Accomplishments

Established regular, constructive meetings with UTHSA leadership (President, COO, VPR) to advocate for researchers and keep research central to the institution’s mission (2017–present)

Mitigated the impact of the EDGE/MOST administrative-services reorganization on researchers, working to streamline travel, procurement, and pre-/post-award grants management (2020–present)

Coordinated with Facilities Management on power and utility outages, securing advance notification, mitigation protocols, and ongoing testing of campus backup generators (2014–present)

Advocated for more efficient HR hiring and onboarding procedures for laboratory personnel, pushing back on delays and one-size-fits-all approaches (2019–present)

Built infrastructure and procedures to help grantees comply with NIH Data Management and Sharing Plans (2021–2023)

During COVID-19, worked with leadership to keep research programs running and hosted virtual townhalls so PIs could get guidance on keeping labs safe and productive (2020–2021)

Moderated sudden animal per diem rate increases, securing gradual implementation and addressing VA researcher housing-cost discrepancies to reduce burden on research budgets (2019–2022)

Helped develop a new institutional postdoctoral policy covering salary mandates, time limits, healthcare access, and dismissal procedures (2019–2022)

Secured broader exemption of certain research data from encryption requirements under HOP Policy 11.1.14 (2016–2017)

Improved employee immunizations and TB monitoring for new and current employees by working with HR, the Employee Health and Wellness Clinic, Environmental Health and Safety, and the School of Nursing (2015–2017)