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Coronavirus Information

Research Community Updates

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Research Community Updates

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As we face unprecedented research interruptions, we're amazed by this community's ingenuity, resilience, and adaptability. By leveraging collective resources and creativity, we know our researchers will continue conducting cutting-edge work. 

UCLA clinical trial tests anti-viral drug remdesivir and other therapies against COVID-19. Read the full story →

Information for Research Areas

General →

COVID Donations →

COVID Funding →

Clinical Research →

General Updates for the Research Community

UCLA Undergraduate Student Researchers: COVID-19 Protocols

  • UCLA students who had worked in a laboratory prior to the research ramp down either as a volunteer or for course credit can return to the same lab for in-person research after registering with the UCLA Health Volunteer Services Office and after the PI adds the student to an approved Operational Plan. Registration is required regardless of whether a student will receive course credit for their work or will work as a volunteer without course credit.
  • Other UCLA students (those without prior experience) cannot perform research on campus at this time, according to policies provided by the UCLA Chancellor's Office. Whenever possible, faculty are encouraged to engage UCLA undergraduates in remote activities, including bioinformatics research, literature surveys, assistance with grant preparation, etc. This current restriction against in-person research will be re-evaluated regularly by the Chancellor's Office and following guidance from the LA County Department of Public Health.
  • Non-UCLA student volunteers cannot perform in-person research on the UCLA campus at this time.
  • Paid staff, including paid lab helpers, are currently permitted in research labs if they are included on approved Operational Plans.
  • Clinical research volunteers cannot work on campus at this time. This restriction is being re-evaluated regularly. Visit the UCLA Health Volunteer Services Office to access the UCLA Health Sciences Volunteer Pre-Screening Process. 

New COVID-19 Research Governance Structure

As part of an academic medical center, our strengths in basic, translational and clinical research position us to make a transformative and enduring impact on the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this, we must take a targeted and prioritized approach to developing and scaling our COVID-19 research programs. To this end, DGSOM has implemented a new COVID-19 Research Governance Structure to facilitate strategic, prioritized allocation of financial resources, biospecimens, PPE and research facilities. This infrastructure will be led by a central Oversight COVID-19 Research Committee (OCRC), chaired by Dr. Owen Witte, Director of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center.

There are five task forces with deep expertise in specific domains that will report up to the OCRC for research related to COVID-19. Learn more →

  1. Clinical research
  2. Basic science research
  3. Biospecimen use
  4. High-containment use
  5. Health data oversight

COVID-19 Donations

COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FUND

Support research into the pathogenesis and transmission of the coronavirus family, including COVID-19. Los Angeles is the frontline of community transmission. Scientists and medical and public-health professionals have been preparing for such a pandemic and are working together creatively to tackle this novel pathogen, learn from it, beat it, and prevent new outbreaks in Los Angeles and around the world.

GIVE NOW →

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) donations

While PPE supplies at UCLA remain adequate to cover our current and future needs, we would like to collect additional PPE to be ready for a possible surge in cases. We are collecting re-usable, plastic, cleanable goggles, safety glasses, and face masks for our health care enterprise (example). We are also collecting procedural/surgical masks, N95s, gowns, gloves, face shields, Sani wipes and hand sanitizer. If your laboratory has any that can be spared, please bring them to the BSRB/OHRC Loading Dock Receiving Room or the MRL Loading Dock Receiving Room, Monday - Friday, 7 am - 3 pm. Please do not forward this request to external colleagues as we are not seeking outside donations at this time. Please contact COVID19ppesupport@mednet.ucla.edu with any specific questions.

Clinical Research

Clinical Trials Monitoring

For clinical research studies where a study sponsor is obligated by the FDA to monitor study source records, sponsors may now be provided monitoring capability through one of three mechanisms:

  • Remote monitoring through HealthLink (a module within UCLA’s CareConnect Electronic Health Records System) for CareConnect related source records, and UCLA’s secure instance of Box.com for source/study documents not stored in CareConnect; Remote monitoring through HealthLink requires a Remote Monitoring Agreement and budget allocations for applicable Remote Monitoring Set-Up and Provisioning Fees, which have been standardized to streamline remote monitoring setup and mitigate negotiation. Find additional information (including appropriate points of contact) here. 
  • Remote monitoring through UCLA’s secure instance of Zoom video conferencing facilitated by the principal investigator and research team.
  • Safe and compliant on-site monitoring facilitated by the principal investigator and research team as outlined by applicable UCLA visitor, safety and research ramp-up procedures and/or policies defined Campus Policies and Guidelines, for non-UCLA Personnel visiting campus space.

New COVID-19 Clinical Research Inbox

Email for COVID-19 clinical research
The UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) has established a dedicated “help desk” email (ClinicalResearchC19@mednet.ucla.edu) to capture and facilitate inquiries related to conducting clinical research during the COVID-19 outbreak and specific COVID-19 clinical research. The team supporting this mailbox includes representatives from the CTSI Office of Clinical Research, IRB and the Office of Contract and Grant Administration (OCGA).

Email address: ClinicalResearchC19@mednet.ucla.edu

COVID-19 clinical trials update

Under the guidance of the DGSOM-CTSI COVID-19 Clinical Research Task Force, the UCLA health system, CTSI and the DGSOM are mobilizing a systemwide strategy to understand pathogenesis, infection, transmission, containment and mitigation of COVID-19. We now have four clinical trials open, including a tocilizumab study that opened over the weekend. There are 10 more in the pipeline, including two (and possibly more) outpatient randomized trials, one for post-exposure prophylaxis and one for treatment of mild disease. UCLA also will be kicking off its convalescent serum program this week, starting by creating an online registry of COVID+ recovered patients who no longer have symptoms.

COVID-19 clinical research registration and support

For those who have clinical research interests related to COVID-19, a DGSOM-CTSI Clinical Research Task Force has been created to prioritize, coordinate and facilitate COVID-19 clinical research. To aid this process, the CTSI has created a study registration form: Covid-19 New Study Registration

For staff with some capacity and time to contribute to COVID-19 clinical research, CTSI has also created a new registration form to be included in a pool for participation in COVID-19 research: Covid-19 Study Staff Support Registration.


As of March 16, 2020, the policy on human research visits at UCLA campuses is that in-person research visits should NOT be conducted unless: 1) the specific research visit provides an immediate benefit to a participant’s health and/or well-being, or 2) the visit is part of the course of ongoing clinical care (the policies for routine and elective visits are also undergoing review by UCLA Health). This update is based on NIH guidance issued on March 16, as well as statements issued by the Surgeon General, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and California Governor Newsom. We encourage you to continuously monitor and read your emails as these guidelines may change as things evolve.

Click here for specific examples that are provided as a guide to help principal investigators, participants, and participant care providers determine suitability of in-person research visits. These determinations and the balance of potential benefits and harms will vary by study objectives, target patient population, and may change as the COVID-19 outbreak evolves. (The examples are not intended to be comprehensive of all study types.)

Additional Resources

  • Guidance from NIH
  • For additional information, please go to the CTSI ResearchGO website and the Office of the Human Research Protection Program website
  • For questions related to the Clinical Translational Research Center, please call 310-825-5225 and/or email CTRCServices@mednet.ucla.edu
  • For questions related to the Office of Clinical Research, please call 310-794-8119 or email OCRAdminTeam@mednet.ucla.edu
  • For general questions or help with navigation, please email OCRNavigation@mednet.ucla.edu

How to Escalate Issues

To ensure bi-directional communication is open, accurate and able to quickly solve problems that arise, please raise any questions or concerns through the normal channels (lab members to PI, PI to Dept. Chair, Dept Chair to Vice Dean of Research). If at any point you do not receive a response within 24 hours, please escalate to the next level. We will likewise make sure to communicate back through these same channels as any new developments arise.

Campus Guidance

The recently sent campus-wide message from Roger Wakimoto, Vice Chancellor for Research at UCLA, includes a lot of helpful information about what to think about in developing your preparedness plans. It also contains guidance for clinical researchers, including a link to a valuable CTSI webpage. We encourage you to read it.

Additionally, please visit the UCLA CTSI Research Go COVID-19 INFO page for more detailed information.

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