As we commence the school year, a number of leadership changes are underway. We have developed a framework for a smooth transition, ensuring continuous service to faculty.

COI

Come December, we will say goodbye to Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Conflicts of Interest Director, Brenda Seiton, who is retiring after 25 years at Emory. During this time, we are continuing with organizational realignments to optimize our effectiveness in compliance. Brenda’s remaining time at Emory will focus on continuity and successive leadership efforts. We are currently hiring a new Assistant Director and a senior specialist for the department.

IACUC

IACUC Office Updates

The IACUC Office welcomes Dr. Daiana Weiss to the team as the Research Integrity Manager. Dr. Weiss brings extensive experience in IACUC protocol submission, protocol review, and IACUC inspections. Daiana will apply her expertise to the IACUC protocol post-approval process including, but not limited to, inspections, non-compliance investigations, post-approval monitoring, regulatory reporting, and program review.

We are also pleased to announce the promotion of Walter “Guy” Wiles as Operations Manager. Guy will continue to serve investigators submitting IACUC protocols (new, triennial, and amendments). The IACUC Operations will be strengthened by Guy’s expertise in the eIACUC platform, mission metrics, and standard procedure development.

A few reminders related to your IACUC protocol submissions:

1. Access eIACUC through a direct link (SSO) or the Protocol Review page
2. New protocol submission: click the “Help” option on the upper right corner to view the IACUC protocol submission guide
3. New protocols, 3-yr submissions, and amendments help checklists are available here.
4. The Emory IACUC Protocol Approval Process can be found here.

Please contact us via email or phone if you have any questions or concerns.

The IACUC Office team.

W. David Martin PhD, CPIA
Director, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Phone: 404-727-9510
Email: dwmarti@emory.edu

Esmeralda Meyer, MD, JM
Interim Director Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Phone: 470-249-1158
Email: evargas@emory.edu

Please see more about the IACUC transition in Dr. Martin’s own words, below.

A Letter from Dr. David Martin

Dear Colleagues,

It is with a range of emotions that I announce my plan to retire from Emory University after 23 years of service. My last day will be September 30, 2021. While there is never a good time to leave, I know that the IACUC is in a much better position to serve the Emory community than when I accepted the position in 2017. We have a stable protocol submission system, a well-trained, experienced staff, a vibrant Chair in Dr. Jeff Boatright, and a strong committee filled with committed volunteers.  While it is clear that there is still much work to do, I am proud of the accomplishments of the past several years, and know that we are in a good position moving forward.

In the weeks since I made my decision known to the administration, we have worked to ensure a smooth transition plan is in place. In that regard, it is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Nobles has appointed Esmeralda Meyer MD, JM as Interim IACUC Director effective August 1, 2021. Esmerelda comes to the IACUC from the Environmental Health and Safety office where she currently serves as an Assistant Director. She has been at Emory since 2006, serving as research scientist at Yerkes until 2014 when she joined EHSO.

In addition, the IACUC office is in the final stages of revising its infrastructure to provide additional management level staff, and to improve service to the community. More details will be provided regarding these changes in the upcoming weeks

While I am sad to leave Emory and the wonderful colleagues and friends I have developed, I know that the IACUC is in great hands. I am excited about the future and hope that all of you share my enthusiasm for the path forward.

Many thanks to all and to the wonderful community that is Emory.

Dave

RAS

I am writing today to share an update about transitions within our Research Administrative Services leadership team. Denise Ehlen, Associate Vice President of RAS, will be moving on from her role to join the University of California, Davis. We are grateful to her for the exemplary leadership and direction she has contributed to our research environment while working with each of the nine RAS units. To continue on this positive collaborative path to success, we have engaged the search firm Isaacson Miller to identify candidates for her vacated position. We anticipate beginning interviews for the Associate Vice President role in September.

We are excited to share that Becky Rogers will be serving as the Interim Executive Director of RAS. Becky arrived at Emory in 2017, possessing over 12 years of experience in research administration. She moved into the role of BSCI RAS Director in January 2019. Her prior experience was at Georgia Southern University, where she helped to transform their research environment. Becky holds an undergraduate degree in accounting and earned a master’s degree in Public and Non-profit Administration.  In this interim role, Becky will continue supporting the Basic Sciences RAS in her current Director role and assume additional leadership responsibilities supporting Research Administration Services as a whole.

To increase the support for Becky during this time of transition, we have gained commitments from Francine Davis (Senior Director of RAS, Hospital and Specialty Services) and Beatriz Ibanez-Alvarez (Senior Director of RAS, Public Health & Nursing) to contribute pre-and post-award expertise as senior advisors. Both Fran and Beatriz have extensive institutional experience and are committed to aiding in the continuity of services. As a way of reintroducing Fran and Beatriz, Fran has over 25 years of research administration experience and currently provides senior-level support to RAS and the School of Medicine’s Business and Finance offices. Fran holds her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Georgia State University. Beatriz joined Emory in 2017 and brings more than 15 years of research experience to the RAS transition team. She holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from Wright State University. These new roles are effective August 16.

While we transition, we will take this opportunity to continue strengthening our infrastructure with a foundation of One ORA initiatives. As we work through the changes, we will focus on ensuring developed leadership, consistent workforce engagement, and assessment of emerging needs stay in the front of our minds while we continue to provide excellent support services to our research faculty and staff.