Clinical Sciences Core

Mission of the Clinical Sciences Core

The Tennessee Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) is located in the Southeastern US, the region with both the greatest number of new HIV-1 infections, and of persons living with HIV. This CFAR’s institutional and community environment is rich in opportunity, and with a culture of engagement and collaboration. The Clinical Sciences Core will fill major gaps in the local research environment, and in so doing supports the mission of the Tennessee CFAR to reduce the burden of HIV/AIDS, as well as other goals of the nationwide CFAR program.

 

Specific Aims of the Clinical Sciences Core

  1. To propel the use of robust observational databases for hypothesis-driven clinical and translational research across disciplines focused on reducing the overall burden of HIV/AIDS.

  2. To support investigators with research projects that require access to study volunteers, and associated biological specimens.
  3. To create new opportunities for clinical and translational research at Meharry Medical College, as well as cross-institutional opportunities, and to facilitate Meharry investigator access to such opportunities.

 

Services offered by the Clinical Sciences Core

  • Access to:

  1. Databases representing human participants
  2. Study volunteers
  3. Specimens from human participants
  4. Consultation in study design
  5. Regulatory support

  • Services involving study participants:

  1. Recruitment, eligibility determination, enrollment
  2. Consultation in study implementation and logistics
  3. Consultation on case report form design and data collection
  4. Participant management
  5. Adverse event reporting
  6. Coordinating nursing, clerical, lab, and data management

  • Services involving specimen processing/archiving:

  1. Processing for archiving plasma, PBMCs, and other specimens
  2. Tracking storage location of samples
  3. Distributing specimens

  • Services involving regulatory support includes:

  1. Preparing IRB documents
  2. Handling IRB and other regulatory requirements
  3. Maintaining regulatory documents
  4. Meeting with monitors to review study performance
 

To start a request for projects involving databases and repository specimens:

Click on the following link to download Data and Specimen Request Form

 

To start a request for projects involving study participants and prospective enrollment:

Click here, log in, and select "Initiate Request" for a Clinical Sciences Core consultation.

 

Contacts

For projects involving databases:

Megan Turner​ (megan.turner@vumc.org)

 

For projects involving participant management:

Beverly Woodward (beverly.o.woodward@vumc.org)

Phone: 615-936-8516