Shared Resources Management

SHARED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: ABSTRACT Four shared resources (SRs) at the Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC) provide cancer center members with access to specialized technologies, services, and technical expertise, with the intent to enhance scientific interaction, productivity, and impact as well as support community outreach and engagement (COE) and training and mentorship initiatives. The SRs are: Biostatistics and Research Design (BRD SR), Tissue Pathology and Biospecimen (TPB SR), Molecular Biology and Cytometry Research (MBCR SR) and Mobile Health Technology (mHealth SR). Three of these facilities (BRD SR, TPB SR, mHealth SR) are SCC- managed. The fourth (MBCR SR) is institutionally managed and is the centralized core facility for the OUHSC campus (thus offering a wide range of specialized services and scientific equipment). These shared resources are located on the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) campus. The two laboratory- based shared resources (TPB SR, MBCR SR) are in the research complex that houses 52 of the 63 total laboratory-based SCC members at OUHSC, providing these members with immediate access to core services. The mHealth SR is in space that houses all the repeat frequent users of this resource (CPC program members who conduct behavioral and population research). Ease of access for the SCC’s 15 members based at OU Norman (out of 120 total SCC members) is facilitated by online scheduling through dedicated shared resource webpages and utilizing research management systems (Agilent iLab, REDCap, other). A defined oversight and management structure and centralized processes help ensure the ongoing stability, reliability, accessibility, and quality control for the SCC’s shared resource infrastructure. Oversight for the management of shared resources is provided by the SCC’s Research Leadership Committee (RLC), which is comprised of the SCC director and associate directors (ADs). All SCC shared resource directors report to a designated SCC AD. The SCC director has ultimate oversight and authority for all shared resources and other core research infrastructure at the cancer center. The SCC’s Administrative Core provides coordinating support for all shared resources, assisting with usage and capacity reporting, finance and billing, communications, evaluation, and other administrative activities. During the reporting period, there were two significant changes to SCC shared resources: 1) Ken Jones, PhD was recruited as new director of the MBCR SR; and 2) a formal biospecimen aim was added to the overall specific aims of TPB SR. The latter responds to a summary statement critique and serves to formalize the facility’s biospecimen services available to SCC members. In recognition of this change the name of the Tissue Pathology Shared Resource was formally changed to “Tissue Pathology and Biospecimen.”