Overall quality improvement (QI) and research resources at UTHealth Houston

The following section provides a list of quality and research resources at UTHealth Houston. Quality resources available, including trainings, QI leadership contacts, and QI required forms.

This research section provides links to the UTHealth Houston Office of Research and its various educational resource opportunities, including research education, implementation science, regulatory policy, and postdoctoral trainings.

Quality improvement resources

Training module in iLearn: The course focuses on safety, quality, and process improvement models.
Departmental quality leaders at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
QI Projects and Committee for Protection of Human Subjects (external link): Use this link to learn the process for registering a QI Project at UTHealth Houston. Institutional Review Board (IRB) staff will review the project and determine if it meets the definition of human subjects research. Once this determination is made, they issue a formal “not human subjects research” letter.
Quality improvement and research submissions at UT Physicians (external link): Use this form to receive approval for quality improvement or research projects impacting UT Physicians.
Center for Healthcare Quality and Safety (external link): This center’s goal is to conduct research that generates new knowledge about how to improve the quality and safety of health care.

Research resources

Office of Research (external link): The research office page provides resources and links for iLab Solutions, Center for Clinical & Translational Science (CCTS), LabArchives, Funding Opportunities, Human Subjects Research (IRB), the Clinical Trials Resource Center (CTRC), and more.
Research trainings (external link) in the Office of Research:

• Research education programs
  • New Investigator Development Program (external link): This program helps junior faculty members develop effective research proposals.
  • Clinical Research Curriculum (CRC): This two-year introductory series of evening courses promotes clinical research expertise among clinical investigators at the fellow and junior faculty levels.
  • Masters in Clinical Research: The Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Research degree program at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston is designed for faculty and clinical fellows who wish to receive formal training for a career in patient-oriented clinical research.
• Implementation Science Training
  • Introduction to dissemination and implementation research in health (external link): Sponsored by the World Health Organization, this training program is for global health researchers interested in implementation research.
  • Texas Institute for Implementation Science Conference: This 2020 event explored the history and future of implementation science through a series of four seminars.
  • Implementation science workshops (external link): Trainings and courses on dissemination and implementation research are available at https://www.uth.edu/implementation-science/training/ (external link).
• Regulatory and institutional policy training
  • Investigator responsibility briefing (external link): UTHealth Houston employees serving as Principal Investigators (PIs) on sponsored projects must complete responsible conduct of research training.
  • Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR): This training is to ensure research is responsible, safe, and compliant with regulations and policies.
    • RCR Training (external link) offered by UTHealth Houston is conducted by George M. Stancel, PhD, Dean Emeritus and former senior vice president for Academic and Research Affairs at UTHealth Houston.
    • Additional RCR training is available through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) (external link)
• Research conflicts of interest (external link): This training addresses the importance of ensuring financial interests do not affect or appear to affect the design, conduct, or reporting of research, or compromise the protection of human subjects.
• Animal research investigator training (external link): This training is to ensure investigators, technical personnel, trainees, and other personnel who are involved in the oversight or actual care and use of experimental animals are qualified to accomplish these tasks in a humane and scientifically acceptable manner.
• Human subjects research training (external link): This is mandatory training for researchers conducting human subjects research.
• Environmental health and safety: Transportation and shipment of biological materials is subjected to stringent regulatory controls. Click here for the infectious substances shipping training or call the Biological Safety Program (external link) at 713-500-8170.
• Effort reporting (external link): All UTHealth Houston faculty with effort on sponsored projects and other employees involved in the effort certification process must complete approved training on effort reporting.
• Research misconduct (external link): The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Research Integrity (ORI) training video for clinical and social researchers on the importance of appropriately protecting research participants and avoiding research misconduct allows the viewer to assume the role of one of four characters and to determine the outcome of the storyline by selecting decision-making choices.

Postdoctoral Certificate Training Program at UTHealth Houston (external link): This nationally recognized program consists of four core classes: Responsible Conduct in Research, Career Development, Presentation Skills, and Teaching Skills.

Expanded clinical and outcomes research: Clinical research is enhanced across UTHealth Houston through participation in and coordination of institutionwide efforts in outcomes research.