Formative Feedback on UP Full Proposal #5:
The Center for Genomic Advocacy
Feedback from Three Internal Review Teams:
Feedback:
This is a truly innovative collaboration that has the potential to be transformative for the
participants, our campus, and the larger community. The project addresses new, big, and socially
important ideas. It is highly collaborative, leveraging strong existing expertise in a very strong
proposal. As genomics is a focus of the NIH for the next ten years, the probability of funding
success is high. The proposal has the potential for excellent fit with multiple strategic initiatives.
Although the principals have had past successes, there are some concerns that the human
resources may not be sufficient for the extensive work proposed. Is it realistic to be able to find
and hire the outside expertise? Can the work be managed? Is this something that the department
can sustain? Success of the project will depend not only on the scholarship of those involved but
also on the ability to organize and prioritize the work that has been outlined. As with all projects,
there is uncertainty around the number of students that will be attracted to the program and the
opportunities for those students once they complete their studies.
Feedback:
The Center for Genomic Advocacy was a well written proposal that can bring a national
reputation and distinction to ISU while advancing the acceptance and use of genomic testing and
personalized medicine throughout rural Indiana. The program’s strengths include alignment with
the college and university mission—as well as good collaboration. It creatively combines
curriculum, research, and engagement. The primary weakness focuses on the high reliance on
tenure-track faculty. Options such as use of Post Docs or other more flexible hires should be
investigated to both reduce risk and overall costs. Finally, the committee would recommend a
revised budget to reflect staffing options.
Feedback:
This proposal adds an interdisciplinary emphasis to existing programs in genetics. The
distinctive center will explore how society can appropriately utilize genomic information that
would fill a unique niche in the state and perhaps nationally. The proposal is aligned with ISU’s
strategic plan: It would support development of new inter-disciplinary academic programs,
advance experiential learning through research that addresses societal needs, and provide a
vehicle for community engagement through consulting and genetic counseling. The
sustainability plan could insure an on-going revenue stream post-UP funding. However, the
relative contributions of various collaborators is unclear. The assessment benchmarks are not
well developed, and the proposal was considered to be very costly with 80% of the funding
allocated for highly specialized faculty positions. Moreover, there is concern that by the end of
the funding period, all of the students will be non-Indiana residents.
Feedback from External Panel:
This initiative clearly has the potential to contribute to an emerging, major need – that of
preparing for the societal transformation that genomics will bring. The Center (TCGA)
proposed extensively crosses disciplinary boundaries to advance human health and welfare. It
includes new program possibilities, such as Genomic Advocacy and Genetic Counseling;
interdisciplinary research in science, policy, business, and ethics, and public engagement and
social advocacy. It offers a enhancement of instruction, research and community service in rural
Indiana and it has the potential to bring institutional distinction through the interdisciplinary
coalitions that are formed and the academic innovations that may result. Compelling questions
are framing the development of the field of genomics, and this proposal offers an opportunity for
the University to be at the intellectual forefront of new thinking and discoveries, to recruit and
prepare students for cutting edge careers, and to attract and retain forward thinking faculty. It
also appears to be an area of discovery and emergence that may offer potential for new revenue
sources, over time. This UP initiative incorporates extensive collaborative planning that has
engaged the enthusiasm and support of a large number of faculty members across the disciplines,
as well as external partners. It incorporates usable metrics for measuring attainment of goals;
clear timelines and budgetary analyses; projected curriculum components needed for the
programming; and an expansive set of confirmations of support from both external and internal
partners. A considerable research review is included as part of the foundation for this proposed
Center. Making this Center a reality rests principally on ISU’s capacity to make the strategic
faculty hires over the next five years that are set forth in a cluster hiring plan. The Center offers
the potential to advance the institutional distinction of ISU as a ‘cutting edge academic
institution with a vital sense of social responsibility.’
While an impressive array of internal and external partners has been identified, further
clarification will be needed to operationalize commitments and collaborative arrangements.
Critical to the success of the Center will be the ability of ISU to attract the kinds of faculty
expertise that will be required to make this Center functional. It is not clear whether ISU has
sufficiency of laboratories, equipment and other resources and capacities that will be needed to
attract and support the faculty and students associated with this Center and related programs. It
may be a challenge for ISU to be as competitive as they may hope to be in securing the
competitive generated external resources to sustain this program. We believe that the ultimate
strength of this initiative would be more likely and more sustainable if the research included
were to remain with an applied focus. While there has been some projection of numbers of
students who may be expected to enroll in the new programs proposed, it would be helpful to get
a more complete picture of the extent to which other students of the University would be affected
by or encompassed in some way, through this Center. The work plan is very ambitious and may
need to be modified a bit in light of time required to effectively secure each of the activities
along the way.