Onboarding

As new faculty, where to start can be daunting.  Below are directions for common tasks for establishing your laboratory.  If you have questions that cannot be answered here, please check the important contacts site by clicking here.  

    • Ordering through eProcurement

      • Overview of eProcurement:  https://finance.vumc.org/proc/eproc/
      • Most vendors have an eCatalog. To order from an eCatalog:
        • Click “Shop eCatalogs” on the menu bar at the top of your eProcurement
        • Vendor punchout sites are located on the right toolbar - once you select a vendor you will exit to an external catalog
        • Once you have selected items you can “return to purchasing application” and then click submit
        • If you would like to purchase from another vendor on the same order “click continue shopping”: this will take you back to the punchout site list but save your items in your eprocurement cart
        • Once you are done you will be taken to Requisition Step 1

    • General Requisitions:

      • Step 1
        • Most commonly used reqisitions types: General, Cap Equipment (>$5000), Blanket POs, Service/Maintenance
        • For large purchases with a  quote number, please quote number in comments section
        • You will still need to fill out each item from the PO in the requisition and you will upload the PO in step 2
        • For eCatalog – all commodity and items will be filled out.  If you are ordering from a non eCatalog Vendor (ie Rainin), you will need to enter item #, description, commodity, and price
        • Fill out center numbers and account numbers for each item
        • Account Codes: Use the Narrative Chart Codes (requires login)
        • Common codes:
          • Lab supplies: 60150
          • Cap Equip > 5000 : 74030
          • Non Cap Equip : 74120
          • Contract labor: 63670
          • Compressed gas: 60130
          • Service Contract: 70090
          • Office supplies: 60040
      • Step 2
        • If this is an order for greater than $25,000 or is capital equipment you will need to make a No-Bid Justification - Ie Optimized protocols for a specific product, superior product/item, time constraints, no comparable item on market
        • Upload any related documents
        • Fill out Business Purpose documentation : ie. descriptions of what the items will be used for

    • Blanket POs

      • Select Blanket PO for requisition type
      • Under item # and item description: Blanket PO
      • Once processed you will have a PO to use with specific vendor
      • Common Blanket POs
        • Gas Tank Vendor: AL Compressed Gases
          • 615-254-1457 – Call and set up a VUMC account (they will provide you with an ID #) before setting up a standing PO

  • For all facilities management needs please use the following website: https://www.vumc.org/facilities/welcome

    • For building repairs (lights, plumbing issues, overheating cold rooms, general damage etc): click here
    • For facilities services (painting, storage and shelving, plumbing, carpentry etc): click here

  • iLab is an online portal that allows investigators and faculty members to pay for CORE services.

    1. Register for iLab

    2. Contact your Department Administrator to activate cost centers in VUMC iLab. Dept. Admin. can view the department module by clicking My Departments in the left-hand navigation panel.

    3. Once the billing number is activated, it will automatically be assigned to the PI. The PI or lab manager(s) will need to grant access to the specific fund for any lab members or lab managers before it can be used by the individual to request services. This is controlled in the lab group module. Click My Groups in the left-hand navigation panel.

    4. iLab User Guide

  • To determine the required safety required for your lab, please visit the Lab Safety Training Guide:

    Radiation Safety

    • Contact: Christopher Helstern 615-343-8502
    • All research use of radioactive materials (including experimental human medical applications) must be performed under the direction of a Principal Investigator authorized by the VU or VUMC Radiation Safety Committee. Radioactive material shipments to and from Vanderbilt need to go through Radiation Safety. Any devices or supplies marked with the radiation symbol need to be surveyed and cleared by Radiation Safety before they can be “unmarked” and passed on for other uses or disposed of.

    Chemical Safety

    • Contact: Mark Bogard 615-936-8461
    • Research activities involving the use of chemicals meeting the OSHA definition of “particularly hazardous substances” (PHS) have specific requirements for safe handling procedures, inventory/security, area designation and exposure response evaluation in some cases. PHS materials typically include select carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and acutely toxic materials. OCCRS Chemical Safety can assist in evaluating materials and procedural pre-planning in order to minimize personnel exposure risk. This group provides chemical safety training for all Vanderbilt personnel, and also provides radioactive and hazardous chemical waste disposal services. When moving, relocating, or setting up a new lab space, this group should be contacted to update door signage information and to provide any guidance for space turnover.

    Biological Safety

    • Contact: Bettye Ridley 615-322-0243
    • This team coordinates all registration/approval activities for VUMC Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBC). All research involving the use of the following materials in a viable state requires review and approval by the IBC: Recombinant DNA molecules, including those used in human clinical trials or on animal studies; Microbiological agents infectious to humans, animals or plants; Human-derived materials including cells, tissues and body fluids; Nonhuman primate-derived materials including cells, tissues and body fluids; and Toxins of biological origin. This team reviews animal protocols for research-related hazards and coordinates hazard assessment when needed. If planning a protocol and you have questions about listing of agents to be administered, please contact ahead of time to address safety practice needs and assure timely hazard approvals. This team provides guidance regarding the shipment of biological materials (including international dangerous goods requirements, permits, and other logistical considerations). They can also provide training for those who frequently ship such materials. This team provides biosafety training for all personnel working in research labs with biological materials.

    Laboratory Compliance Program:

    • Contact: Mark Pavlack 615-343-3528
      • In partnership with the University and Medical Center, OCRS has developed the Lab Compliance Assistance Program to assist with the large number of safety and compliance issues related to laboratory safety.
      • Services provided by the lab safety coordinators include:
        • Chemical Inventory Assistance
        • Specific instruction regarding hazardous chemicals
        • Assistance in implementing the OSHA Lab Standard
        • Fume Hood Inspections
        • Assistance and advice on:
          • Setting up a new lab
          • Chemical Storage
          • Laboratory Moving Procedures

  • Concur is a web-based portal that provides a one-stop, online tool for Vanderbilt University Medical Center business travel booking and expense reimbursement. 

    Training and how to's can be located at VUMC's finance page: click here.

  • REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure web platform for building and managing online databases and surveys. REDCap's streamlined process for rapidly creating and designing projects offers a vast array of tools that can be tailored to virtually any data collection strategy.

    REDCap provides automated export procedures for seamless data downloads to Excel and common statistical packages (SPSS, SAS, Stata, R), as well as a built-in project calendar, a scheduling module, ad hoc reporting tools, and advanced features, such as branching logic, file uploading, and calculated fields.

    Click here for a downloadable guide on how to use REDCap.

    REDCap provides a lot of informational How To videos on how to set up and use REDCap Surveys.  Those videos can be found here. (Videos require a VUnet ID).