Call for Potential Volunteers

 

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, we are in the midst of a novel coronavirus pandemic. While SARS-CoV-2 testing is now available from multiple large commercial labs and will be available soon on two platforms in the UCI Clinical Lab, national shortages in testing supplies, reagents, capacity, and staff will be rate-limiting while the need for greater testing capacity remains for some time to come. Accordingly, continued diversification of UCI sendout partners and in-house testing on platforms with different reagent supply chains is a necessary pursuit, but one that will be increasingly threatened by staff shortages.

To better prepare for the potential staff shortages, we seek your assistance in creating a registry of potential volunteers. Although non-technical tasks requiring no clinical certification (e.g. clerical, specimen processing, specimen courier) are the more likely immediate needs, technical tasks (e.g. pipetting reagents, establishing new tests) can be envisioned at UCI or local industry partners we are working with. If you are interested in being a potential volunteer, please fill out the survey linked below. Your responses will not be shared publicly. Your volunteerism at this point is non-binding, and please consider the health risks (e.g. your age, your pre-disposing conditions, and your living situation with others at risk) when signing up and answering the questionnaire:

https://tinyurl.com/UCI-COVID19-VolunteerQuestions

Your spirit of volunteerism in this time of need is greatly appreciated -

Ed
———
Edwin S. Monuki, MD, PhD
Warren L. Bostick Professor and Chair, Pathology & Lab Medicine
Director, ADRC Neuropathology Core
Associate Director, Medical Scientist Training Program
Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center

UCI Health