations, their updated Biospecimen banking (formerly tissue banking) policy, and much more. You will learn about all of these changes; which forms, templates, and policies were revised, created, and eliminated; and how these changes will affect current and new studies.

Best Practices for IRB Submissions and Responding to IRB Comments

The IRB office will provide tips and guidance for a smooth and efficient IRB review of your projects. You will learn best practices for submitting studies to the Tufts IRB, responding to comments and requested revisions, and getting your study approved as quickly as possible.

Third Party Vendor Risk Assessment Update

This short update will cover the EVA page for approved research vendors including: where to find the list, how to best understand and use the approved vendors list, and other tips and tricks for this new vendor review.

Who should attend

Clinical research staff are encouraged to attend.

Details

Thursday, July 15
1:00-2:00PM
Online via Zoom (a link will be sent to those who register).

Registration

To attend, please register here.

The May Clinical Research Staff Quarterly Training will focus on hot topics in research compliance.

Tufts Medical Center and Tufts CTSI Professional Education are excited to announce the re-launch of the Clinical Research Staff Quarterly Training series. The first training in the new series will focus on topics in research compliance specific to Tufts Medical Center.

Featured Topics

Clinical Research Pre-Registration

The Clinical Research Pre-Registration (Pre-Reg) form is used for patients coming into the hospital for inpatient or outpatient study visits that are scheduled for ancillary care. You will learn how to complete a Clinical Research Pre-Registration form and the importance of this information as it relates to research billing compliance.

Greenphire Clincard

Greenphire Clincard system is the preferred method for providing compensation or reimbursement to subjects in clinical research studies. We will discuss how to get studies added to Clincard, why the system is the most compliant way to pay research subjects, FAQs around using the system and important things to consider when requesting an alternative method.

Research Third Party Vendor Onboarding and Risk Assessment

Wellforce has recently rolled out a new Third Party Risk Management (TPRM) process including a new TPRM Vendor Onboarding Form. We will discuss when this form should be completed as part of study start-up and how to best complete it as it relates to research.

Who should attend

Clinical research staff are encouraged to attend.

Details

Friday, May 7
1:00-2:00PM
Online via Zoom (a link will be sent to those who register).

Registration

To attend, please register here.

The October 2021 Clinical Research Staff Quarterly Training will focus on sponsor-initiated studies.

Join us on October 21 for the next session of the Tufts Medical Center (Tufts MC) and Tufts CTSI Professional Education Clinical Research Staff Quarterly Training series.

This quarter will be all about sponsor-initiated studies: from study start-up to audits, we will cover tools, resources, tips, and best practices to help you run a successful study. These quarterly trainings are also a great way to get connected to the community of clinical research professionals at Tufts MC.

Featured Speakers

Alyssa Cabrera, MPH, Senior Project Manager, Tufts CTSI

Carly Tucker, MPH, Clinical Research Compliance Manager, Tufts Medical Center

Kimberly Garabedian, IRB Analyst, Tufts Medical Center

Vidya Iyer, MBBS, CPI, Manager, Tufts CTSI Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC)

Featured Topics

The Study Start-up Toolkit

This section will cover how the Study Start-up Toolkit can be used as a resource for getting clinical trials up and running. We will walk you through key sections of the toolkit and how it can support overall trial efficiency. You will walk away with a clear understanding of study start-up and your role in supporting sponsor-initiated studies during this phase.

Being Audit-Ready

Did you know there are a number of resources available to help you maintain audit readiness? The Tufts Health Sciences IRB will discuss best practices for conducting routine self-audits to keep your regulatory files in order and introduce self-auditing tools to ensure your study is always in an audit-ready state! In addition, the Tufts MC Compliance Department will also discuss their audit preparation resources.

Surviving the Sponsor Audit

In this section, we will cover a broad overview of the regulatory bodies that can audit an investigator/site. You will learn some of the major reasons for being audited and the difference between sponsor audit versus a monitoring visit. You get an in-depth review of best practices and tips that will prepare you for sponsor audits.

Who should attend

Clinical research staff are encouraged to attend.

Details

Thursday, October 21, 2021
1:00-2:00PM
Online via Zoom (a link will be sent to those who register).

Registration

To attend, please register here.

You’ve been assigned to train your new peer – now what?

Onboarding a new coworker doesn’t have to be a hassle! Establishing a training plan can help ease the transition for new staff and save valuable time for existing or departing staff. Join Tufts CTSI on Thursday, March 2 to learn practical, generalizable strategies for onboarding new team members. You’ll learn about techniques already in use across Tufts MC and walk away with resources you can put into action immediately. Even if you aren’t hiring right now, this session will provide valuable tools for ensuring that the next new hire on your team is set up for success from the start!

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Identify key resources to share with new staff.
• Describe at least 3 concrete ideas/activities for onboarding your next coworker/peer.
• Create a training plan for new staff within your department/team

Who Should Attend

All research staff are invited to attend!

Details

Thursday, March 2, 1:00PM–3:00PM EST, online via Zoom

Registration

Click here to register.

Want to learn about, or conduct, cancer clinical trials?

Tufts CTSI and the Cancer Center at Tufts Medical Center are hosting a free 20-hour course for fellows, faculty, research team members, and anyone interested in the process of conducting cancer-related clinical trials.

Documents

• Demystifying Cancer Clinical Trials Training Series Outline (PDF)
• Proposed Pre-work on I LEARN (PDF)

Session 1, October 14, 2016

• Session 1 Agenda
• Slides: Differences Between Industry-Sponsored, Industry-Supported, and PI-Initiated Studies (PDF)
• Slides: Oncology Clinical Research Lifecycle (PDF)
• Session 1 Video, Part 1 (mp4 Video)
• Session 1 Video, Part 2 (mp4 Video)

Session 2, November 18, 2016

• Session 2 Agenda (PDF)
• Session 2 Slides (PDF)
• Protocol template (PDF)
• CTEP Protocol Table of Contents (PDF)
• Klein Duvelisib IST Protocol (PDF)
• Session 2 Video (mp4 Video)

Session 3, December 16, 2016

• Session 3 Agenda (PDF)
• Session 3 Slides, Part 1 (PDF)
• Session 3 Slides, Part 2 (PDF)
• Session 3 Video (mp4 Video)

Session 4, February 10, 2017

• Session 4 Agenda (PDF)
• Session 4 Slides (PDF)
• Session 4 Video, Part 1 (mp4 Video)
• Session 4 Video, Part 2 (mp4 Video)
• Session 4 Video, Part 3 (mp4 Video)
• Session 4 Video, Part 4 (mp4 Video)

Session 5, March 24, 2017

• Session 5 Agenda (PDF)
• Session 5 Slides (PDF)
• Session 5 Video, Part 1 (mp4 Video)
• Session 5 Video, Part 2 (mp4 Video)
• Session 5 Video, Part 3 (mp4 Video)

Details

Demystifying Cancer Clinical Trials will take place on Fridays, from 1:00-5:00PM on the Tufts Health Sciences Campus in Boston:

• October 14 (35 Kneeland Street, 8th Floor, Boston)
• November 18 (Tufts University Center for Medical Education, Room 114, 145 Harrison Avenue, Boston)
• December 16 (35 Kneeland Street, 8th Floor, Boston)
• February 10 (35 Kneeland Street, 8th Floor, Boston)
• March 24 (35 Kneeland Street, 8th Floor, Boston)

Course sessions will also be videorecorded and posted on Tufts CTSI’s I LEARN website.

Attendees are encouraged to review other courses on I LEARN prior to the start of Demystifying Cancer Clinical Trials.

Goals

At the conclusion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain how to navigate investigator-initiated clinical trial processes in cancer.
• Discuss how to work with pharmaceutical industries and other for-profit entities.
• Define investigational new drug (IND) and investigational device exemption (IDE) studies and explain how IND/IDE clinical trials are conducted.
• State the Principal Investigator’s responsibilities for leading a clinical trial as well as the responsibilities of the research team.

To Register

To attend, sign up here. Participants are encouraged to attend all five sessions.

Seminar Info

Need a larger sample size for your clinical trial? Interested in increasing research participation from children with diverse backgrounds? Join Tufts CTSI and Children’s National CTSA on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, 8:00AM-5:00PM in Washington DC, Marriott Wardman Park, at an inaugural workshop, Challenges & Opportunities in Pediatric Clinical Trials, designed for pediatric investigators and their teams.

This free, one-day, immersive case-based workshop is the first CTSA hub-sponsored forum for all levels of investigators to reflect on the core competencies expected for today’s pediatric clinical studies. It will take place the day before the Association for Clinical and Translational Science’s Translational Science 2018.

Details

Wednesday, April 18, 8:00AM-5:00PM
Washington Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, DC, Madison Room
(*prior to ACTS Annual Meeting 4/19/18–4/21/18)

Acclaimed training program begins April 18, 2017

Tufts CTSI will host Pfizer’s acclaimed Investigator Training Program (iTP) on April 18-19, 2017.

This unique, two-day, free-of-charge program will empower clinicians to build critical skills required for the recruitment, management, conduct, and reporting of clinical trials. It will examine the entire trial process, from planning stages to trial close-out activities, and will provide practical recommendations for increasing the efficiency of clinical trial conduct at investigative sites.

Led by clinical trial experts, this interactive training will consist of didactic lectures, discussions, and group activities. The iTP is targeted to investigators and the entire clinical study team, including research fellows, coordinators, research nurses, data managers, regulatory, and IRB members. Clinical trial experience (even if limited) is encouraged, though not required.

Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance after completing this International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH)/Good Clinical Practice (GCP) program. This workshop is approved for 16.5 contact hours towards maintaining an Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) certification. Contact hours are applicable to CCRCs, CCRAs and CPIs at an entry-level knowledge base.

This is a popular training, and class size is limited, so please pre-register by no later than April 7. You will receive an official email invitation from Pfizer if you are admitted to the program.

Please note: registration is a two-step process. Once you pre-register with Tufts CTSI, you will receive a formal registration form from Pfizer. You must be registered with Pfizer in order to attend this training and receive certification.

Details

Tuesday, April 18, 7:30AM-5:00PM
Wednesday, April 19, 8:30AM-3:30PM
Registration and continental breakfast begin at 8:00AM.

Tufts Center for Medical Education, Room 114
145 Harrison Avenue, Boston MA

Contact

Questions? Please email info@tuftsctsi.org for assistance.