Shared Resource Management

Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem NC

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

SHARED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (SRM): PROJECT SUMMARY The goal of the Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center (WFBCCC) Shared Resources Management (SRM) team is to ensure Center members have access to state-of-the-art technologies and quality services to enhance high-impact cancer research and to promote dynamic scientific interaction and productivity. Shared Resources (SRs) are overseen by Pierre-Alexandre Vidi, PhD, Associate Director (AD) of SR Management (SRM). SRM’s Specific Aims are to: (1) Provide a unified management system to facilitate operation and maintenance of state-of-the-art instrumentation, technologies, and quality services and to maximize cost-effectiveness; (2) Coordinate the development of new services, the acquisition of equipment, and phasing out of obsolete platforms and services, based on formal feedback mechanisms and strategic research directions within the WFBCCC; (3) Promote intra- and inter-institutional collaboration of SRs to streamline project pipelines and further expand services offered to WFBCCC investigators; and (4) Foster educational and training initiatives of SRs through workshops, seminars, and courses. WFBCCC currently has nine SRs: Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Cell Engineering, Cancer Genomics, Crystallography and Computational Biosciences, Flow Cytometry, Proteomics and Metabolomics, Qualitative and Patient Reported Outcomes, and Tumor Tissue and Pathology. Two of these SRs (Qualitative and Patient-Reported Outcomes and Bioinformatics) were developed over the project period and are fully operational. The SRs are managed by highly qualified Directors and experienced staff. Reporting to the WFBCCC Director, Vidi oversees all SR operations and budget management. There are two venues to support the management, planning, and evaluation of SRs. First, there is a Shared Resource Advisory Committee (SRAC) for each SR. Each SRAC meets bi-annually and discusses the SR’s scientific and financial performance, user fees, as well as needs for new services, and/or sunsetting obsolete ones. Second, Vidi convenes an SR Oversight Committee, bringing together all SR Directors with the WFBCCC Senior Leadership, to review and set overall policy for SR operations and to provide a forum for in-depth discussions of the evolving research needs of WFBCCC investigators. SRs play a critical role in supporting the WFBCCC Programs’ high-quality scientific research. During the current funding cycle, SRs provided a broad range of services to all four WFBCCC Programs, directly contributing to research reported in over 450 publications and providing direct support services to 82% of the current WFBCCC members in support of their cancer research.