Research Administration Faculty Advisory Board

Reasoning

Upholding a vibrant and progressive research enterprise requires constant engagement and advice from the faculty being served. Through a series of strategic planning activities, the research enterprise has continued to evolve in order to advance Emory’s institutional eminence.  A crucial part of this evolution is the enhanced focus on improving the research administration infrastructure to serve existing faculty, and to help recruit the best faculty domestically and internationally. 

 The establishment of the Research Administration Faculty Advisory Board (FAB) is to ensure that Emory achieves continued quality and process improvement in Emory’s research environment.  Specifically, the FAB will work with the Office of Research Administration (ORA) to provide an effective and efficient research organization to achieve Emory’s goal of excellence in research. The FAB will bring faculty researchers together with key staff to address the needs and opportunities across all areas of ORA.

Charge

The FAB will:

• Provide insight and recommendations related to the “faculty research experience.”
• Advise on progress of the Research Administration Strategic and Operational Plans.
• Receive information on, and provide feedback related to, ORA’s continuous process improvement initiatives.
• Identify challenges and discuss solutions for process improvement across ORA with appropriate consideration for prioritization of resources.
• Report feedback and suggestions for improvement to Dr. Robert Nobles, VPRA.

Composition and duration of task force membership:

• Faculty and faculty leaders engaged in research.
• Composition will Include key ORA staff responsible for change management.
• The FAB will meet once monthly.
• Faculty appointments are for three years.  Half of faculty appointments roll off each year, except for the initial group of faculty that will have half of the group role off at two years and the remaining half will serve for three years.
• Faculty appointments will be made annually after consultation with school deans/associate deans, department chairs, unit leaders, and the university faculty council.

Central Department Members

Provided below are the member names and backgrounds.

Robert Nobles, DrPH, MPH

Vice President, Research Administration

Robin Ginn, MBA, BSN, CHC, CHRC

Assoc. VP - Office of Clinical Research

Inger Garnett, MSPH, LSSBB

Director of Strategic Operations (Dragon Team)

Todd Sherer, PhD, CLP, RTTP

Assoc. VP - Executive Director, Office of Technology Transfer

Lisa Wilson, MBA, PMP, CRA

Interim Assistant VP, Office of Research Administration Optimization (ORAO); Senior Director, Strategic Operations & Training (SOT)

Deepika Bhatia, MSBME, CCRP, CHRC, CHPC, CCEP

Assoc. VP, Research Compliance and Regulatory Affairs

Edwin Bemmel, PhD, CPA

Assoc. VP, Research Grants and Contracts

Scott Thomaston, MS, MPH

Assoc. VP - Environmental Health and Safety Office

Holly Sommers

Asst. VP, Research Administration Director, Office of Sponsored Programs

Kimberly Eck, MPH, PhD

Associate Vice President for Research

Rebecca Rousselle, CIP

Assistant VP, Emory Human Research Protection Program, Institutional Review Board

April Carswell, PhD

Project Manager, ORA

Stephanie Dennis

Executive Administrative Assistant VPRA, Robert Nobles