Faculty Handbook
Chapter VI: Research Environment

RESEARCH FACILITIES

1. Laboratory Space

   Allocation of Department and Center space is the prerogative of the Dean and may change from time to time to reflect the educational and programmatic goals of the School of Medicine. Distribution of faculty offices and laboratories within each Department and Center is at the discretion of the Department Chairperson or Center Director.

2. Clinical Research Center

   Founded in 1965 and supported by grant funding from the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health, the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) is designed to facilitate clinical research by Mount Sinai faculty and staff. The GCRC provides the necessary infrastructure and training for Mount Sinai investigators to conduct their research studies, giving assistance in all aspects of research design, methodology and the actual carrying out of studies. Over 100 studies are conducted in the GCRC and span a wide range of disciplines, including: endocrinology, genetic disease, geriatrics, hematology, internal medicine, neurology, pediatrics and psychiatry. Further information on this facility is available from the Director of the Clinical Research Center.

3. Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery

   The Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery (CCMS) is a centralized, shared resource supporting animal research via veterinary, husbandry care and research collaboration with the faculty. CCMS also provides assistance with research protocol design, clinical and anatomic pathology, and training of in-house husbandry and research personnel toward certification. The CCMS program is fully accredited by the American Association of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC).

   CCMS has two primary sites of operation:
   
   

   1. Annenberg Building - The Annenberg facility houses all large animal species, e.g. swine, nonhuman primates, rabbits, etc. There are eight large animal operating rooms, a veterinary diagnostic laboratory and centralized administrative offices.
      
   2. Icahn Medical Institute - The Icahn Medical Institute facility contains a state-of-the-art rodent transgenic barrier facility. The facility offers fully automated rodent housing (ventilated caging and automatic watering), necroscopy suite, and BSL3 biohazard capability. The Mouse Genetics Shared Resource Facility is also located within this facility.
      
      
   Smaller facilities in the Atran-Berg and Basic Science Buildings provide overflow support for the main facilities.
   
   
4. Shared Resource Facilities

   Shared Resource Facilities (SRF) bring state-of-the-art instrumentation and methodologies crucial to modern biomedical research within the reach of all MSSM investigators and graduate students. The facilities are staffed by experts who provide research services and also offer instruction and training, thereby constituting a major educational resource for those wishing to diversify or explore new avenues of research. SRF are open to all faculty, with equal access regardless of departmental or center affiliation; priority is given to MSSM faculty over external users. Services from SRF require authorization from a Principal Investigator. All utilization of SRF are subject to charge. SRF are not responsible for the application of their products or outcome of research studies involving their products

   There are currently five Shared Research Facilities: Hybridoma, Microscopy, Flow Cytometry, Mouse Genetics and DNA Microarray.

   SRF are administered through the Office of the Dean. Usage and effectiveness are continuously monitored in order to modernize, restructure or even eliminate as appropriate. Establishment of new SRFs will be considered by the Dean's Office in response to proposals initiated multidisciplinary groups of users.