Blogs

Volume L, Number 1 From the Editor's Desk

By SRAI JRA
Spring 2019 Celebrating 50 Years of Research Administration Scholarship The Journal of Research Administration (JRA) is turning 50 this year! Throughout the year, we will celebrate this half a century of research administration scholarship through a number of initiatives and events. First, we will be re-publishing the first issue of the journal in July 2019. Each issue published this year will feature a cover that harkens back to that of the first issue’s cover. We will also be publishing special commentaries throughout the year including Ira Goodman’s commentary in this issue in which he reflects on his 50 years working in the field of research administration. ...
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Developing Language to Communicate Privacy and Confidentiality Protections to Potential Clinical Trial Subjects: Meshing Requirements under Six Applicable Regulations, Laws, Guidelines and Funding Policies

By SRAI JRA
Volume L, Number 1 Developing Language to Communicate Privacy and Confidentiality Protections to Potential Clinical Trial Subjects: Meshing Requirements under Six Applicable Regulations, Laws, Guidelines and Funding Policies Authors Fanny K. Ennever Compliance Department, Boston Medical Center Sean Nabi Compliance Department, Boston Medical Center Patricia A. Bass Office of General Counsel, Boston Medical Center Lilly O. Huang Office of General Counsel, Boston Medical Center Emily C. Fogler Partner, Verrill Dana, LLP Introduction An effective process for satisfying the ethical obligation to obtain informed consent for participation in clinical research ...
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Utilization of a Paired Comparison Analysis Framework to Inform Decision-Making and the Prioritization of Projects and Initiatives in a Highly Matrixed Clinical Research Program

By SRAI JRA
Volume L, Number 1 Utilization of a Paired Comparison Analysis Framework to Inform Decision-Making and the Prioritization of Projects and Initiatives in a Highly Matrixed Clinical Research Program Authors Marcus R. Johnson, MPH, MBA, MHA Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System – Medical Center Melissa Middleton, MSW, LCSW Cooperative Studies Program Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center, New Mexico VA Health Care System Mackenzie Brown, BS Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System – Medical Center Tara Burke Cooperative Studies Program ...
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AB20 and the California Model Agreement: Insights from Implementation and Streamlining of State Contracting with Academic Institutions

By SRAI JRA
Volume L, Number 1 AB20 and the California Model Agreement: Insights from Implementation and Streamlining of State Contracting with Academic Institutions Authors: Paul S. Martinez University of California, Berkeley Background In Fiscal Year 2006–2007, the University of California and the California State University received approximately six billion dollars ($6,000,000,000) from the State General Fund, through more than 2,500 contracts or contract amendments from state agencies and departments. Prior to AB20 implementation, proposal requirements and contractual terms and conditions differed vastly depending on the state agency, university, university ...
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Grant Proposal Preparation Readiness: A Glimpse at the Education Level of Higher Education Faculty

By SRAI JRA
Volume L, Number 1 Grant Proposal Preparation Readiness: A Glimpse at the Education Level of Higher Education Faculty Authors Kristin M. Shuman Concordia University Ann Arbor Current Demographics of Grant Writing Currently, external grant funding is changing the landscape of both medical and non-medical research and development (NIH, 2016; NSF, 2016). The technological advances and growth in fields such as: (a) engineering; (b) pharmaceuticals; (c) biomedical sciences; and (d) other medical and non-medical fields, are changing how research is performed, as well as the content of the studies. The opportunities for investigators to gain knowledge and ...
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Catalyzing Clusters of Research Excellence: An Institutional Case Study

By SRAI JRA
Volume L, Number 1 Catalyzing Clusters of Research Excellence: An Institutional Case Study Authors Kyle W. Demes The University of British Columbia Gail C. Murphy The University of British Columbia Helen M. Burt The University of British Columbia Introduction Interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers generally increases productivity, generates higher impact work (Wutchy, Jones, & Uzzi, 2007), and results in the training of more collaborative researchers (Hampton & Parker, 2011). In light of the mounting evidence of the benefits of collaborative research (e.g., Adler & Stewart, 2010; Beaver, 2004; Jones, Wutchy, & ...
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Remembering 50 Years In Research Administration

By SRAI JRA
Volume L, Number 1 Remembering 50 Years In Research Administration Authors Ira S. Goodman UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center Introduction 2018 marks my golden anniversary in research administration. I started at New York University on July 15, 1968. Fifty years is a long time to spend in one profession. For me, it was a perfect match. I embraced academic research administration and witnessed transformative changes, a sampling of which is described below. This retrospective reflects my views on how research administration has evolved over a half century through regulations, technology and professional practice. Over the course of my career ...
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Note from the Editor | March Contradictions

By SRAI News
Authored by Katie Watkins, M.Ed., Assistant Vice President, Research Admin, University of Akron kwatkin@uakron.edu Thursday March 7, 2019 March is a month full of contradictions. The celebrations of Fat Tuesday morph into the solemnity of Ash Wednesday. We have the advent of brighter mornings and longer evenings since yesterday when Daylight Savings time kicked in. Then there’s the celebration of Mathematics on International Pi Day, March 14, followed by the bacchanalia of St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 (interestingly, falling during Lent this year). The month closes out with International Earth Day on March 20. Sometimes overlooked is that March ...
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View from the Top | Leadership Update February 2019 Board Meeting

By SRAI News
Authored by: Bruce Steinert, PhD, CCRA, SRAI Secretary Email:  bksteinert@aol.com Date: Thursday, March 7, 2019 The Board of Directors and Executive Committee met February 22-24 at the Executive Office in Arlington, VA. Kim Carter, SRAI President, reported that there has been good progress on strategic initiatives to expand volunteer activities; enhance the use of technology in educational and operational settings; develop credentialing programs; increase membership, particularly in the international arena; streamline society operations, and increase financial reserves. Additionally, she reported on a webinar given in February. This webinar, presented ...
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Data analytics as the foundation for building growth & innovation

By SRAI News
Authored by Dr. Baron Wolf University of Kentucky Terri Hall University of Notre Dame When we make decisions throughout our day, whether personal at home or strategic in the workplace, we use data and information to assist us. This does not always mean we refer to complex charts, tables, or use regression analysis to see trends. Rather, we use our past experiences, intuition, and collected information to make the decision. Perhaps without knowing it, the decisions we make every day reflect a sound experimental design, not that dissimilar to the methods and design researchers throughout our organizations and universities are conducting daily ...
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Answering the call: Why you should respond to the call for nominations

By SRAI News
Authored by Gloria Greene, CRA, Director, Office of Sponsored Programs, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Office of Sponsored Programs, SRAI At-Large Board Member Charna Howson , Director, Sponsored Programs, Appalachian State University, SRAI Southern Section Past President Too often as research administrators, pre- and post-award, we are asked to go above and beyond, to do a little bit more with the same number of work hours. Then you receive emails from SRAI asking for nominations for key officer positions within a chapter, section and even as a member of the board. Before you toss that message, STOP! Take a moment to ask yourself, “Can ...
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Research Administration Community | Pulse

By SRAI News
Authored by: Zoya Davis-Hamilton , Associate Vice Provost for Research Administration and Development & Sarah Marina, Assistant Director for Research Administration and Development, Tufts University In this issue of the Catalyst, we revisit valuable issues. Republished from Pulse, November 2016. This month we asked our fellow research administrators whether they feel a sense of belonging to the research administration community at their institutions, as well as to the broader research administration community. We also asked what they think makes up the larger research administration community. To contextualize our results, we asked survey ...
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Why Submit a Proposal for the 2019 SRAI Annual Meeting in SF?

By SRAI News
Join us for the 2019 SRAI Annual Meeting in the heart of San Francisco, "Everybody's Favorite City." Come and experience this vibrant international city by the bay where diverse cultures interact to produce world class cuisines, unforgettable arts and music experiences, and cutting-edge technology. The 2019 SRAI Annual Meeting will bring together research administrators from around the world to explore the theme, Lead Change. Inspire Excellence. Maximize Impact and will feature subject matter experts from industry, government, health care organizations, non-profits, and institutions of higher education. Join the conversation with your peers, recognized ...
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5 C’s of Research Administration Teamwork | Background Noise

By SRAI News
Authored by Sarah Marina Assistant Director for Research Administration and Development Tufts University Zoya Davis-Hamilton Associate Vice Provost for Research Administration and Development Tufts University Conceptualized as the sister column to The Pulse, Background Noise is a column devoted to conceptual ideas of interest to the research administration community. It is written by Zoya Davis-Hamilton, Associate Vice Provost, and Sarah Marina, Assistant Director, both of Research Administration and Development at Tufts University. Look for a new column in The Catalyst every few months, whenever an idea pops into our heads, and feel free to ...
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View from the Top: New Year, New Challenges, New Opportunities

By SRAI News
Authored by Kim C. Carter SRAI President University of Kentucky Email: kccarter.1@uky.edu Looking back at 2018, I would like to congratulate and thank the volunteers and staff for the amazing meeting in Orlando. The annual meeting co-chairs, Silke Blohm, Marcia Landen and Ellen Zavala, put together a meeting filled with learning opportunities pertinent to our daily work and networking events to foster connections with colleagues across the world. The members who volunteered at the registration desk, served as ambassadors or room monitors, presented workshops or sessions, joined dinner groups or otherwise helped create a welcoming atmosphere for ...
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They Shut Down, We Step Up

By SRAI News
Authored by Evan Roberts Executive Director SRAI Email:  eroberts@srainternational.org. A government shutdown is upon us (today ties it with the longest shutdown in U.S. history), with the potential to negatively impact our business operations and the day to day lives of our research faculty and their quest for knowledge and understanding. This is the 21st shutdown of government operations in the history of the United States, and the 4th time it has occurred this decade. This article offers somewhat obvious, but often neglected, tips for approaching shutdowns, as well as approaches that help to mitigate the negative impact while legislators resolve the ...
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Providing Administrative Research Training for Everyone!

By SRAI News
In a series of articles, we will present the newest in research administration from the Journal of Research Administration. Read the full JRA here . Authors : Rebecca J. Youmans DeMoss, MBA, CRA, Kristina Oberly, MS, CRA, Megan D. Cross, MBA, Jacquelyn J. K. Torres,  Teri J. Behnke, Kristin M. Poole, CRA, Kaitlyn Marshall, William J. Messics, and Cynthia L. Shaw, University of Michigan As such, bridging the gap between research and administration for faculty is crucial, particularly given the importance of research administration in submitting competitive proposals, securing and appropriately managing funding, and complying with policy at multiple ...
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Perseverance Pays Off

By SRAI News
Authored by Jason Claes Assistant Director - SRS Accounting University of Cincinnati Email: jason.claes@uc.edu It is with great joy and enthusiasm to know that with a little encouragement, two staff members from the University of Cincinnati has now joined the great honor of being called Certified Research Administrator (CRA) certified as of this week. After contemplating several years the importance of what this designation means while working in their respective fields of research administration, they finally made the commitment to study for the exam which occurred this past November. With support from the university leadership, I was able to assist ...
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Congratulations to DARMA's New President

By Martha Jack
DARMA has a New President Our sister society, DARMA - The Danish Association of Research Managers and Administrators - has a new President: Annedorte Vad, who is also serving on the board of Directors of SRAI and is the former President of the SRAI International Section. With Annedorte volunteering in both associations we hope for a continued strong collaboration with our Danish colleagues and a stronger tie to Europe. Of the things that Annedorte is working for in DARMA two are very relevant to SRAI and could bring DARMA members and SRAI members closer for a valuable exchange of best practice. Annedorte is focusing on more collaboration with international ...
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Explore Chicago and Join Us for the MW/NE Section Meeting

By SRAI News
Tabatha Lemke Midwest Section President Sanford Health Cindy Morin Northeast Section President Johns Hopkins University ATTENTION ALL SPEAKERS. Thank you to everyone who submitted speaking proposals for the 2019 MW/NE Section Meeting. A special thank you to our Track Co-chairs for their assistance with proposal reviews. Speaker notification letters will be distributed in the coming week. Program information will be posted to the meeting webpage soon. Stay tuned! LEARN . This meeting will offer three complete certificate programs – Research Development, Leadership, and Clinical Trials 101 (CTR101) – as well as workshops, learning cafés, roundtables ...
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