Management and Operations

Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm

Content level: Intermediate

Over the past two years the University of Michigan Medical School Office of Research under took a major whole scale change called the Clinical Trials Transformation. Clinical trials are a high priority and research is a key differentiator for any university. Being able to bring in , retain and support leading edge talent requires an adaptive robust infrastructure. In moving from the traditional department based support models to business units that were organized around thematic of science and crossed departments was something that few institutions with a similar scope and breadth of research had tried. This presentation will describe leading this initiative and then the members of the panel will discuss the specific environments and unique challenges they faced. We will describe how we applied the 5 strategies to leading change and the changes we have implemented. Analyzing and Identifying what success looks like and the barometers needed to measure progress across the cycle of change.

Learning objectives:

1. Describe the 5 Strategies to Leading( versus Managing) Change and how they were applied to real life situations.
2. Identify the Psychological Reactions and timing while implementing wholescale organizational change within a large academic medical center research infrastructure.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Cynthia Bower, MS, Director of Clinical Trials Operations University of Michigan Medical School Office of Research, University of Michigan; Kathryn Keeley, Administrator, Ambulatory and Chronic Disease and Neurosciences and Sensory Clinical Trials Support Units, University of Michigan School of Medicine -Office of Research; Barbara Munsey, BS, Administrator, Acute Critical Care Surgery and Transplant (ACCST) Clinical Trials Support Unit (CTSU), University of Michigan School of Medicine-Office of Research Use the online HTML converter to compose the content for your website easily.

Time:  9:00am to 5:00pm

Content level: Intermediate

This workshop is proposed to fulfill the full day workshop request for the Leadership certificate. It will be structured to use interactive exercises and a case study and will include high level content for leadership development, research administration staffing and management, research and faculty development, innovation and economic development, and integrity and stewardship.

Learning objectives:

1. Identify the core tenets of supervision and organization of research activities from an organization management perspective.
2. Understand the importance of training and professional development is providing excellent research administration services.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Susan Sedwick, PhD, CRA, Senior Consulting Associate, Attain LLC; Marianne Woods, PhD, JD, Faculty and Program Director, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Advanced Academic Programs Johns Hopkins University

Time: 9:30am to 10:45am

Content level: Intermediate

The Spectrum Health Department of Research (SHOR) consists of >100 staff across 4 areas including Research Oversight (IRB), Sponsored Programs, Research Finance, and Clinical Operations Teams. It manages approximately 1,000 studies currently. In 2017 the leadership team of the department developed a project tracking tool to assist with accountability on getting some of the big improvement needs worked on. It failed for multiple reasons: all the work was placed in the hands of leadership; targeted deadlines were continually missed and; The work was not easily visible for the whole department. We call that SHOR Improvement 1.0. In November 2018, SHOR launched a process improvement tool titled RiHub - Research improvement Hub. RiHub represents SHOR Improvement 2.0. The initiative was inspired by clinical iHubs within the Spectrum Health system that modeled their process improvement tools on the Kaizen methodology of rapid and continuous improvement using a visual management system. (Kaizen methodology was initially developed by Toyota in the mid 20th century and has since been adapted to many different types of business operations.) The RiHub in SHOR was developed with two goals in mind:

1. To promote excellence in research administration by adopting cutting edge tools and smart, lean processes,
2. To enhance department culture by promoting team based all -inclusive problem solving.

My proposed presentation tell the story of how we came to deciding to launch the RiHub, describe a few of our current projects, and summarize reactions 6 months in.

Learning objectives:

1. Understand how the Kaizen methodology of process improvement can be applied to administrative tasks.
2. Walk away with inspiration to consider using some of the methodology outlined in this initiative.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Shanta Layton, Director, Pediatric Research, Helen DeVos Children's Hospital/Spectrum Health Use the online HTML editor to maximize your web content composing efficiency.

Time: 11:00am to 12:15pm

Content level: Advanced

Research teams are passionate about all of their studies, yet research organizations are responsible for conducting only high-quality research and doing so with limited resources. This presentation will discuss the use of a review and selection process, known as Research Administrative Preauthorization (RAP), used at Aurora Health Care (AHC) to screen studies for merit, compliance, resource needs, and other variables important to a research organization. All research proposals at AHC must be vetted through RAP, thereby allowing the institution to maximize the amount and quality of research conducted by the institution, while also providing oversight by research leadership, guidance from research support teams, and feedback from other researchers. This presentation will provide an overview of the preauthorization process and its purpose, support required for effective administration, lessons learned, and system-wide implementation processes.

Learning objectives:

1. Determine whether research preauthorization would be useful to their organization.
2. Develop a research preauthorization process that is quick and effective.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Nina Garlie, PhD, Director of Patient-Centered Research for Neuroscience and Emerging Areas; Mindy Waite, PhD, Manager, Research Grants & Projects, Aurora Health Care

Time: 2:15pm to 3:30pm

Content level: Intermediate

Organizations around the world are adopting the Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, and this includes the Leader Standard Work sheet. The purpose of the Leader Standard Work sheet is to build a framework around your position, improve processes, and to help you become a better leader. If done correctly, you should be able to hand this piece of paper to someone brand new and they would have instant knowledge of what you do. Unfortunately, the usual template that comes out of the box from your employer usually doesn’t fit the life of a Research Administrator. We have a different sort of daily work that, at times, is inconsistent and 90% variable from day to day. But do not despair, with only a few changes we can turn the standard Leader Standard Work sheet into a useful tool for the world of research leadership.

Learning objectives:

1. Recognize the purpose of the Leader Standard Work sheet.
2. Practice creating a personal Leader Standard Work sheet based on your current workflow.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Holly Zink, MSA, Manager of Research Project Development and Education, Children's Mercy Hospital This document has been composed with the instant HTML edior tools. Click here and test it for free.

Time: 3:45pm to 5:00pm

Content level: Intermediate

Managing a research administration office can be a challenging but highly rewarding experience. No matter the size of your office, significant departmental efficiencies can be realized by developing a vibrant team of research administrators that enhance your organization’s goals and culture. Drawing upon their individual experiences, this discussion group, led by seasoned research managers from the University of Michigan, will give insight into setting up a cohesive research administration office and how to hire the right team for the job at hand. Tips for setting team culture for your staff, discussions of unique ways of managing your team, and pitfalls experienced along the way, will be shared. Attendees will be encouraged to provide examples from their own experiences to enrich the discussion.

Learning objectives:

1. Recognize how to create the right team for a research administration enterprise no matter the discipline.
2. Identify qualities and traits that will foster a culture of teamwork in your overall team environment and how to manage your team environment through conflicting personalities and priorities.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Melissa Karby, Director of Research Administration, School of Dentistry; Teresa Herrick, MS, CRA, Research Process Manager, School for Environment and Sustainability; Nicholas Prieur, Research Process Senior Manager, SRC - Youth and Social Issues, University of Michigan

Time: 9:15am to 10:30am

Content level: Advanced

Succession planning helps organizations to ensure there are capable and experienced candidates to fill vacancies especially at the leadership level but is most successful when it is incorporated into a more holistic career ladder approach to retain high potential employees. Let’s face it: if you think they are worth keeping, someone else will think they are worth recruiting. So how do you identify high potential candidates, invest in their professional development, and mentor them to be able to hit the ground running when the opportunity arises. This workshop will focus on the WHO you identify, WHAT professional development opportunities do you afford them, WHEN do you assign greater responsibility, WHERE do you find them and HOW do you keep them for the long term. Appropriate for the Leadership track. This can be presented as a 1/2 day workshop.

Learning objectives:

1. Identify high potential talent in your organization or even elsewhere that can be mentored.
2. Develop a succession plan that allows for gradual increases in responsibility during the mentoring period.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Susan Sedwick, PhD, CRA, Senior Consulting Associate, Attain LLC; Marianne Woods, PhD, JD, Faculty and Program Director Master of Science in Research Administration Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Advanced Academic Programs, Johns Hopkins University This document has been composed with the free online HTML converter. Click here to give it a try.

Time: 10:45am to 12:00pm

Content level: Intermediate

Successful teams hinge on clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Without these rules in place, important tasks may be missed or duplicated, team members may feel uncertain of their value or purpose, and, ultimately, the project may fail. To avoid this terrible end, all projects should begin with a clear definition of roles and responsibilities. The RASIC matrix is a helpful management tool to establish roles and responsibilities on a project or in your office workflow. “RASIC” is an acronym which stands for “Responsible”, “Approving”, “Supporting”, “Informed” and “Consulted”. You can use these designations to define your relationship to other employees for different roles as you work on a shared project. Why use it: RASIC is particularly useful in matrix managed organizations, in which multiple business units work together on a project, as RASIC can be used to clarify ambiguities and establish clear roles, responsibility and accountability for each party.

Where to use it: RASIC charts can be used at any level, where clarity of responsibility and accountability is required. The RASIC chart is a flexible tool that can be tailored and constructed to fit the needs of different industries, individual programs and activities. When to use it: To clarify roles, responsibility, and accountability between parties working together on a common outcome. How to use it: The RASIC chart illustrates who is responsible and accountable for each step and who is involved in a expert or supportive role. Experience with the RASIC Chart shows that repetition is your friend — meaning that using the same type of roles, and the same processes for communication, coordination and collaboration, allows your team to flow more smoothly from new project to new project in future.

Learning objectives:

1. Define the RASIC Matrix acronym.
2. Create a RASIC matrix to establish roles and responsibilities with your project team.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Holly Zink, MSA, Manager of Research Project Development and Education, Children's Mercy Hospital

Time: 3:15pm to 4:30pm

Content level: Basic

One of the most important functions performed by senior research administrators is managing people. While there are no fool-proof methods for supervising staff, there are plenty of good practices that have evolved over the years. This session will provide an opportunity to share examples of what has and has not worked in the research management and administration arena. It will confront the day-to-day human resource issues that we must respond to while trying to manage our departments effectively.

Learning objectives:

1. Participants will understand the role of a manager and learn how to improve on their people skills in the workplace.
2. Participants will learn how to handle difficult people to produce positive outcomes when managing conflict and explore successful strategies for motivating their staff.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Tolise Dailey, CRA, Training Manager, Johns Hopkins University; Kate McCormick, CRA, Senior Grants Administrator, Suffolk University; Anne Schauer, MA, CRA, Director of Research and Sponsored Programs, Miami University The Rubik's Cube is the most popular puzzle. Learn the easiest solution here .

Time: 9:15am to 10:30am

Content level: Basic

There are a multitude of personal and professional self-assessment tools available to help us better understand ourselves and how we interact with those around us. Increasing our level of self-awareness is critical to our ability to be effective leaders, to make progress on our career goals and improve our work performance--no matter what role we play in our institution. This session will explore some of the available tools, what they can tell us about ourselves, and how this information can be incorporated into our daily interactions to bring about the most positive result.

Learning objectives:

Participants will explore tools for assessing their behavior in conflict situations, determining their learning style, identifying their personality preferences, evaluating their emotional intelligence, discovering their influencing style, and learning.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Tabatha Lemke, Project Manager, Sanford Research; Anne Schauer, MA, CRA, Director of Research and Sponsored Programs Miami University

Time: 10:45am to 12:00pm

Content level: Basic

How does the departmental administrator fit into the flow of research administration? Why is this position important? Best Practices for role as the intermediator between PI's and Central Research Offices.

Learning objectives:

1. Develop and Analyze plans for helping PI to meet various deadlines, such as: proposal submissions, monthly reporting, effort reporting, etc..
2. Identify best practices for their role playing as an intermediator between PI's and Central Offices.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Debra Sokalczuk, CRA, Grants Manager, University of Pennsylvania - SAS-Netter Center for Community Partnerships