The CTSI Clinical Research Services (CTSI-CRS) program offers infrastructure and services at multiple
locations. These units are available to UCSF investigators and provide specialized research services,
including skilled nursing for a wide variety of multidisciplinary clinical research protocols conducted in
both inpatient and outpatient settings. The CRS provides services to more than 200 clinical
investigators, representing the UCSF Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The CRS provides
Nursing, Sample Processing, Body Composition, Bionutrition, Neuropsychological Development, and
Neonatal Clinical Research cores.
CRS Inpatient Units
 The adult unit at Moffitt Hospital is comprised of 2 inpatient beds. Protocols include the Islet
Cell Transplant program, Fronto-temporal Dementia studies, CJD protocols, Drugs of Abuse
NIDA studies, and the large Brain Tumor Consortium Clinical Trials.
 The 5270 sq. ft. adult unit at San Francisco General Hospital includes 8 inpatient beds. The
world-renowned unit develops treatment and prevention innovations for diseases that
particularly afflict vulnerable urban populations.
CRS Outpatient Units
 The UCSF Clinical Research Center at Parnassus features 2500 sq. ft. of newly renovated
outpatient space and it includes multiple exam and procedure rooms.
 The Pediatric Clinical Research Center, located at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, is a 3080 sq.
ft. facility. Acute care mobile research nurse staff also complete research procedures and data
collection within inpatient Pediatric units
 The outpatient unit at San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) includes an
outpatient suite and consultation rooms with 202 sq. ft. of exclusive use facilities and 445 sq. ft.
of shared use facilities.
 The 2700 sq. ft. CHORI Children’s Hospital Adult and Pediatric outpatient centers located at the
Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland (CHRCO) serves both children and adults in
Oakland's diverse population of 400,000. Research groups include adult neurology, pediatric
endocrinology, pediatric hematology, family medicine, complementary medicine, and the
Cholesterol Research Center.
 The Kaiser Permanente Clinical Research Unit, located in downtown Oakland, occupies 10,000
sq. ft. over 2 floors of the research facility in downtown Oakland and supports investigators
throughout Kaiser Northern California. An affiliation agreement between the Regents of the
University of California on behalf of UCSF and the CTSI on the one hand, and the Permanente
Group, Division of Research on the other, facilitates collaborative research by investigators of
both groups. The Kaiser site provides the capacity to conduct large-scale high impact studies and
multicenter NIH cohort studies, including several in collaboration with UCSF. Kaiser's electronic
databases, registries, expertise in survey methodology and study recruitment, rich tradition of
clinical and epidemiologic research, and health plan membership of >3 million members enables
the unit to efficiently conduct rigorous population-based studies. The Kaiser site also partners
with the Kaiser Permanente Comprehensive Clinical Research Unit to support investigators and
regulatory needs related to clinical trials.
Other CRS Cores
 The Sample Processing Core supports more than 200 clinical research protocols annually.
Dedicated laboratories are located at Parnassus, SFGH, Mission Bay, and Mount Zion Hospitals,
comprising 1600 sq. ft. in total. Each facility is staffed with dedicated research laboratory
technicians. Services available include routine sample processing, shipping of hazardous
materials, PBMC isolation and viable cryopreservation of cells, and short-term sample storage.
 The Body Composition, Exercise Physiology and Energy Metabolism Core provides diverse
services to support multiple principal investigators at the Parnassus campus. Exercise testing
services include treadmill testing, cycle ergometry, 6-minute walk tests, gait-speed, and shuttle
walk. Other services offered include muscle function testing, respiratory gas analysis, high
resolution 3D optical whole body scanning, bioimpedance measures, and DXA scanning.
 The Neuropsychological Development Core carries out extensive neuropsychological
evaluations of children with various medical conditions who participate in medical studies under
the auspices of the CRS. The association between neuropsychological outcomes and imaging
studies, as well as clinical phenotype, is an important component of the pediatric clinical
research portfolio. Besides the direct neuropsychological assessment of children, this work has
increasingly included participation in study design for upcoming projects and consultation about
choice of goal-appropriate measures, test use, scoring, data collection in ongoing studies, as
well as the publication of findings. When appropriate, services will be provided to investigators
at other CRS units with neuro-developmental assessments.
 The Neonatal Clinical Research Center facilitates the research process through support of
multidisciplinary investigators in the conduct of innovative clinical research in the UCSF
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and Pediatric Cardiac
Intensive Care Units (PCIC). A Clinical Research Coordinator offers the following services:
eligibility screening, coordination of procedure scheduling and follow-up with the families of
participants.
 The Bionutrition Core consists of a 400 sq. ft. metabolic kitchen at SFGH and supports a wide
variety of research services for investigators requiring metabolic kitchen services and research
dietitian expertise.