I. Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
II. Organizational Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
III. Services and Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
IV. Resource Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
This is a continuously evolving document.
As such, the guidelines and policies stated herein are subject to periodic review and revision.
November 2007
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I. Mission Statement
The Mission of the Center is to facilitate research, promote education and inform policy about health and healthcare.
The Goals of this Mission are to improve the health of the public by contributing new knowledge about:
•
access
•
delivery
•
cost
•
outcomes
Current emphases include disparities, clinician-patient interaction, utilization, cost-effectiveness and quality.
The Center is an interdisciplinary collaborative research unit that will perform the following Functions :
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development and support of interdisciplinary collaboration on research projects related to the Center’s mission;
• education and career development for scholars with interests in health services and health policy research;
•
synthesis, interpretation and dissemination of research findings that assist healthcare policy formation and improve health services delivery.
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II. Organizational Matrix
The Center for Healthcare Policy and Research (CHPR) is an Organized
Research Unit on the UC Davis campus. As such, it is a unit that functions independently from any other administrative department. The organizational framework is described with an accompanying organizational diagram (see
Appendix A).
Director
The Director will provide the leadership for the development and operation of the
Center for Healthcare Policy and Research. The Director will be responsible for the administration and management of the Center and will direct 1) program development, 2) research, 3) health policy, and 4) educational programs of the Center as well as interactions with other Organized Research Units, research programs, and working groups. The Director will also develop longrange plans for the Center’s financial sustenance, permanence and growth. The
Director reports to the Office of Research.
Associate Director
The Center Director will nominate an Associate Director candidate for consideration by the Executive Committee. The Associate Director will be appointed by the Chancellor.
The Associate Director will 1) participate in resource allocation decision-making,
2) provide oversight and liaison with Center research programs / working groups,
3) serve as a member of the Executive Committee, and 4) act as Director in the
Director’s absence.
Executive Committee
An Executive Committee will be established for the purposes of providing: 1) operational guidance to the Center, 2) resource allocation, 3) membership review, 4) research program designation, and 5) creation of the search committee for Center-supported faculty.
The Executive Committee shall be a twelve-member, multidisciplinary committee which is broadly representative of the Center’s membership and research activities. It will be comprised of the Director, the Associate Director, Center FTE
Faculty and additional members as needed to bring the total number of members to twelve (12). The Director shall serve as Chair (and as a voting member) of the
Executive Committee.
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Nominations for Executive Committee membership will be solicited from all
Center members. Members of the Executive Committee shall serve three-year, renewable terms. The Committee will have a goal of drawing 25% of its membership (three of the twelve members) from outside the School of Medicine.
Standing Advisory Committee
A Standing Advisory Committee will be convened annually. In accordance with the Policies for the Review and Approval of Organized Research Units, adopted
June 2006, this committee is appointed by the Vice Chancellor for Research and is chaired by a faculty member who is a member of the Academic Senate, other than the Center Director. The Standing Advisory Committee chair will serve on the committee as an ex officio member.
The Standing Advisory Committee will be comprised of selected members of the
Executive Committee, Center Faculty Members, and Members of the Academic
Senate. In addition, this committee may include faculty members in professional research titles, advisors from the granting agencies supporting the work of the
Center, and professionals from outside the University with expertise related to the Center’s work.
The committee shall participate actively in setting the unit’s goals and evaluating its effectiveness. The Chair of the Advisory Committee, and as many other members as practical, should meet with the five-year review committees and be available for consultation during the course of its review.
Advisory Board
An Advisory Board to the Center may be established at the discretion of the
Executive Committee and Standing Advisory Committee. This committee would consist of academic, business, or governmental leaders who can provide advice on the broad direction and goals of the Center. It is envisioned that such a group could help the Center formulate a broader vision and purpose in relation to the larger societal context.
Center Core Faculty and Staff
The Center will support a number of core faculty and staff who may assist with research consultation. Additional time of these faculty and staff may also be available for inclusion in other research proposals, depending on the type of expertise needed.
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Center Faculty Members
Membership in the Center will consist of Regular Faculty members, Affiliate
Faculty members and Visiting Faculty members.
Faculty Status
Regular Faculty
Must be: 1) a full-time faculty member within the University (exceptions made on an individual basis) and 2) fulfill Center faculty responsibilities.
Regular Faculty members will be expected to actively participate in Center activities such as:
•
Attendance at Center seminars and program meetings
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Membership on Center committees;
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Timely review of grants, proposals, and manuscripts;
•
Participation in Center research activities which may include: proposal development, funded research projects, manuscript development and research dissemination activities;
• Allocation of grant positions and funds to Center personnel in order to underwrite their services;
•
Acknowledgment of the Center in publications;
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Foster the spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration and collegiality which includes mentoring trainees and junior faculty, consulting on other grants, and serving as a co-principal investigator when requested;
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Participate in educational programs of the Center;
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Inform public policy.
Affiliate Faculty
Can include individuals from other universities, Government, Industry, and other outside organizations and are expected to participate in the Center activities and responsibilities according to university policy.
Visiting Faculty
May receive temporary appointment as visiting faculty. Access to Center resources is negotiated with the Director.
Visiting Faculty
Faculty from other universities or colleges with an interest in healthcare policy and research may be able to obtain a limited-term, visiting faculty appointment through the Center. Access to Center resources (space, staff, access to databases, et cetera) will be negotiated with the Director.
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Faculty Membership
UC Davis faculty and others wishing to become members of the Center should submit a membership application form which includes 1) a brief statement of the individual’s research goals and how they relate to the Center’s Mission and 2) evidence of experience or potential in a research area related to the Center’s
Mission. This application can be found on the Center website at http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/chsrpc/downloads/membership_app.doc
And is also included as Appendix B at the end of this document.
The application form should be submitted to the Director along with a copy of the individual’s curriculum vitae. The Executive Committee will review and approve all faculty membership applications.
In accordance with CHPR and UCOP policy http://manuals.ucdavis.edu/PPM/230/230-02.pdf
, any proposal developed and submitted through the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research must have at least one Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator who is both (i) a member of the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research and (ii) a member of the UC Davis Academic Senate or Academic Federation and (iii) who is eligible to undertake sponsored research, unless the appropriate exception has been granted by the Vice-Chancellor of Research.
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III. Services and Activities
The Center for Healthcare Policy and Research (CHPR) offers a range of professional services to faculty who seek assistance with proposal development and funded project administration.
Facilitate Research
To ensure effective use of resources for proposal development, the following services are provided:
Promotion of Interdisciplinary Communities
The Center offers a community for collaborators of various disciplines, including various clinical, science and social science specialties. Center administration encourages collaboration in research to exchange ideas and research concepts and to provide a review and critique of work in progress. In a working group setting, manuscript and grant development and review may be conducted.
Proposal Development
Professional staff are available to assist Center members with the complex details of proposal preparation. Access to resources is approved through a
Resource Allocation Process (pages 11 & 12). The level of support requested for project development should depend on project size, complexity, and duration.
Technical support for proposal development includes a wide range of consultation in the following areas:
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biostatistics
•
database management
•
health economics
•
cost effectiveness
•
quantitative and qualitative methodologies and analyses
•
project budget and timeline development
•
human subjects review and application
•
processing through campus administrative review at the Office of
Research
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packaging and sending the proposal to the granting agency or contract office.
Members of the Center have a variety of expertise and, if necessary,
Center administration can help to identify appropriate Center faculty and staff to strengthen an investigator’s proposal.
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Project Management
Proposals developed through the CHPR, if funded, will be administered through the Center. For those projects that are funded through the Center the following sorts of assistance are available:
• recruitment and employment of project staff
• personnel and payroll administration
• maintenance of budgetary and financial records
• consultation with subcontract agreements
• purchasing of equipment and supplies
•
computer support
•
assistance with travel and reimbursement.
Research staff, working under the direction of the Principal Investigator, will conduct the actual research for the project. Such research may include:
•
database management
• data collection and entry
• statistical and/or qualitative analyses
• supervision of research staff
• development of routine reports
• assistance with tracking human subjects review renewals.
Promote Education
Support pre-and post-graduate education
The Center provides a variety of opportunities for education, including internships for undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral fellowships.
Sponsor symposiums and seminars
Faculty seminars are scheduled throughout the year with Center and invited faculty from outside UC Davis who have particular research expertise of interest to Center members. The seminars will be open to all interested individuals, including Center members, faculty in the School of Medicine and other Schools, and state health researchers and legislators.
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Inform Policy
Educate and inform policy makers about health policy issues
CHPR activities have included the synthesis of research and education to inform policy and preparation of policy briefs on key health and healthcare related issues for local legislators. Additional activities include the periodic publication of a Center newsletter.
Provide forum for discussion of health policy
Special forums of health policy are part of the profile of the CHPR. Such forums include seminars for legislators at the state capital and collaborative development with state policy makers and other UC Davis Centers of a policy-relevant statewide conference.
Offer consultation and evaluation to local, state, and federal healthcare policy makers
Faculty and staff of the Center provide various services and engage in activities that include development and execution of state policy-related contracts and the provision of expert testimony.
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IV. Resource Allocation
Because requests for assistance with research proposal development are expected to exceed the Center’s resources, a resource allocation process has been developed. The Executive Committee will be responsible for making decisions regarding resource allocation based on the following process.
Resource Allocation Process
Center faculty in good standing who are interested in obtaining assistance with the development of a research proposal or contract should submit a two-three page proposal which addresses the questions posed on the Center’s Request for
Resource Allocation form (See Appendix C for Request form). These questions include:
Description of the project including its funding source,
Purpose of the Project with a brief outline of the general purpose, specific aims, and timeline,
Description of Services Needed such as :
•
Proposal / Contract Development
§ type of grant / contract or subcontract
§ project budget and timeline development
§ processing through campus administrative review at the Office of Research
§ packaging and sending the proposal to the granting agency
•
Project Management
§ hiring research assistants
§ project management
§ data collection and/or management
§ office space
§ office assistance
•
Technical Assistance
§ biostatistics
§ database management
§ health economics
§ cost effectiveness
§ quantitative and qualitative methodologies and analyses
§ human subjects review and application
•
Financial Support available to develop and/or complete the requested project
• List of proposed co-investigators and their affiliations
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Criteria for Evaluation
Preference will be given to interdisciplinary and collaborative research. The
Center Director and Executive Committee will review these requests on an ongoing basis to make decisions regarding the allocation of the Center’s resources using the following criteria:
• appropriateness of the project to the Center mission and expertise
• complexity and duration of the project
• availability of Center staff and resources
• adequate financial support for the project activity
• adequate financial support for Center-related project administration.
Agreement to Center Administration
If it is decided that the Center will be involved in the administration of the project, the Center Director and the project PI will jointly draw up an agreement outlining the services to be provided, a timeline, an estimated budget, and costs associated with Center administration (including computer support services and dissemination activities). The costs of performing services vary according to each project as each project is unique and requires various levels of expertise.
All projects managed through the Center must be managed in accord with
University Policy. All human subjects-related projects managed through the
Center must have Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval or a waiver for such approval within one month of funding initiation.
Requests by Nonmembers
Exceptions may be made for faculty who are not members of the Center if resources are available and staff time can be compensated by the requesting party.
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