Research and Sponsored Programs

Research and COVID-19 Response

 

As TWU continues to closely monitor the outbreak of coronavirus disease and has put steps into place to minimize the impact of COVID-19, the Provost continues to work with the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for the safety of our faculty, students, research subjects, and staff involved in the research enterprise at TWU. A general policy for re-opening research at TWU has been established and is being updated as needed based on the current COVID-19 situation. The overall goal is to allow researchers on/from the Denton, Dallas, and Houston campuses to carry on with their important work while keeping TWU faculty, staff, and students safe. This plan is dependent on current CDC, state and local guidelines and may be altered if the COVID-19 situation worsens or if guidelines change and any individual who is sick or experiencing symptoms should not come to campus. Between June 1 and August 17, TWU will be in Stage II, Part 2 of this plan.

• General Policies for Re-opening Research at TWU (updated July 20, 2020)
• Reopening Research Labs Checklist 
• Social Distancing in Research Labs Factsheet (June 24, 2020)
• Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Human Subjects Research

Human Subjects Research

Investigators conducting human subjects research have been notified that all face-to-face human subjects research must be halted to ensure the safety of the study participants and researchers. During this time, face-to-face meetings and interventions must be stopped or replaced with alternatives such as phone or video conferencing using tools such as Skype/Google Hangout/Zoom or online survey software. The IRB, in partnership with IT Solutions, has developed a document to provide guidance with possible online / virtual alternatives. 

As of August 3, 2020, face-to-face human research studies in which Covid-19 risk can be mitigated to a minimal level may resume if a PI has modified the IRB protocol to add the risk of Covid-19 exposure to the procedures and consent form, included necessary safety measures, and re-consented new or continuing participants. A guidance for minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in human subjects research can be found here. Studies where the Covid-19 risks cannot be mitigated, or are not modified to address risks associated with Covid-19, cannot resume face-to-face procedures at this time. This guidance is in effect for all TWU campuses, Denton, Dallas, and Houston.

These guidances are highly dependent on ongoing updates to federal, state, local, and institutional policies related to physical distancing and allowed activities and based on continuous monitoring of the guidelines. Any changes to study procedures must be approved in advance by the IRB. By working remotely, the TWU IRBs plan to remain fully functional, and you may contact Ms. Sandy Owens (Denton and Dallas IRB Analyst) @ sowens6@twu.edu or Dr. Madhura Maiya (Houston IRB Analyst) @ mmaiya@twu.edu with questions.

Student Creative Arts and Research Symposium

While in-person events for the 2020 Student Creative Arts and Research Symposium were cancelled in response to the Coronavirus pandemic to ensure the safety of the TWU community, the 2020 Student Creative Arts and Research Symposium program has been completed and the Chancellor’s Student Research Scholars were selected and received their awards. The program is available on the Student Symposium website and highlights the student scholars and their work. Students who submitted abstracts and were accepted to the Symposium have also been invited to place their research in the Library archives.

Over the past years, we have honored students, both artists and scholars, who have since gone on to fulfill the promise they first demonstrated at these Symposiums. These students have become researchers, teachers, artists, health care providers, and working professionals contributing to society and serving as positive role models as graduates of TWU. The Symposium Planning Committee continues to strive to provide opportunities for all students to share their scholarly pursuits and build leadership and other professional skills, and celebrate student-mentor achievements in a way that promotes a culture of scholarship and community at TWU. Please watch for more information about the 2021 Student Creative Arts and Research Symposium.

ORSP Staff

The staff in Research and Sponsored Programs are committed to assisting our researchers. We are communicating with each other as well as faculty, staff, and students. All of us are set up with remote access so that proposal submissions, grant management, and compliance-related tasks can continue. Please contact us via email and let us know how we can help during this time.

Thank you all for your cooperation and patience as we work through this together.

Page last updated 2:20 PM, January 8, 2021