Eastpark Clinical Trials FAQs

Research will be integrated into the clinical environment, taking place within any specialty that wants to conduct research at Eastpark. A phased approach will be taken to ensure a smooth transition. Oncology will be the focus for the Phase 1 rollout, going live when the building opens in Fall 2024.

Specifically, there are three “research-specific” spaces within the building:

• • Research Lab – 1st Floor of the South Tower
    • Combined space for the Circulating Biomarker Core, Cancer Pharmacology Lab, and Biobank processing
    • Additional space for non-oncology use, to be activated when non-oncology research goes live

• • Clinical Research Unit (CRU) – 2nd Floor of the South Tower
    • 6 private rooms
    • 8 bays
    • CRU specimen processing lab

• • Research-only exam and consult rooms – 2nd Floor of the North Tower
    • To be used for visits that will not occur within the clinics or CRU, e.g., physical exams, blood draws, consents, etc.

All touchdown space will be reservable via Room Finder in MS Booking. The reservation system will indicate what IS equipment is available in the space.

Space for research staff has been allocated within the Team Workrooms at the back of each clinic module, across the hall from the Team Collaboration space.

Core building hours are 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Various departments may have extended hours. Click here for more specific hours of operation.

Both the CRU and research-only exam rooms will be schedulable in HealthLink.
Touchdown space on the administrative floor (2N) can be reserved through Room Finder on MS Booking (offices and conference rooms). Cubicles will be first come, first served.

4621 Eastpark Blvd., Madison, WI 53718

Clinical imaging is available at Eastpark, but there is no space or equipment for radiology-specific research.

Five minutes or less.

Yes, parking is free for all staff and they are expected to park on levels 4-5 of the parking ramp, or in surface lots.

Click here to learn more about the three phases.

The CRU and research-only exam rooms will be schedulable in Health Link. Touchdown space on the administrative floor (2N) can be reserved through Room Finder on MS Booking (offices and conference rooms). Cubicles will be first come, first served.

There are approximately 150 parking spots per floor in the parking deck; total spots = 824. There is an additional back surface lot for staff parking with 155 spots.

Please see the timeline below.

Clinical trials at Eastpark will be streamlined within the clinic environment via integration into clinical workflows and staffing models that meet the needs of  clinical, ancillary, and research teams.

There will be a unified patient experience for clinical trials participants in terms of registration, check-in, wayfinding, etc.

Scheduling of research resources (CRU, research only rooms) will be done in Health Link and patients can view their appointments and instructions on MyChart.

There is an onsite, centralized lab for processing of research samples.

Yes, patients and families were significant contributors to the model. We’ll continue to evolve and improve the model through their input and feedback; we’re in the process of creating a Patient Satisfaction for Research survey to gather this more directly.

You can reach Dr. Veintimilla via email.

We are also building a portfolio management group that will work with PIs and ancillary groups in the clinical care space to assess feasibility and operationalize study protocols.

We are aware that the integrated model is new to many of you. UW CTI is available and will work with you to get this model in motion for your participants and teams at Eastpark. Please feel free to reach out any time.

Please reach out to eastparkresearch@med.wisc.edu if you are planning a study that will be at Eastpark.

This workflow is in process. We’ll provide further updates once it’s finalized.

These rooms will be scheduled in Health Link. Scheduling workflows are in development, and we will provide further updates once they’re finalized.

8 am – 8 pm, Monday through Friday (Infusion Center and Cancer Symptom Management Clinic)

8 am – 12 pm, Saturday (Infusion Center)

8 am – 2 pm, Saturday (Cancer Symptom Management Clinic)

8 am – 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

At this time, only Phase 3, standard of care research theranostics is planned for Eastpark. Phase 1 and 2 trials will remain at University Hospital.

Scheduling will be dependent on the capabilities required for a particular visit within a given study.

Scheduling templates for Oncology will open in late August.

Scheduling templates for the CRU and Research-Only rooms will open in late September.

There is an area in lab where samples from study teams can be processed. We will provide a more thorough update once we have a process mapped out.

Eastpark resources are available to all study teams. Upon opening, use of the CRU will be limited to oncology studies given their complexity. Once operations are sorted (likely sometime Q1 of CY25), we will open the CRU to other studies.

The CRU will serve all types of clinical research. Placing the CRU and infusion center in close proximity is intentional to allow flexibility across the spaces.
CRU usage will be limited to oncology initially, and we expect to open it up to other studies in Q1 of CY25.

Currently, the CRU has capability to support adult participants only.

There is PRC space contiguous with the infusion pharmacy on second floor north. The locations are contiguous with each other for investigational and standard of care.

Yes, while CTI has our own staff, we will provide infrastructure for everyone. We are not our own group that provides services just for us. We provide access, space, services for everyone at UW Health and UW SMPH. There will be required training for staff working at Eastpark since we are in a clinical setting.

Yes, the CRU will be able to support activities that are appropriate for an ambulatory care setting at Eastpark.

Yes, this will be available. An Eastpark video will also be filmed to send to sponsors.

Yes, you will be able to schedule infusions at Eastpark.

We are still working on Eastpark research operations and will post an answer as soon as we are able.

Yes, clinical teams are receiving the same information. UW CTI will be onsite regularly for the first 6 months to help implement integrated workflows between study teams and clinical teams. There will also be training for UW Health about research so that they get more comfortable with research and know their resources for questions and issues.

UW Health IS will be onsite. SMPH employees will need to go through their usual channels to contact IS.

The building will be open to all teams on Monday, September 16, so they can begin onsite training, running mock codes, and becoming familiar with emergency procedures. Move in will take place in the 3 phases noted in the slide above.

The second floor administrative space will be used on a first come, first served basis. There will be a building coordinator onsite that will manage the day-to-day operations and make sure that it’s working well for people and they can get where they need to be. The building coordinator can also address any issues with room use.

Reservations for the 3 exam and 2 consult rooms are completed in Health Link. It will be fairly clear who made the reservation and it can be monitored to make sure the space is being used appropriately.

Yes.

Consult rooms are set up like an office for activities such as informed consent or questionnaires. Clinic rooms are set up just like an exam room with medical equipment and an exam table.

There is limited storage space for research kits and supplies on first and second floor. Any regulatory documents should be stored in eBinders.

Yes. If your SMPH laptop doesn’t work at a docking station, please reach out to your department IT representatives.

All research samples are transported on the research courier route, which is intended to transport samples and staff who need to go back and forth between Eastpark and UH in the same day.

They should not be stored at the clinical facility but instead in research documentation.

Eastpark resources are available to all study teams. Upon opening, use of the CRU will be limited to oncology studies given their complexity. Once operations are sorted (likely sometime Q1 of CY25), we will open the CRU to other studies.

Samples will be transported between Eastpark and UH/WIMR Monday – Friday, from 0700 – 1845 (no weekend/holiday service).

Trips will leave each location every 30 minutes.

• • UH/WIMR: The first pick-up will be at 0700; the last drop-off will be at 1845 at Eastpark.
  • Eastpark: The first pick-up will be at 0700; the last drop-off will be at 1845 at UH/WIMR.

View the Research & Employee/Learner Shuttle schedule …

Shuttle service will run concurrent with the courier schedule posted above.

The Research Lab will have dedicated staff from the three core labs: CBC, CPL, and Biobank. The Research Lab also has space for non-oncology processing, and we are currently working on a model for that work, how it will be staffed, and how our teams can access those services.

Walk-in labs are accepted, but it is preferred for staff to submit a lab kit order and make an appointment.

Once non-oncology staff is hired, working hours will be 8 am to 8 pm.

Oncology staff will work until 5 pm until they are fully staffed – they will then support 8 am to 8 pm hours

Yes, there will be two people working a 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. shift who will need to be trained on lab procedures and provided with any lab manuals or instructions for processing and shipping out labs.

We will have two lab processors and they can be added to the lab delegation log and receive training on the lab manual. There will also be a supervisor of the research specimen processing log that can be on the delegation log if needed.

• For ongoing therapeutic clinical trials there are no additional charges.
• For future clinical trials that are in budget negotiations there may be a small surcharge added to the budget.
• For ongoing research studies with laboratory based investigators there are no charges for courier transport, i.e., triage tracking, etc. There may be charges in the future as we determine exactly what kind of time and effort will be needed.

The centralized service for triage and courier transport of samples will cover biomarker studies. BioBank will continue to handle tissue components under their current workflows.

No, it is not. Only research samples will be processed in this space. The UW Health clinical lab will process standard of care samples.