New Projects: Getting Started at CFMI

All new projects must be reviewed and approved by CFMI Director, Dr. Ashley VanMeter. To initiate the process:

• Email ashley.vanmeter@georgetown.edu to request a project consultation meeting. 
• Prior to your meeting, please complete both the Project Meeting Form and the New Project Application, which gather preliminary details about your study, including:
  • Research aims and hypotheses, including brain regions of interest or measurements of interest.
  • Target participant population (e.g. MCI, AD, pediatric, blind, deaf, etc.) and any special considerations or accommodations.
  • Desired MRI protocol, including existing protocols or sequences of interest.

Note: If you’re an established CFMI user, you may skip Section A of the Project Meeting Form unless your team has undergone significant staffing changes since your last project launch.

IRB Approval (Required before piloting)
Please submit the following:

• IRB number (e.g. STUDY########)
• A blank copy of the IRB-approved consent form, including a section specific to MRI

Grant Details:

• Start Date and Expiration Date
• Anticipated number of participants/patients and anticipated number of scans (if more than one scan per participant/patient)
• Financial Contacts – who should receive invoices for your project

For Internal (Georgetown) Users: Worktags
Codes called Worktags help distinguish different accountsin the Georgetown Management System (GMS). These may include:

• Cost Center (CC)
• Fund
• Program (PG)
• Purpose (PP)
• Grant (GR)
• Assignee
• Gift (if applicable)

Not all Worktags apply to every project. Share what you have, and we’ll follow up as needed.

For External Users: Contract

• If you do not have a contract for the current fiscal year, please contact our Business Manager, Dion Watson at dw845@georgetown.edu to initiate a service contract.

Each new project is allotted a set number of free scanning hours (development hours). The number of hours allotted is determined during your project consultation meeting and depends on the scope of the project. This time can be used for:

• Building or modifying scan protocols with a CFMI staff member
• Working on the stimulus computer with a CFMI staff member
• Running phantom scans
• Running mock scans with test participants (no data collection for research use)

Development Time Information and Uses:

• Development time should be treated with the same respect as a scheduled scan. Be prepared to start and end your session as scheduled.
  • If you plan on scanning a test participant, you must follow all safety screening guidelines and arrive at CFMI at least 30 minutes before your scheduled start time.
• Development time cannot be used to collect data for publication, therefore, no research participants should be scanned during a development session.
• Development time should only be booked if CFMI staff assistance is needed. This includes scanning a phantom, scanning a practice participant, or working on the MRI console or stimulus computer with staff assistance.
  • If you want to build or edit a scanning protocol but do not require time on the console, you can send your new protocol or protocol edits to cfmi-scanning-team@georgetown.edu and a CFMI staff member will build or edit your protocol when time permits. This would not count toward your development balance. 
• Development time is not billed unless your group exceeds the allotted balance. Any development sessions beyond the pre-determined allowance will be billed at the standard hourly rate.
• Development time is a courtesy and may be reduced or revoked at CFMI’s discretion if used inappropriately.

See our Development Scheduling guidelines for instructions on how to submit a request.

All development is subject to the same ethical booking and cancellation policies as regular scheduling.

Development cannot be scheduled until worktags have been submitted or a contract has been set up for the project.

Notes on development time with Dr. Ashley VanMeter:

• Dr. VanMeter handles all protocol builds, especially those involving spectroscopy (MRS). If you need her support, you must specify this in your request.
• Dr. VanMeter typically works remotely on Tuesdays and is unavailable for development. Please plan accordingly.
• Development sessions requiring Dr. VanMeter’s assistance are scheduled based on her availability. If unavailable, she will coordinate an alternative time with you.