Clinical Core

The Clinical Research Center (CRC) provides support across the full spectrum of patient-oriented research and is the cornerstone for clinical research at UConn Health. Our staff can provide investigators with the resources they need and help make it easier to get and stay engaged in research. CRC support is available to all UConn Health researchers who have a need for CRC resources and who will conduct clinical research of scientific merit.

Examples of what the CRC Clinical Core can provide are as follows: assistance with preparing IRB submissions, screening and recruitment, conducting study visits, sample processing/storage/shipping, investigational drug administration and informatics.

Studies funded by federal sources, foundations, industry and other sources are welcome. CRC collaborates with UConn Health’s Office of Clinical and Translational Research (OCTR) to navigate the intricacies of budget and contract negotiations as well as the complexities of research financial compliance.

Investigators are encouraged to contact the Clinical Core Nurse Manager to discuss the process for requesting CRC resources and the particular needs of their study. The CRC is dedicated to continuing to foster and optimize clinical research at UConn Health.

Location

CRC is located in the main lobby of the Connecticut Tower, just past the main Information Desk. Our outpatient facility includes a reception and waiting area, seven exam rooms (one negative pressure), lab specimen processing laboratory (with countertop refrigerated centrifuge), dirty utility room, two in-suite handicap-accessible bathrooms and staff office space.

Services

  • Screening/recruitment
  • Informed consent process
  • Study visits
  • Subject teaching
  • Phlebotomy/specimen collection
  • Investigational drug administration
  • Special testing/procedures
  • Other data collection (e.g., questionnaire administration, assistance with self-administered computerized questionnaires)
  • Study coordination
  • IRB submissions
  • Regulatory binder creation/maintenance
  • SAE/AE tracking and reporting
  • Case Report Form (CRF) design
  • Research record chart assembly and maintenance
  • Medical exam room use

Staff


Elizabeth Laska, BSN, RN
Nurse Manager
Phone: 860.679.1707
Email: laska@uchc.edu


Sumith Abraham Varghese, MSN, BSN, RN, CCRC
Research Facilitator
Phone: 860.679.4903
Email: abrahamvarghese@uchc.edu


Paul Appleton, MD, CCRP
Clinical Research Assistant 3
Phone: 860.679.3088
Email: pappleton@uchc.edu


Megyn Clement, DA, CCRP
Clinical Research Assistant 3
Phone: 860.679.4995 / 860.679.1751
Email: mclement@uchc.edu


Kathleen Curley, BS, RN, CCRP
Research Facilitator
Phone: 860.679.2633
Email: kcurley@uchc.edu


Adam Flores, BS
Clinical Research Assistant 1
Phone:860.679.8074
Email: adflores@uchc.edu


Slawa Gajewska, MA, BEc, MEc, CCRP
Clinical Research Assistant 3
Phone:860.679.2939
Email: gajewska@uchc.edu


Catherine Jahne, BSN, RN
Clinical Research Assistant 3
Phone: 860.679.1138
Email: jahne@uchc.edu


Sheila Thurlow, MSN, RN, CCRP
Clinical Research Associate 2
Phone: 860.679.4637
Email: thurlow@uchc.edu


Heather Vargas, BA, BSN, ADN, RN, CCRC
Research Nurse
Phone: 860.679.1658
Email: hvargas@uchc.edu