The latest omicron-variant surge of the virus that causes COVID-19 has resulted in a renewed emphasis on safety measures on campus.
That is true in the College of Medicine research labs as well, said Howard Fox, MD, PhD, senior associate dean of research and development in the College of Medicine.
The advantage: "We know so much more now," Dr. Fox said, noting that UNMC’s research community, which has kept crucial investigations on track and external funding flowing throughout the pandemic, is prepared to adjust.
It helps, Dr. Fox said, that we are not going back to square one. UNMC has provided much-needed safety infrastructure, including vaccines, boosters, masks and readily available testing.
Availability of testing has been huge, Dr. Fox said, allowing people to know their status, then isolating and taking other measures if they need to, or not breaking stride if they don’t. It also brings peace of mind.
We don’t know of any workplace infections — "Unfortunately, it’s frequently hit people with kids at home," Dr. Fox said. And when kids are home, professionals must be parents first.
People work from home when they can. Work at the bench goes on. "But we are distanced," Dr. Fox said.
Team meetings are remote. "There is a bit of Zoom fatigue," Dr. Fox said. "But such is life."
Dr. Fox believes people working from home have taken advantage of the opportunity to concentrate on writing time, leaning into papers and grants. College of Medicine grant submissions were up 15%, from the previous three-year baseline, in the latter part of Fiscal Year 2020. That only increased in FY 2021, when grant submissions grew by 34% over the previous baseline.
The software eLabJournal (eLab) has been instrumental in allowing people to share data and experiments remotely. Its features include an electronic lab notebook, advanced inventory system and protocols management, all hosted securely on premises in the UNMC Datacenter.
Perhaps the biggest pandemic roadblock has been scarcity of reagent due to supply issues. But researchers have been great in sharing information and supplies.
"People are pulling together, despite the fatigue of two years of going through this," Dr. Fox said. "We have found ways to keep the work going, while keeping people as safe as possible."