Authored by:
Jennifer Pitz
Research Grants & Sponsored Programs Administrator
Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron
Email: jpitz@akronchildrens.org
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If there’s one thing that’s constant in research administration, it is change. Regulations are continually updated, federal and private funding priorities are always in flux as are PI interests, and day-to-day you never really know what you will be working on, try as you might. Change, and its frequent partner stress, are a part of life in research administration.
When I took my current position, part of what interested me was that the Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute (RDCRI) at Akron Children’s Hospital was itself launching a process of change. Funded by a $1 million donation from our CEO William Considine and his wife Rebecca, and propelled by the inclusion of research as one of the Hospital’s True North Objectives in our Strategic Plan, the RDCRI has been constantly growing and reinventing itself to meet our current strategic initiatives to (1) develop an outstanding research institute that transforms pediatric care, improves health and outcomes, advances educational programs, and cultivates and attracts eminent researchers and (2) enhance the culture of research and establish a system to grow innovation across the enterprise. To this end, the research institute is restructuring staff, updating technology, implementing a clinical trial management system, refining processes and procedures, embedding the concept of team research within Akron Children are, expanding the footprint of our research efforts throughout the hospital system and increasing visibility regionally and nationally. Change is happening – often all at once.
As the Research Grants & Sponsored Projects Coordinator whose primary focus is on pre-award activities, my scope of work is broad. I perform typical pre-award duties such as guide PIs through the proposal process, manage the proposal team to ensure the proposal submitted is the best it can be, help identify sponsors and application opportunities for current programs and submit research grant proposals.
On a more global level, I work on the Policy and Standard Operating Procedure Committee, CTMS Implementation Committee and the Research Cabinet. I also serve as one of three “Research Concierges,” answering questions, guiding investigators through the project initiation process and facilitating the intake process for all investigator-initiated projects, both funded and unfunded. As we work toward a team science approach at the Hospital, I will be integrating with the specialized programs of research being established. This will help me understand the specific projects being developed and allow me to start guiding investigators toward successful proposal grant submission from the start.
As a research administrator first at a university with a biomedical research focus and now at a pediatric hospital, I have always enjoyed contributing to the common good by helping scientists obtain the necessary funding to explore how the human body works and to find cures for diseases and chronic conditions. The need is even greater in pediatrics because so little research is specifically focused on this age group. More often than not, adult treatments and discoveries are adapted for children rather than developed for their unique systems and needs. Being able to focus my knowledge and skills in this manner is deeply rewarding.
The work we do over the next few years at Akron Children’s Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute will be crucial to our existence. There are growing pains for sure, but if we successfully negotiate the transition from a small research enterprise at an independent children’s hospital to a rising leader in pediatric clinical research and innovation, the hard work and stress of the change will be well worth it.
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