PMACS NewsletterFall 2025

The fall season is always a time to reflect on progress and prepare for what lies ahead. Across PSOM, PMACS teams continue to make meaningful progress that strengthens our research, our technology, and our community. 

This fall’s newsletter highlights several initiatives that show how collaboration drives results. The launch of the IDS Intake Application has transformed the way Investigational Drug Services manages requests, moving from manual spreadsheets and email to a streamlined, automated platform. This new system improves accuracy, transparency, and efficiency, allowing staff to focus more on supporting research and less on administrative tasks. Similarly, the Veeva eTMF system refresh ensures that clinical research teams have access to enhanced tools for document management and compliance. These initiatives demonstrate our ongoing commitment to providing technology that simplifies processes and supports the work of our faculty and staff. 

We have been working through the fall with Baker Tilly, who is leading a comprehensive review of our technology and security practices. This assessment will help us identify opportunities to strengthen how we manage data, safeguard systems, and support our faculty and staff. This is a critical initiative that will guide us in developing a roadmap for a secure, efficient, and future-focused PSOM. 

We are also taking a moment to celebrate one of our long-standing colleagues. Glenn Fala is retiring after years of dedicated service to the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Perelman School of Medicine. Glenn has been a steady and thoughtful leader whose technical expertise and collaborative spirit have shaped many of the systems and processes we rely on today. His professionalism, institutional knowledge, and commitment to collaboration will be missed. We thank Glenn for his many contributions and wish him continued success in the years ahead.

Every season brings new challenges and opportunities, and I continue to be inspired by how our teams come together to deliver for PSOM. Whether it’s supporting lab relocations to 3600 Civic Center Boulevard, enhancing research systems, or partnering to strengthen security, your commitment and teamwork make a lasting difference. 

Chris Dymek, Entity Information Officer 

Kareem Riviere – Senior Application Analyst 
Kareem joins us from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where he spent the past several years working in clinical laboratories. His focus has been on driving process improvements through innovative technology solutions, and we’re excited to have his expertise on board effective October 13^th. 

 Kelly Hailey – Application Analyst 
Kelly comes to us from the Point of Care laboratory at Penn, where she played a key role in implementing new functionalities within middleware systems. Her hands-on experience and problem-solving mindset will be a great asset to our team, effective October 27^th. 

Sean Moulson – Senior IS Services Specialist 
Sean brings fifteen years of IT experience and holds certifications including CCT, CCA, JAMF 100, JAMF 200, and Apple Certified. In his recent role at Princeton University, he excelled in setting up and maintaining systems for internal and remote users, managing loaner computers, and troubleshooting hardware and software issues. Sean is also highly proficient in using Jira and deploying MDM policies. We’re excited to welcome Sean to the team. 

Tony Nguyen – IS Services Specialist 
Tony joins us from Day & Zimmerman, bringing seven years of hands-on experience as an Executive Support Technician, where he provided white glove support to the CEO, shareholders, and executive admins, ensuring seamless technology experiences at every level. He is skilled in providing comprehensive desktop support through both on-site and remote channels, with a strong ability to quickly identify and resolve hardware and software issues. His focus on reliability, efficiency, and cost-effective solutions ensures smooth operations and optimal performance for the teams he supports. We’re excited to welcome Tony to the team. 

Finn Moussa – IS Services Specialist 
Finn joins the team with two years of IT experience, most recently serving as an IT Support Analyst at Ikea. During her time there, she demonstrated exceptional customer service skills by resolving technical issues promptly and empathetically, and excels at communicating technical solutions in clear, user-friendly language to enhance overall user satisfaction. She also brings experience in Identity and Access Management (IAM), where she focused on enabling smooth collaboration among teams and utilizing advanced communication technologies to efficiently address IAM issues while maintaining high productivity and service excellence. We’re excited to welcome Finn’s customer-focused approach to the team. 

An eTMF (electronic Trial Master File) is a digital system used to manage the collection, storage, and organization of essential documents and records related to clinical trials. These documents are required for regulatory compliance and provide a full history of a trial, from initiation through closeout. By transitioning from paper-based or manual systems to electronic solutions like Veeva eTMF, research teams can ensure better accuracy, transparency, and audit readiness. 

The recent refresh of the Veeva electronic Trial Master File (eTMF) product marks a significant step forward in supporting research activities. This project, carried out in close collaboration with the Clinical Research Information Systems (CRIS) team, the Office of Clinical Research (OCR), the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC CRU) and Veeva, was successfully delivered on schedule, with a go-live date of October 24, 2025. 

Updating the eTMF is critical to ensuring that researchers have access to the latest features and improvements within the application. Additionally, this refresh positions the system to receive quarterly updates directly from the vendor, keeping it aligned with evolving industry standards and best practices. 

By maintaining an up-to-date eTMF environment, the research teams benefit from enhanced functionality, improved efficiency, and sustained compliance, ultimately supporting more effective clinical trial management. 

Penn Medicine’s Investigational Drug Services (IDS) successfully transitioned to a Ruby on Rails-based intake application on September 11, 2025, replacing legacy email and Excel workflows with a centralized, automated platform. This modernization enhances protocol management and supports the growing demands of clinical research. 

The new IDS Intake application introduces two streamlined pathways: 

1. IDS Services Request– for studies with an IRB number, enabling direct service initiation. 
2. Cost Estimate Request – for studies without an IRB number, but with the flexibility to convert estimates into IDS Services requests once an IRB approval is obtained. 

The application integrates with our My.Med platform and institutional systems such as the Research Billing Application, Penn Directory, PennERA, and HSERA. This allows automatic population of known study data, reducing manual entry and improving data accuracy. As a result, IDS staff can focus more on high-value tasks like drug dispensing and protocol consultation. 

Real-time dashboards provide users with personalized, actionable worklists, improving transparency and accountability. The system also fosters collaboration across UPenn affiliates, scales with increasing trial volumes, and strengthens IDS’s critical role in supporting high-quality clinical research. 

As of mid-October, PMACS has successfully relocated 11 of the 27 research labs scheduled to move into the newly completed 3600 Civic Center Blvd Overbuild. Beginning in November, the next phase of the project will begin, with groups currently located in Blockley moving to the lower floors of 3600. These relocation efforts will continue through the end of the year and are expected to be completed by early 2026. 

PMACS staff are actively involved in several aspects of the move to ensure research lab operations are fully supported. This includes configuring and networking specialized wet lab equipment—commonly referred to as Equipment Control Machines, or ECMS—as well as setting up office spaces and conference room technology. In addition, PMACS is assisting with the installation and networking of security and building control systems throughout the facility. 

To provide ongoing support, PMACS staff have started relocating to 3600 to assist teams onsite. Full staffing will be in place once the team transitions into their permanent space on the sixth floor later this year. 

Penn Medicine Information Services (IS) will soon implement a change affecting how mobile email (@pennmedicine.upenn.edu addresses) is accessed on Apple iOS devices that are currently enrolled in the Penn Medicine's Intune Mobile Device Management (MDM) system. 

As part of this update, the native Apple Mail app will no longer be supported for accessing Penn Medicine email accounts. Users will be required to access email and calendar through the Microsoft Outlook mobile app instead. 

This change will be rolled out in waves of users in the near term, and each group of affected users will receive direct communication with details and timing before the change takes effect. 

To minimize disruption, PMACS strongly encourages users to switch to the Outlook mobile app as soon as possible rather than waiting for their scheduled wave. Early adoption will help ensure uninterrupted access to Penn Medicine email, calendar, and contacts once the transition begins. 

If you need assistance installing or setting up Outlook on your device, please submit a ticket at helpdesk.pmacs.upenn.edu. Support staff are available to help guide you through the process. 

Third parties, such as equipment suppliers, software vendors, and IT service providers, can be our weakest link. Do you work with or use a particular vendor in your lab or department?  

If yes, stay proactive! Access the Third Party/Product Intake Form to request a risk assessment. The Penn Medicine third-party risk assessment process should be used in place of the University’s v-Star process for vendor security risk assessments for Perelman School of Medicine acquisitions. 

Once a third-party assessment has been initiated, the Cybersecurity team will: 

• Keep track of the vendors you work with, including the services, devices, and applications they provide. Document any changes to how vendors Perelman School of Medicine and/or University of Pennsylvania Health System systems. Review the vendors you work with on a quarterly basis. 

• Establish clear contracts with each vendor to escalate concerns and resolve problems. 

Effective third-party vendor risk management is essential to protecting our organization from cyber threats impacting research operations, student education, patient care/safety, compliance failures, and financial loss.