Dartmouth Research & COVID-19

Messages and notices regarding the Dartmouth Research Community during COVID-19. View previous notices.

August 2, 2021 Update
June 1, 2021 Update
April 28, 2021 Update
August 24, 2020 Update
July 6, 2020 Update
June 26, 2020 Update
June 23, 2020 Update
June 8, 2020 Update

August 2, 2021

Dear colleagues,

As usual, please share this message with everyone in your research group. It is being distributed to the COVID-19 contact mailing list, which includes only 1-2 contacts per lab.

On August 1, 2021, Dartmouth returned to the final “full access” level under its COVID-19 re-opening plan. This is a reflection of progress in addressing the pandemic at Dartmouth and in the Upper Valley.

In conjunction with the transition to “full access” level, Dartmouth has fully rescinded the COVID-19 research ramp-down and pause first announced on March 17, 2020, along with all COVID-19 research ramp-in policies that have since been promulgated specifically to allow research activities to continue during the pandemic. In-person human subjects research coordinators no longer need to maintain information for contact-tracing purposes and specialized visitor tracking is no longer required by Dartmouth policies. However, in-person research at international locations remains subject to case-by-case institutional approval.

Under full-access conditions, researchers – like all individuals on campus – will need to follow all legal mandates and remaining campus-wide COVID-19 guidelines, as listed on the Dartmouth Together website (covid.dartmouth.edu). Both here and especially at off-campus locations, it will be important to track and follow public health mandates, which may change during the coming months. Travel restrictions may continue to affect off-campus research activities, especially at international locations. Researchers at DHMC will need to respect Dartmouth-Hitchcock requirements in common areas. Of course, all standard research policies and guidelines will also remain in effect.

With the termination of the research ramp-down and pause, the Research Continuity Working Group will also be disbanded. I want to ask you to join me in thanking all of the RCWG members for their flexibility, thoughtfulness, and quick responses as we have worked to address the risks of the pandemic while maximizing the opportunities for scholarly activity to continue. Their creativity and initiative enabled us to overcome multiple hurdles, identifying safe and pragmatic ways to expand access.

I also want to thank you and everyone in our research community for your steadfast support. As a direct result of your cooperation, over the past 16 months, there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 transmission in the research labs, despite the occurrence of occasional individual COVID-19 infections. Even when we could not restore research activity as quickly as some have felt appropriate, your outstanding compliance made it possible for us to safely maintain a higher level of in-person activity in the research labs than in other parts of campus. Congratulations! May the remainder of your summer be both relaxing and productive.

Best wishes,

Dean

Dean R. Madden, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Research
Professor of Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Dartmouth College/Geisel School of Medicine

June 1, 2021

Dear colleagues,

As usual, please share this message with everyone in your research group. It is being distributed to the COVID-19 contact mailing list, which includes only 1-2 contacts per group.

Starting today June 1, 2021, Dartmouth will be entering the Less-Limited Access Level, which includes significant relaxations on our campus-wide COVID-19 restrictions. While vigilance remains important, this shift is a direct reflection of improvements in the epidemiological status of our population.

Very low rates of infection, rising vaccination levels, and new knowledge regarding the transmission of the virus also enable us to relax many of the restrictions that had applied in research laboratories. Effective June 1, 2021, the Phase 2 Research Ramp-In Requirements, including subsequent phase 2 and phase 3 modifications, are revoked in full. In their place, a new set of Phase 4 requirements will apply (see enclosed PDF, also available at this link). Phase 4 rules focus specifically on the continued observation of campus-wide protocols and the importance of maintaining physical distance (6 feet if possible; at least 3 feet required). COVID-19 specific scheduling calendars, individual lab COVID-19 safety protocols, and COVID-19 disinfection protocols are no longer required.

These protocols are likely to change. It is the responsibility of each of us to track on shifting requirements, e.g., through Task Force emails and the Dartmouth Together website. However, I want to highlight some of the most relevant changes associated with the Less-Limited Access Level. First, while remote work is still encouraged where feasible, individuals may choose to work on-site even if their activities could be performed remotely. In addition, several activities that formerly required approval (e.g., domestic travel, short-term on-campus visitors) now only require registration. Individuals are also allowed to come to campus for longer periods of time, if they have an academic or business affiliation with Dartmouth, are registered with a NetID, engage in our campus testing protocols, and agree to abide by Dartmouth policies. For details, please consult the Dartmouth Together website.

Please also note that effective June 1, 2021, undergraduate researchers registered or otherwise cleared for campus access are allowed to perform research in person with A&S, Geisel, Thayer, and Tuck faculty members. Relevant requirements are described here. All previous school-specific restrictions on in-person undergraduate research are lifted. Of course, research projects are subject to the approval of the faculty member, as always, and all campus-wide, building, and lab protocols must be observed. Please also remember that undergraduate researchers need to ensure that any required EHS or other training is up to date before (re)starting work, and it is the responsibility of faculty members to verify compliance.

Finally, please note that unless an exception has been granted, most in-person human subjects research remains on hold. We are aware of the urgency of addressing this situation and will be focusing in the coming weeks on pathways to allow such research to resume safely.

I hope these modifications prove helpful in advancing your research activities.

Guidelines for Phase 4 Reopening

Best wishes,

Dean

Dean R. Madden, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Research
Professor of Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Dartmouth College/Geisel School of Medicine

April 28, 2021 

Dear colleagues,

Please share this message with everyone in your research group. It is being distributed only to the COVID-19 contact mailing list, which includes only 1-2 contacts per lab.

Today, I am happy to announce some additional flexibility for laboratory research starting May 10, as outlined below, based on the improving epidemiological picture, together with rising levels of vaccination, and new State and Federal guidance. Before describing these changes, I’d like to remind everyone of some key elements that are not changing:

  • Face coverings remain a critical line of defense: face coverings will be required indoors with few exceptions (e.g., alone in a closed room or while eating in designated areas), and outdoors wherever social distancing cannot be maintained.
  • Similarly, everyone must continue to fill out the TSA health screening before coming to campus each day.
  • Everyone must continue to participate in scheduled testing.
  • Those who can work remotely should continue to do so, until our campus access level is relaxed.
  • Much of our in-person human subjects research remains under an institutional hold, although we are developing a plan to review protocols for reactivation.

It has been some time since our last communication, and I would like to thank you all for your steadfast compliance with the numerous limitations on laboratory activities over the past year. The result has been impressive. So far, there have been no clusters arising within research laboratories, and that is a direct reflection of the commitment you all have made to keeping our campus research operations safe.

At the same time, we must remain vigilant. Breakthrough infections are occurring here, and variants of concern are appearing regionally and even at Dartmouth. While the severity of breakthrough infections is often attenuated, among the 5800 breakthrough cases reported recently by CNN, almost 400 required hospitalization and 74 led to deaths. Among young and otherwise healthy individuals, the variants appear to be causing severe disease. This is why we must ask that everyone continue the outstanding compliance that has enabled us to make progress, even as we recognize progress with the changes described below.

RESEARCH RAMP-IN: PHASE 3

Physical distancing: Effective May 10, we will be relaxing our physical distancing requirements within research laboratories. In these spaces, individuals should coordinate to ensure they can maintain at least 3-foot spacing to others working in the lab, consistent with our growing understanding of risk factors in disease transmission. Everyone should strive to be as far as reasonably achievable (AFARA), up to the current 6-foot distancing. For example, if only two people are working in a 4-bay laboratory, they should not be working in the same bay, unless they can maintain a full 6 feet of spacing. Labs should also adjust schedules and workflows to minimize the amount of time that multiple individuals need to spend together in confined spaces (e.g., equipment or microscopy rooms). Each individual working on campus in a laboratory should continue to document when they are present and where they have worked.

Building opening hours: Starting May 10, there will no longer be any restrictions on building opening hours in research buildings. Dartmouth will then begin transitioning to follow updated CDC guidance with respect to the cleaning of high-touch surfaces, which acknowledge the limited role played by surface transmission of SARS-CoV-2. High-touch surfaces will be disinfected at least daily, consistent with those new guidelines. Within labs, as we return to unrestricted hours of operation, please ensure that lab members are safe, including implementation of in-person or electronic buddy systems, as appropriate.

Laboratory disinfection requirements: Similarly, starting May 10, laboratories may update their individual hygiene policies with respect to the disinfection of shared equipment and work surfaces. These areas should be disinfected daily (e.g., at the start of each day by the first user), but no longer require disinfection on a two-hour cycle. This change supersedes the requirement for two-hour cleaning cycles that was outlined in the Phase 1 Laboratory Cleaning and Disinfecting Guidelines.

Best wishes,

Dean R. Madden, PhD
Vice Provost for Research
Dartmouth College

August 24, Research Ramp-In: Phase 2C

Dear colleagues,

Today, I am happy to announce some additional flexibility under the existing phase 2 guidelines, as outlined below. These new conditions will take effect Monday, August 24. In the meantime, thank you all for your continued compliance with the numerous limitations on laboratory activities. By now, I hope that checking in via the TSA app, scheduling time in laboratories, and disinfecting surfaces have become routine.

All of our phase 2 operational requirements remain in effect. Although our community prevalence is currently low, there have been isolated cases, and new students and colleagues are moving to the area. In addition to testing and quarantine rules, our distancing, face-covering, and other restrictions are essential preventive measures, designed to ensure that when cases occur, they do not spread into the research community. We also need everyone to continue to work remotely whenever possible. We are optimistic that some additional flexibility can be introduced once our institutional risk level has advanced.

RESEARCH RAMP-IN: PHASE 2C

Experimental proximity: Physical distancing is not always possible when individuals are being or when multi-person experiments are being performed. In these contexts, it is particularly important to use cloth face coverings, wash hands, and disinfect surfaces to minimize the risk of transmission. Laboratories that need to perform training or multi-person experiments no longer need to provide advance notice to EHS, but they must notify the department chair and adhere to the following guidelines:

It is essential to document the scheduling of any physically proximate work (i.e., closer than 6 feet) very precisely, in case contact tracing becomes necessary.
The time spent in proximity should be rigorously minimized: move apart whenever possible, e.g., when discussing procedures or questions or when one person is preparing an experiment.
It is particularly important to wear a cloth face covering at all times, and to wash hands and disinfect surfaces and equipment frequently.
Limit the number of different people interacting with each other; try to assign single trainers and trainees and avoid mixing pairs.
Break rooms: Break rooms, kitchens, and social alcoves remain closed, due to the difficulty of ensuring the rigorous and high-frequency disinfection required by State regulations. However, over the coming weeks, facilities staff will identify a limited number of break rooms in each research building that will be available for eating. Chairs will be spaced to ensure physical distancing and distances otherwise marked. Individuals must not move them closer together or otherwise congregate in ways that violate physical distancing rules. Face coverings do not need to be worn while eating or drinking, but they should be worn at all other times (e.g., preparing food or cleaning dishes). Everyone must disinfect their space before and after eating and should also disinfect any common equipment and surfaces used in food preparation or clean-up.

In-person human subjects research: Unless specific permission has already been granted, e.g., primarily for interventional or therapeutic studies, human subjects research at Dartmouth/D-H remains under an institutional hold. Effective August 24, PIs of human subjects studies involving D-H may request permission to resume necessary in-person, face-to-face interactions with participants. Initial priority will be given to interactions occurring as part of a regularly scheduled healthcare visit and posing minimal additional risk of COVID-19 infection. Please send an email request to Leigh Burgess (Leigh.Burgess@hitchcock.org), Lionel Lewis (Lionel.Lewis@dartmouth.edu), Ann O'Hara (Ann.O'Hara@dartmouth.edu), and to the IRB that has oversight of the study.

For low-risk human subjects studies that do not involve D-H, the PI may request permission to resume essential in-person, face-to-face interactions with participants by first contacting the the dean of the Dartmouth school at which the PI holds their primary appointment. Please cc requests to Ann O'Hara (Ann.O'Hara@dartmouth.edu). If approval is issued by the dean, CPHS will review the request and make a final determination whether the study may resume.

In all cases, such requests must describe a compelling and urgent need for face-to-face interactions and must outline rigorous precautions to protect the health and safety of both participants and study personnel.

Best wishes,
Dean

--
Dean R. Madden, PhD
Vice Provost for Research
Dartmouth College

July 6, Research Reopening Update

Restarting Limited In-person Library Research at Dartmouth

Dear colleagues,

As part of Dartmouth's Research Continuity process, in Phase 2b of the Research Ramp-In, the Dartmouth Library is starting to restore in-person access to the research collections in Baker-Berry Library and in-person research by prior appointment at Rauner Special Collections Library.

Beginning on Wednesday, July 8, during limited hours Dartmouth ID holders will be able to browse the circulating collections held in Baker-Berry and Sherman stacks, and faculty, staff and graduate students will be able to reserve time slots to work with the non-circulating materials from Rauner Library.

Collections held in other Dartmouth libraries can be requested through the online catalog (https://dartgo.org/search) and retrieved at the Berry Library circulation desk. As outlined below, access protocols have been carefully designed to ensure the health and safety of our community.

Throughout the spring term and to date, small teams of library staff retrieved books from the collections for pick-up and scanned articles and book chapters for electronic delivery and course reserves. Over 1,200 books and 2,000 articles were made available. Librarians also worked closely with faculty to provide research support and course specific teaching by participating in class discussions via Zoom or Slack. In some instances, videos were created offering students the opportunity to explore books and other materials in depth and asynchronously, and to learn library research methods, meeting multiple learning styles and needs. These remote services will continue as before. (https://dartgo.org/remote-services)

Complete information is available on the Dartmouth Library Research Restart website.(https://dartgo.org/library-research-restart)

HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

The Library reopening plan has been carefully developed with the consultation and approval of Dartmouth's Office of Environmental Health and Safety.
Custodial staff will clean and disinfect library spaces in accordance with CDC and NH COVID-19 guidelines. All materials will be checked out and returned at the Berry Library circulation desk which has been adapted to provide separation between library staff and patrons. In addition to campus-wide health and safety precautions outlined below, additional specific strategies have been developed.

For example, Library staff will wear gloves when handling materials, and returned items will be quarantined for 72 hours before shelving. We will continue to monitor the status of the pandemic closely so that we can adapt, change or halt our in-person services and access to library spaces as necessary.

As we expand our on-campus services, the health and safety of the Dartmouth community and the Library staff continue to be paramount. Details about current Dartmouth policies and guidelines that will govern individuals returning to campus are outlined on Dartmouth's Coronavirus Information website (https://dartgo.org/covid19) In line with other efforts to restart research activities on the Dartmouth Campus, the Library is working closely with campus partners on the design and implementation of required policies and protocols and will move forward in a cautious and phased manner.

As a reminder, all individuals must follow Dartmouth guidelines when accessing the libraries, including:

- Completing the Temperature Self Assessment before coming to campus (https://dartgo.org/temperature-assessment)
- Wearing face coverings while on campus and inside the Library
- Adhering to physical distancing guidelines
- Following signage and staff directions

We hope that enhanced access to these resources will benefit scholarly work across campus.

Best wishes,

Sue Mehrer, Dean of Libraries
Dean Madden, Vice Provost for Research
--
Dean R. Madden, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Research
Professor of Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Dartmouth College/Geisel School of Medicine

June 26, 2020 Research Reopening Update

Reopening Laboratory-Based Research: Phase 2

Dear colleagues,

As part of Dartmouth's overall commitment to resuming scholarly activity to the extent compatible with the health and safety of our community, I am pleased to announce that phase 2 for laboratory-based research will commence on July 1, 2020. The key change in phase 2 will be the ability for labs to schedule on-campus activity for more than one researcher at a time, provided that physical distancing can be maintained (e.g., in work areas that are separate rooms or more than six feet apart). It is subject to a number of additional requirements, as outlined below.

The transition to phase 2 activity complements upcoming enhancements to library access under the oversight of Dean of Libraries Sue Mehrer and recent progress in developing an approval process for de minimis campus access for scholars outside of laboratory-based disciplines. All of this work is also helping to develop and test practices that will ultimately be required for any resumption of on-campus education.

Higher lab occupancy is associated with increased potential for interactions, particularly in shared research spaces. Thus, before work can begin in phase 2, each department must develop an EHS-approved safety protocol regulating behavior and ensuring disinfection in shared research spaces and public areas. In addition, each lab must develop or update its safety protocol to ensure required disinfection of high-touch areas and to prevent simultaneous occupancy of work areas that are closer than six feet apart. Detailed requirements are outlined in the "Guidelines for Reopening Laboratory-Based Research: Phase 2," which can be accessed at this link: http://www.dartmouth.edu/ehs/guidelines_for_phase_two_lab_reopening.pdf.

It also remains important to maintain compliance with all other public health and institutional requirements, including the use of physical distancing, face coverings, hand washing, and disinfection protocols. To maintain required custodial services, limited research hours will continue to apply. Labs are currently open M-F 8am-midnight. Under phase 1c guidelines, access will expand to include Saturday 6/27 8am-5pm. Starting 7/4, research labs will be available M-F 7am-midnight and Sat/Sun 8am-5pm.

We anticipate that phase 2 activity will significantly enhance access and productivity for laboratory-based scholarship. Nonetheless, we emphasize that the current risk level requires that everyone who can work from home continue to do so. We are mindful of the associated burden and isolation, which is borne by many members of our academic community, but this minimizes the chance for any new outbreak to spread undetected.

Our experience with phase 1 has enabled us to build and test a health-screening infrastructure that should also help to detect any new outbreak. With recent enhancements, Dartmouth's COVID-19 Task Force, our partners at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and the health/epidemiology working group will continue monitoring of compliance, in addition to tracking on local and regional epidemiological developments. Depending on the situation, we may need to restrict access again. In addition, violations of guidelines or safety protocols may lead to a suspension of laboratory access privileges, as well as other disciplinary measures.

That said, in phase 1 it has been heartening to observe the collaborative spirit that has allowed us to address challenges in thoughtful and creative ways, while focusing on the overarching imperative: maintaining the health and safety of the Dartmouth community. Success in phase 2 will require continued teamwork. Given the complexity of our scholarly landscape, it is almost certain that unanticipated issues will arise, but so will opportunities to improve safety protocols. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Office of Environment Health and Safety, to Facilities personnel, or to the deans' offices for guidance and support or with suggestions.

Thanks to everyone who has cooperated in the success of our phase 1 research effort and for your continued patience and support in addressing the challenge that COVID-19 poses to all of our scholarly work.

Dean R. Madden, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Research
Professor of Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Dartmouth College/Geisel School of Medicine

June 23, 2020 Research Reopening Update

Research ramp-in: Phase 1c

Dear colleagues,

We have received the go-ahead for phase 1c, which will provide limited access to labs (and the required custodial coverage) on weekends:

This coming weekend, only on Saturday (6/27): 8am-5pm
Starting the following weekend (7/4), Saturdays and Sundays: 8am-5pm
In addition, starting Monday 7/6, labs can open one hour earlier on weekdays, i.e., 7am-midnight M-F.
The remaining conditions for phase 1 remain in place (1 person/lab; clean before and after; etc.).
I hope this is helpful, but also want to acknowledge that the more important change will be multi-person access to the labs. We are working hard on phase 2, and hope to have more information soon (and more progress soon thereafter).

Dean R. Madden, PhD
Vice Provost for Research

June 8, 2020 Update on Research Reopening

Two important requests as we enter Phase 1B 

Hi everyone,

I have two important updates as we start phase 1B. If you are not the PI of your lab, please forward to the PI, since these requests involve their responsibilities.

1) Buddy systems – As we have researchers in the lab later in the evening, at potentially even lower occupancy, it is the responsibility of the PI to ensure that everyone is using an electronic buddy system if there are not multiple individuals in the lab (e.g., due to an approved exception). At a minimum this should involve checking in with a colleague, providing an expected departure time, and checking out. For more complicated lab work, periodic check-ins may be appropriate. This can be by email, slack, text,... Regardless of the technology, any time that a researcher is in the lab, a defined individual should be waiting to hear that they have wrapped up for the day, and touching base if they don't.

2) Health screening outcomes – There has been some confusion regarding the health screening process. We originally hoped to send a daily update email to each PI with screening data, but that proved not to be feasible. Instead, as noted in my email on May 26th, for each lab, the PI or a designated lab manager needs to check their lab schedule every day, and then check the health-screening dashboard link. Make sure that everyone on the schedule has "checked in" and received a green light to work that day, or else remind them to do so. We need to see strong compliance in terms of daily dashboard review and lab member identification. Those of you who don't yet appear to have identified your lab members via the dartgo.org/lmi tool will be receiving a separate message with more specific instructions.

I hope that the additional flexibility in Phase 1B will prove helpful to everyone's research programs. Please reach out if you have questions.

Dean R. Madden, PhD
Vice Provost for Research

 

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