Updated Requirement for Face-to-Face Human Subjects Research – Feb. 2021
The Chancellor has decreed that all members of the University community who have a regular presence on campus must participate in weekly COVID testing. In addition to increased COVID testing, the University has reduced public access to certain areas to strengthen the ‘bubble’ around our campuses to slow the transmission of COVID-19.
Researchers conducting research with human subjects are encouraged to design their studies to be conducted remotely if at all possible as this is the safest approach for our research participants, researchers and the university community. For those studies which cannot be conducted remotely, face-to-face human subjects research may be allowed on a case-by-case basis if it is determined that it can be conducted safely, and all participants either participate in the University’s COVID testing program or provide documentation that they’ve had a negative PCR or antigen test no more than 72 hours prior to being on campus. It is recommended that researchers limit research participants to those individuals who are already on campus and participating in the University’s COVID-testing program. Limited approvals for participants outside of the university COVID-testing program may be given under other circumstances (outside PCR or antigen test within 72 hours prior to campus visit). The full guidance available at COVID-19 Guidance for Researchers has been updated to include this new requirement.