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A Duty and an Honor: Serving SRAI | by Kevin Titus

By SRAI News posted 07-24-2024 12:29 PM

  

SRAI membership includes a wide variety of people from all over the world with varied experiences and are at institutions with varied resources and missions. It’s that variety and commitment to service that makes us the premier research administration organization in the world and why I’ve truly enjoyed serving in a variety of roles over the past 15+ years with SRAI. I’ve told many people that after my very first SRAI meeting, I returned to my institution and shared that I was surprised at what I had learned. I honestly expected to learn more at my first foray into a research-related conference. I told our leadership that they did a great job of training and educating me in this new career. I then also immediately felt an obligation to share that knowledge. That’s exactly what SRAI is all about. We’re a volunteer-led organization serving each other. Our hospital’s mission is to improve child health. It's not just to improve child health in Cincinnati, but everywhere. That also extends to research and therefore, research administration. I truly believe we have a duty to serve and share. That’s why I’ve served in a variety of roles in SRAI. Besides, I enjoy it, and like most of you, have met some great friends. Of course, I’ve learned a LOT from SRAI since that first conference where I was too naive to even know how much I was missing. 

I’ve previously served as an elected At-Large Board Member and a one-year term as appointed Ad Hoc Board Member. I’ve been on the Executive Committee and Nominations Committee, and chaired the Board’s Technology and Innovation Strategic Planning group. I’ve been President and Treasurer for the Midwest Section. In 2016 and 2022 I received the Annual Meeting Best Concurrent Session Awards. I also co-chaired the Distinguished Faculty Committee and the Clinical & Translational Working Group.

Being on the board before and during COVID was both fulfilling and scary. Being a part of the leadership of an organization that relied very heavily upon in-person educational opportunities at conferences was not a desirable situation in early 2020. The fact that we even stayed in business, but especially that we very successfully continued to fulfill our mission of educating our members, should not be taken for granted. Our LevelUP program, virtual conferences and intensive trainings, coffee talks, podcasts, and rollout of our Connect platform and much more, enabled us to not only survive, but grow. SRAI has continued to be the premier research administration organization in the world, and we need to make sure we lead by example in a transparent manner.

In my current position as Sr. Business Director at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, I oversee a variety of research grants and clinical trials from a diverse group of funding agencies at the nation’s second largest pediatric research institution. I think this perspective is important at the Board level as we both represent and serve a variety of institutions. I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration/Marketing and an MBA and have served on the boards for five different 501(c)3 organizations in the past. All of this, I believe, makes be a good candidate and I humbly request your support as an at-large SRAI Board member.


Authored by Kevin Titus, Sr. Business Director
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

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