Clinical Research Resources and Facilities Core

The overall goal of the Clinical Research Resources and Facilities Core (CRRFC) is to provide synergy and expansion opportunities to the existing clinical services and technology cores available through partnering institutes, thereby fostering an ideal environment for the competitive execution of clinical and translational cancer research.

If you are planning to submit an application for one of the DaCCoTA RFAs, contact Project Manager Tabatha Lemke or login to Pathfinder to schedule a consultation.

CRRFC Core Faculty

Lora Black, MPH, Director of the CRRFC

Lora Black is Senior Director of Clinical Research at Sanford Research and a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Neurosciences at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, where she teaches biomedical ethics to medical students. She received her MPH from Creighton University, with a concentration in Health Policy and Ethics, and has practiced as an oncology nurse for fifteen years, eleven of which have been focused on oncology clinical research. Ms. Black has been instrumental in establishing clinical research trials and protocols with numerous entities, both internal and external to Sanford. As director of the Clinical Research Resources and Facilities Core, she works closely with researchers and clinicians affiliated with the DaCCoTA to educate and engage them in clinical research processes and facilitate conversations regarding commercialization options for their novel treatments and devices. 

Kimberly Hammer, PhD, Co-Director of the CRRFC

Dr. Kimberly Hammer is the Director of Research & Development at Fargo VA and Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UND. Dr. Hammer directs a research program that includes pre-clinical and clinical research and interacts daily with researchers at VA as well as UND and North Dakota State University (NDSU). She serves on the VA Cancer Committee and interacts with providers in the VA Multi-Disciplinary Cancer Clinic and throughout the VA. She also served as acting Director of Research & Development at Sioux Falls VA, so she is familiar with the faculty at the University of South Dakota (USD). She currently serves on the UND Internal Medicine Scholarly Activities Committee, which includes providers from Sanford Fargo. Dr. Hammer has a PhD in Genetics and completed DOD and NIH NRSA postdoctoral fellowships in cancer biology and drug development. Her work focuses on pre-clinical prostate cancer studies, epidemiology of infectious diseases, women’s health, developing an infrastructure to expand national data studies at VA, and expanding oncology clinical trials at VA. As co-director of the Clinical Research Resources and Facilities Core, Dr. Hammer facilitates access to VA’s national data collection sites for DaCCoTA-affiliated investigators.

Contact the DaCCoTA for access to the resources offered by the Clinical Research Resources and Facilities Core.