Author: Elisa Medeiros

MRI Scheduling updates

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How to Utilize the MRI Wait List option

If you are requesting a time that is not available to schedule because it is marked as Not Available or Pending Availability, or if the time is currently reserved by another investigator but you would like that slot if it becomes available, please use the MRI Wait List for Unavailable/off hour times. The Wait List should not be used as a placeholder if there are available slots. All Wait List requests will receive one of two emails informing the requestor of the status of the reservation: One is an automated email from the BIRC Scheduler informing you the reservation has been approved and has been moved to the MRI schedule; or one from Elisa informing you that we were unable to find coverage for your requested times. Once your reservation has been approved, you are responsible for all normal charges (please review our cancellation policies for single and block cancellations at https://birc.uconn.edu/researchers/rates-and-policies/

Short-notice cancellations

Effective immediately, if you have a reservation that cancels within 24 hours of the reservation start time but you are able to find another lab to take that slot, you will not be charged. (Please note you will "own" that spot until Elisa is notified about the change.) To help facilitate this process, we have created a listserv available to all schedulers to communicate any questions, availabilities, or requests. Please let Elisa know if you would like to be added to birc_mri_schedulers-l@listserv.uconn.edu

Please remember that it is the responsibility of the investigator or the person responsible for scheduling participants to monitor their own reservations. All schedulers will now receive an automated email from BIRC Scheduler confirming the MRI reservation as soon as it is approved.  All reservations made during available hours (slots are open and available to schedule, including weekends) will automatically be approved and can be confirmed with your participants prior to receiving the confirmation email.

Fumiko Hoeft wins the Samuel Torrey Orton Award

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Each year, the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) acknowledges the achievements of leading researchers and practitioners in the dyslexia field, as well as those of individuals with dyslexia who exhibit leadership and serve as role models in their communities. These award recipients have done so much to advance the mission of helping all those who struggle to read.

The Samuel Torrey Orton Award is the International Dyslexia Association’s highest honor. The Award recognizes a person or persons who have:

  • Made a vital contribution to our scientific understanding of dyslexia, or
  • Significantly enhanced and advanced our capacity to successfully intervene and assist people with dyslexia, or
  • Expanded national and international awareness of dyslexia, or
  • Demonstrated unusual competence and dedication in service to people with dyslexia

Congratulations, Fumiko! This is a well deserved honor.

(Information courtesy of International Dyslexia Association)

Updated fees for MRI Block Scheduling.

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BIRC recognizes it can be difficult to book scanner time during busy months, and many investigators would like to book blocks of time (three or more consecutive hours) to run multiple participants. We support this practice, but we also need to ensure the scanner is available to be utilized by all investigators. We ask that, if you are using a block scheduling system, you please cancel any available slots with a minimum of 14 days’ notice to allow other investigators the opportunity to schedule participants.

The following cancellation fees for block scheduling will become effective February 1, 2022:
>14 days' notice: No charge
8-14 days' notice: 25% charge
24 hours-7 days' notice: %50 charge
< 24 hours' notice: 100% charge

Please see https://birc.uconn.edu/researchers/rates-and-policies/ for additional information.

Brianna Kinnie Receives 2021 BIRC Excellence Award

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The BIRC is pleased to announce the second annual BIRC Excellence Award, which highlights the achievements of a student, staff, faculty member, lab, or group who has made exceptional contributions towards advancing the goals of the BIRC as outlined in the Mission Statement:

  • To facilitate scientific discovery and theoretical and methodological innovation
  • To serve as an intellectual center for interdisciplinary basic and clinical research
  • To prepare graduate students and post-doctoral fellows for careers in academia and related fields
  • To provide undergraduate students with research experience and other educational opportunities
  • To disseminate scientific knowledge to the broader university community, relevant professional communities, and the general public
  • The BIRC Excellence Award is awarded on an annual basis at the end of each Fall semester. Awardees are selected by BIRC staff and confirmed by the BIRC steering committee.

Congratulations to our 2021 BIRC Excellence Award Recipient, Brianna Kinnie, B.S.! Brianna is a project coordinator supervised by Professor Fumiko Hoeft. Brianna coordinated recruitment and research activities for two R01 projects, contributed to undergraduate training, and provided coverage as a Technologist Assistant for clinical scanning, a significant source of revenue for BIRC.

Fumiko Hoeft and Colleagues Receive NIH U24 Grant

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Five new research networks totaling $3.13 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health will allow investigators to refine and test key concepts that advance the study of emotional well-being.

Fumiko Hoeft, Sandra Marshall, and Crystal Park, in collaboration with UConn InCHIP, UConn Neag School of Education, and UConn Research, have just received funding for their NIH U24 grant exploring the underlying mechanisms of mind-body interventions and measurement of Emotional Well Being. Utilizing imaging resources available at BIRC, this project will illuminate the role of emotional well-being in mind and body interventions as both an outcome itself and as a mechanism in improving mental and physical health outcomes. (Grant U24 AT011281-01; NICHD, OBSSR, and ODP are co-funding partners)

In addition to UConn, the list of research networks includes University of Alabama, University of Wisconsin-Madison, UCSF, and University of Rochester.

For more information, visit UConn Today

More information about the scope of this grant can be found on the NCCIH Research Blog