Policies

Outside Professional Activities

Access the OPA System

In order to facilitate the approval and reporting of OPA, the School of Medicine in conjunction with the University has developed a web-based OPA reporting and approval system. The web-based approach replaces the cumbersome paper form approach that has been used since the 1980s. Faculty will be able to easily login to the OPA web site using your VCU eID and password. The web-based system will keep an electronic record of reported outside professional activities so that the required annual reporting will be simplified.

Each Department Chair has been charged with developing a set of written guidelines and procedures for OPA that are consistent with the School’s guidelines and University policy but allows a department to adopt its own unique set of procedures. If a department does not have an approved set of OPA guidelines and procedures, the department will default to the SOM OPA Guidelines and Procedures. The links to university policy and SOM guidelines are included below.

• University Policy on Outside Professional Activity and Employment, Research, and Continuing Education
• School of Medicine Guidelines and Procedures for Disclosure, Approval and Reporting of Outside Professional Activities [PDF]
• Contacts
  • Policy and process questions: Department chair and/or administrator
  • Approver changes: To request changes to the list of approvers for your department or division, please contact Amy Sebring [E-mail]: asebring@vcu.edu in the Dean’s Office.
  • VCU eID or Password problems: Call VCU Helpdesk at 804-828-2227.
  • Technical problems: [E-mail]: School of Medicine Technology Services