Research Continuity Update for Chairs - August 13, 2021

Dear Chairs and Directors, 

With stage 3 of the research recovery well underway, we will be moving our chairs and directors memo to an approximately monthly cadence. As always, you are welcome and encouraged to share these updates and reminders with faculty, staff members, postdocs, and graduate students who may find the information and links helpful. 

Return to on-site work 

As more faculty and staff members prepare to return to on-site work in September, we know there is heightened anxiety around the COVID-19 Delta variant. The health and safety of our community and your families are paramount. For our current on-site population that have completed Health Check, we are in the 95% vaccination range. And locally, Santa Clara County has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. We’re grateful for the research community’s adherence to health guidance throughout the pandemic, and we appreciate your ongoing support. 

While many researchers have already returned to on-site work, faculty should expect that some staff members will continue to work off-site for at least part of the week, as departments and units experiment with flexible work arrangements. The university has a number of resources as more faculty and staff members prepare to return to campus, including the Cardinal at Work COVID-19 Workplace Guide, a Return to the Workplace FAQ, and the Research Recovery Handbook. Researchers and staff members who have concerns or questions about their return should contact their PI, supervisor, or HR leader.

Indoor masking 

With the spread of the Delta variant, Santa Clara and San Mateo County recently joined other Bay Area counties in issuing an order requiring face coverings indoors, regardless of a person’s COVID-19 vaccination status. Exceptions are allowed for individuals who are alone in a private office or room, or who are actively eating or drinking. We encourage all members of the research community to choose a well-fitted mask that covers both your nose and mouth. As guidance on this issue evolves, please continue to follow all local face covering requirements. More information about the masking requirement can be found on Health Alerts.

Surveillance testing

As of Monday, August 9th, faculty, staff, and postdoctoral scholars who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 are required to participate in weekly testing. While vaccination rates in our university community are very strong, testing unvaccinated individuals will help further limit the spread of the Delta variant. Employees can find information on registration and procedures for the university’s testing program at this link. 

Update on Clinical and Non-Clinical Human Subjects Research

COVID-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) are no longer needed for domestic clinical and non-clinical human subjects research projects that have an IRB-approved requirement for participants to be fully vaccinated or receive a negative COVID test within 72 hours before the research is conducted. Otherwise, SOPs continue to be necessary. Given the large number of protocols to be modified, the IRB can only make these changes at the point of the annual renewal of your eProtocol or when you are submitting an unrelated modification. As noted above, it’s also important to remember that masks are now mandated for all indoor activities at Stanford, including research, independent of vaccine status. 

The same policies and procedures apply to human subjects research requiring domestic travel. A separate approval for international travel and international human subjects field research remains in effect until further notice. SOPs can be found in the research recovery handbook for clinical, non-clinical, and non-clinical off-campus human subjects research. Local departments will have full discretion to approve the SOPs.

Stay safe and be well,

Kam, Stacey, Tim, Russell, Serena, Susan

Kam Moler, Vice Provost and Dean of Research; Professor of Applied Physics and of Physics

Stacey Bent, Vice Provost of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs; Jagdeep and Roshni Singh Professor of Engineering

Tim Stearns, Senior Associate Vice Provost of Research; Frank Lee and Carol Hall Professor of Biology and Professor of Genetics

Russell Furr, Associate Vice Provost for Environmental Health and Safety

Serena Rao, Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, Vice Provost and Dean of Research

Susan Vleck, Assistant Director, Laboratory Chemical and Physical Safety, Environmental Health and Safety