Human Subject Research COVID-19 Alerts | University of Kentucky Research

September 8, 2021

Message from the Vice President for Research (VPR)

Dear Colleagues,

The safety and health of our research community is our priority. We understand due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, you have questions about potential policy changes.

We are currently conducting research at UK at 100% capacity. We are not in a limited capacity as was prescribed in our previous Resumption of Research Phased Plan, which we ended in June 2021.

Vaccination remains our most powerful tool in battling this pandemic. We encourage all members of our community to get vaccinated.

We are continuing to follow university guidance with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic - masking and distancing as much as possible by limiting numbers of people in close proximity in our research settings.

To assist you in continuing research in your settings as safely as possible, we have updated the FAQs on our COVID-19 Guidance For Researchers site to answer pressing questions on topics that you have sent our way, including high school students in research laboratories, research with human participants, and vendor and site monitor policies.

In general, if you are conducting research that is NOT taking place at a UK HealthCare facility, you must follow institutional guidance for masking, distancing and testing presented in the Fall 2021 Guidebook.

If you are conducting research at UK HealthCare facility, you must follow UK HealthCare requirements as described under Tier 4.

Please take a few moments to review the new FAQs. In coordination with the University of Kentucky Screening, Testing and Tracing to Accelerate Restart and Transition (START) team, research leadership will continue to evaluate our policies.

If you have questions or concerns related to COVID-19 research operations, please contact the Office of the Vice President for Research at research-covid@uky.edu.

Lisa A. Cassis, PhD
Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
Vice President for Research
University of Kentucky

Updated VPR Guidance on High School Students engaging in research at UK [HTML]

Can I host high school students in my research laboratory? (Updated 9/8/2021)

Research that is NOT being conducted in a UK HealthCare (UKHC) clinical setting is currently operating under institutional guidelines as addressed in the Fall 2021 Guidebook for UK students. The guidebook requires that prior to being allowed access to in-person facilities and programs, UK students must provide the institution with their vaccine verification or be subject to weekly testing. For high school students who want to work with UK researchers we have established the following process to verify that these students adhere to institutional guidelines:

Principal Investigator (PI) interacts with high school student and agrees to oversee their research within the PI’s program.
PI communicates to the high school student that they will need to have their school certify that the student complies with UK requirements and provide to the student the following instructions to obtain verification.
Student’s school, using official letterhead, directly submits certification for the student (or group of students) to the OVPR:
- Certification should include the name of the PI and name of the high school student.
- This certification does NOT require the actual vaccination record, but instead a statement indicating certification that: “This individual is in compliance with University of Kentucky requirements to have students vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19 in order to be on UK’s campus and/or conduct research with UK faculty, students or staff.”
- If the high school chooses not to certify (for example, because they do not have testing capabilities), then a parent should provide this certification letter.
- Certification letter should be sent from the high school to OVPR at research-covid@uky.edu.
OVPR receives the certification request and then provides approval to the PI to proceed.
PI and students should follow all other required paperwork from Environmental Health and Safety in order to have a minor in a laboratory and student must follow university policies related to mask wearing, etc. as outlined in the playbook.

Please note: High school students are not permitted to do research in a UKHC facility (clinics or other UKHC spaces) as defined here: https://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/hospitals-clinics

June 11, 2021

Message from the Vice President for Research (VPR)

In President Capilouto’s message to the campus community on Thursday, June 10, he announced campus measures to emerge from the pandemic to be implemented beginning Monday, June 14.

These measures reflect current recommendations of the CDC, direction from state government, guidance from health department officials and the counsel of UK’s own START team of health scientists and clinicians.

The modifications apply to campus settings. They do not impact UK HealthCare’s policies regarding COVID-19. UK HealthCare facilities are following a phased approach to reopening based on community prevalence and number of active inpatients. UK HealthCare still requires daily screening and masking of all providers, staff, patients and visitors. Any person who will be in one of the health care facilities should understand the phase that health care facilities are in so they can follow the health care guidelines.

Please note, research that involves human subjects will follow guidelines and policies provided by UK HealthCare for mask wearing and physical distancing.

At this time, the University of Kentucky Resumption of Research Phased Plan will end, and researchers should operate based on University guidance. There will be no further need for Phased Plans at this time.

Please review the following highlighted modifications and read the President’s full message here.

Vaccines

Vaccines are not mandated, but strongly encouraged.
Upload vaccination documentation here, via the self-report tool.
70 percent of our campus – students, faculty and staff – have been vaccinated.

Masks

People who are vaccinated are not required to wear masks or face coverings in campus outdoor spaces or inside campus buildings that do not deliver patient services for UK HealthCare.
Mask requirements for non-vaccinated individuals will remain in place. In other words, non-vaccinated individuals will be required to wear a mask or face covering when inside any campus facility, including recreation facilities. Non-vaccinated individuals also should wear a mask outside if they are near other people.

Screening

Members of the UK community who have been vaccinated no longer are required to complete the university’s daily screener.
Those who have not been vaccinated will be required to respond to the daily screener.
If vaccinated individuals are still receiving reminders to complete the screener, please upload vaccination information here, via the self-report tool.

Although these modifications are based on current evidence, UK will continue to monitor new evidence as well as state and federal guidelines.

Thank you for your efforts throughout this pandemic and your commitment to our community.

Lisa Cassis
Vice President for Research