2024-03-28 Reminder about Safety Training and Comment on Personally Identifiable Information

Hi All,

Safety Training Reminder

Thank you to everyone for embracing the MRRC’s new safety training policy. As a reminder, starting April 1^st we will be enforcing the safety training policy outlined on our website and described in a previous email:

https://www.rad.pitt.edu/mrrc-safety-training-for-research-staff.html

Any study team member that wants access to the restricted areas of the MRRC on and after 4/1 must watch the video, complete the quiz and print results, complete the screening form, and bring the paperwork to the MRRC for a technologist to review. You can bring the paperwork with you the next time you are scheduled to scan at the MRRC rather than make a separate trip, but please allow for additional time for one of the MRRC technologists to review your paperwork. If you show up for a scan without the required paperwork, the MRRC technologists will deny entry to restricted areas (including the scanner control rooms) which could impact your ability to conduct research.


Comment on Date of Birth in DICOM Image Headers

The MRRC is aware a portion of data we generate at the center ends up on the Center for Research Computing’s compute infrastructure for additional analysis. Please be aware some servers downstream from the MRRC (like the CRC) have restrictions on storage of personally identifiable information without seeking explicit approval. By default, the MRRC will enter the date of birth provided by the study team via our online participant information form (see screenshot below) into the Siemens scanner software at the start of a scanning session. This date of birth is imprinted in the DICOM image header. If you would like to maintain compliance with the CRC’s storage policy, please instruct relevant members of your study team to use a fake or modified date of birth on the MRRC screening form. Some studies use the same fake date of birth for every participant (e.g., Jan 1^st, 1911) and others maintain the correct year with a fake day and month (e.g., actual date of birth July 4^th, 1976 entered as Jan 1^st, 1976). This decision is up to you. We can note any preferred patterns in the MRRC’s internal protocol notes database as a failsafe to ensure no PII makes it to downstream servers, but, at the current time, we strongly suggest developing a lab-specific policy and entering your preferred date of birth into the MRRC online participant information form with the understanding that whatever is entered in this form will be included in the DICOM image headers.




As always, please reach out if you have any questions.

Best,
Andrew Reineberg