Masonic Cancer Center: A Guide for New Employees

Welcome to the Masonic Cancer Center, we're excited that you're here!

MCRB

This guide will provide information about processes and procedures you will need to navigate as you begin your career at the Masonic Cancer Center (MCC).

The University of Minnesota’s Human Resources Department has a general resource guide for all new employees. Below are specific instructions for MCC employees.


Before Your First Day at MCC

  1. If you plan to park a vehicle on either the Minneapolis or St. Paul campus, speak to your departmental or MCC contact about getting a parking contract (for which you have to pay). Parking on campus is limited.

  2. Complete the required federal Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) form.


First Day in MCC

  1. Meet with Danielle Yee (dyee@umn.edu), MCC Human Resource (HR) Manager, or with your departmental HR Manager. If you have any questions, contact the University’s Office of Human Resources Contact Center via email or phone (612-624-8647 or 800-756-2363).

  2. Get your U Card. 

    • Your U Card is your identification card and keycard to access secure facilities.

      • You MUST have a primary form of ID to receive your first U Card. The U Card Office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).

      • If you work on the Twin Cities Minneapolis campus, go to the U Card Office in Coffman Memorial Union on the East Bank campus (300 Washington Ave SE, Room G22, Minneapolis).

      • If you work on the Twin Cities St. Paul campus, go to Information Desk in the St. Paul Student Center (2017 Buford Ave, St. Paul).

  3. Building Access


First Week in MCC

  1. Parking and Transportation Services:

    •  The University has both daily and contract parking available for staff and students.

    • There is a free UMN bus system for transportation between the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses and free light rail train transportation between the East and West banks of the Minneapolis campus.

    • Parking and Transportation Services location and contact information:

  2. If you enroll in one of the offered medical plans, consider also enrolling in the Wellbeing Program.

    • The Wellbeing program provides a reward program to reduce your Health insurance premium.

  3. Required training – all employees:

  4. All new laboratory staff are required to take online safety training prior to doing any work in the laboratory. This training covers:

    • Biosafety and occupational health

    • Lab and safety research

    • Radiation safety

    • Regulated waste

    • Lab specific training


First month in MCC and beyond


MCC Research Opportunities and Resources

MCC membership provides a variety of benefits for researchers and clinicians. These benefits include access to MCC shared resources and MCC managed research space, benefits of NIH Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant, access to MCC philanthropic funding for research, research grant support by the MCC Research Development Office, career development opportunities, continuing education, teaching, and community engagement.

  •  Research Programs - MCC research programs bring together scientists and physicians from different disciplines to discover processes that affect cancer. These programs are organized around scientific themes that reflect advances in cancer research and provide opportunities for interactions across the cancer community to solve organ-specific clinical questions. Researchers in these programs make discoveries that lead to improved ways to treat and prevent cancer. MCC faculty members join one of these six programs:

  • Translational Working Groups (TWGs) – TWGs foster inter-programmatic and translational research to promote new discoveries. TWGs organize MCC members from various research programs into groups designed to address site-specific cancers, foster collaborations, and provide the necessary scientific and clinical expertise to improve outcomes for the specific disease sites. The current TWGs are:

  • Community Outreach and Engagement - The Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) team’s mission is to reduce the burden of cancer in Minnesota by engaging communities and providing them access to knowledge and information about cancer prevention, treatment, survivorship, and clinical research opportunities.

  • Events – MCC hosts many recurring events that include weekly seminars, research program meetings, annual symposia, etc. Participation in these events facilitates your career development and research progress.

  • Investigator Resources available through the MCC: 

    • Cancer Research Translational Initiative (CRTI) supports translational research and promotes investigator-initiated first-in-human experimental therapeutic trials through investment and specialized infrastructure.

    • Clinical Trials Office (CTO) is an organization of professionals dedicated to meeting the needs of researchers and their patients; providing exceptional trial management services; prioritizing patient safety, data integrity, and regulatory compliance; and recognizing diversity, equity, and inclusion as core institutional values that drive decision-making, resource allocation, and the development of best practices. 

    • Research Development Services identifies sources of research funding and supports grant submissions. Services include:

    • Cancer Protocol Review Committee (CPRC) evaluates, approves or rejects, monitors, and re-reviews annually all University of Minnesota clinical cancer research protocols.

    • Institute for Global Cancer Prevention Research develops global translational research capacity and partnerships that will advance the understanding of cancer risks and inform cancer prevention in populations with a disproportionate burden of cancer. 

    • The Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network (MNCCTN) aims to improve cancer outcomes for all Minnesotans through greater access to cancer clinical trials in prevention and treatment.

    • Shared Resources - A key goal of MCC is to provide access to technologies, services, and scientific consultation that facilitate interaction and enhance scientific productivity. Our shared resources provide stability, reliability, cost-effectiveness, and quality control that would be difficult to achieve otherwise. Our designation by the National Cancer Institute as a comprehensive center includes support for many of these resources.

      Analytical Biochemistry Biostatistics
      Cancer Genomics Cancer Bioinformatics
      Cancer Informatics Clinical Pharmacology
      Comparative Pathology Flow Cytometry
      Genome Engineering Glass Washing
      Mouse Genetics Laboratory Research Space
      Translational Cell Therapy X-RAD 320 Biological Irradiator

       

    • University Research Resources - A partial list of resources available to all University researchers is:

      Advanced Research and Diagnostic Laboratory Advanced Preclinical Imaging Center
      Aerocore Services Analytical Biochemistry
      Bioprinting Facility Biosafety Level 3 Program
      Center for Magnetic Resonance Research Center for Translational Medicine
      Characterization Facility Clinical and Translational Science Institute
      Cytokine Reference Library Diagnostic Flow Cytometry Service
      Driven to Discover Research Facility at the Minnesota State Fair FV500 Confocal Microscopy
      Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development Integrative Biology and Physiology Phenotyping Cores
      Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics Mouse Genetics Library
      Research Animal Resources Viral Vector and Cloning Core
      University Imaging Centers