Each year, the CNI team welcomes back many users. We also look forward to meeting new users who have a wide variety of experience in research environments.  Over the next few weeks we will be posting messages to remind those of you who are returning, and inform those of you who are new to the CNI, about our community’s culture and priorities.

1. Safety

The safety of both participants and researchers is the highest prority at CNI.

• We use the internationally accepted recommendations from the American College of Radiology as guidelines to establish our safety rules. All new users are required to learn about these procedures by completing the on-boarding process.
• We strongly encourage experienced members of research groups to mentor new research group members, particularly with respect to MRI safety related procedures and practices. Teaching is a good way to remember and to help others.

2. Managing Research Participants

It is important that all research participants have a safe and positive experience while they are the CNI.  Our good will in the community depends on this.  Research participants include both the person being scanned and any accompanying family members or supporters.

• Please make sure that participants have been thoroughly screened for contraindications prior to their scanning session. It is not an acceptable situation to ask for last minute advice about a potential contraindication from CNi staff as the participant is about to enter the magnet room. It is the responsibility of PI’s to establish rigorous participant screening procedures for their research studies. CNI staff are always available for consultation.
• Please make sure that you have your Stanford ID with you arrive at CNI for your scanning session. Depending on activities at CNI we may or may not be available to let you into the facility, thereby potentially delaying your scan.
• Please make sure that participants arrive at CNI either with you, the researcher, or that you are already at CNI to greet your participant. Please do not create situations where a participant arrives unaccompanied at CNI and says “I have a scan today” and no other instructions.
• Research participants must be chaperoned at all times when they are CNI. If accompanying family members cannot be in the control room during a scan, then they must be in a reserved area in CNI (such as the CNI lobby, testing room, or mock scanner room). Please check on these people periodically and treat them courteously.
• While friendly smiles and answering simple questions is appreciated, please communicate instructions only to your own research participants. If a participant from another study groups ask questions, then it is mandatory that a member of that group answer those.
• If you find an unaccompanied research participant in a CNI area that you have reserved, please find a researcher from the participant’s group and have them tell the participant where to go.

3. Sign up for CNI Slack Workspace

CNI has created a Slack workplace (https://stanford-cni.slack.com) to help expand intrauser communication and sharing of information.  If you haven’t used Slack before, please checkout these resources (https://uit.stanford.edu/service/slack/resources).

We are always open to suggestions for any improvements to our operations and happy to help users anytime. 

Thanks, 

The CNI Team