Incubating New Researchers
Dr. Nara Gavini, who has been a principal investigator with National Science Foundation, NIH, and USDA grants, was named the inaugural executive director of research in 2019. A former chief of the NIH Office of Extramural Programs at the National Institute of Nursing Research and chair of its diversity programs, he is tasked with managing and advancing the IHP’s research and scholarship programs, including supporting ongoing research operations, facilitating faculty development, and promoting research partnerships.
One priority is cultivating and developing early-stage investigators, who have 10 or fewer years of research experience. To that end, an interprofessional grant writing support group, currently organized by Dr. Yael Arbel, an associate professor of communication sciences and disorders, and Dr. Julie Keysor, a professor of physical therapy, offers monthly meetings with established researchers.
Another initiative is the Research Mentoring Program. Led by Gavini, it pairs new researchers with their more seasoned counter-parts to accelerate getting external funding. Fifteen faculty have enrolled since 2018, and all seven in the initial cohort have since been awarded external grants and promoted in their departments. Arbel, Dr. Sofia Vallila Rohter, and Dr. Lauryn Zipse, co-directors of the Cognitive Neuroscience Group, were part of the first cohort. The three speech-language pathologists, who use behavioral and neuroscience methods to examine the relationship between learning, language ability, and cognitive factors, have each been awarded at least one NIH grant, and Arbel has received three totaling almost $3 million.
Other support is provided by two assistant professors in the School of Healthcare Leadership, Dr. Annie Fox and the newly hired Dr. Perman Gochyyev, who evaluate and analyze the data needed for grant submissions. Michael Moody, the senior grants administrator, provides pre- and post-grant award support.
The school has created several recognitions to spur research, including the Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, the New Investigator Award, and the Excellence in Mentoring Award. Several faculty have been awarded fellowships or have received other financial incentives that enable them to dedicate more time to their research. And last fall, the Research Operations Committee funded eight small grants to 20 faculty to examine the effects of the coronavirus on health care. “We want to help our early-stage investigators establish themselves so they can get on and navigate up the NIH ladder,” says Gavini.
Last year, the School of Nursing developed an Office of Research and Scholarship, naming Dr. Ruth Palan Lopez its director and inaugural associate dean for research and the Jacques Mohr Professor of Geriatric Nursing Research. Four priorities were identified: translational research and clinical practice; nursing and interprofessional education; climate change, climate justice, and health; and robotics, artificial intelligence, and big data. An initial step was the creation of the Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health. Led by Dr. Patrice Nicholas, the center has been featured in several prestigious publications including the New England Journal of Medicine and
has partnered with institutions and nursing organizations both locally and globally to generate awareness on the health impacts of climate change.
“Nurses at the IHP are conducting world- class research and improving the lives of patients, families, and communities,” says Palan Lopez, who returned to the Institute after two years as the McMahan McKinley Endowed Professor in Gerontology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “We want to support nurse researchers and scholars to conduct and disseminate rigorous scientific inquiry and scholarly activities that advance practice and improve the health of people worldwide.”
The Next Decade
“Our research programs, and their remark- able success, are impacting the entire IHP community,” says Dr. Alex Johnson, the provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Many of our faculty members are increasingly engaging in impactful projects that ultimately affect patient care. Students are engaging in work in research labs across the IHP. And new collaborations are being formed across the MGB system every day. It’s a point of pride for all of us.”
The school’s teaching faculty also are increasing their efforts, exemplified by the annual Scholarship and Research Day. Created a few years ago with a smattering of submissions, this year’s event boasted individual and collaborative presentations by over 40 faculty, PhD students, and alumni. Furthermore, accepted publications, posters, and conference presentations continue to rise each year. “When I look at these numbers, it shows the research culture is catching up with our values in education and clinical work,” says Johnson. “Faculty are pushing their careers ahead and bringing us with them.”
The interdisciplinary PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences program continues to be successful in training budding clinical research scientists. As well as taking core courses, students receive mentorship and training to pursue research for their own projects. They also provide crucial support for the school’s full-time researchers, as do a growing number of postdocs. Several graduates have joined the IHP faculty after graduation.
Gavini and Green now sit on more than a dozen research committees at hospitals throughout Mass General Brigham, strengthening the IHP’s connection within the health care system and ensuring it has a seat at the table, as well as fostering potential partnerships. For example, MGB’s Institutional Review Board recently agreed to provide expedited reviews of capstone projects by direct-entry students, of which 39 were recently approved.
Other partnerships with medical researchers at many of Boston’s other hospitals and area universities are also strengthening the Institute’s reputation. This, in turn, has helped recruit more faculty with a strong research focus, which has attracted more direct-entry applicants who are interested in incorporating research into their work after graduation.
Plans are underway to develop research clusters in which the Institute can leverage its existing expertise in certain areas, such as literacy and rehabilitation. Another possibility is creating an interprofessional initiative at the Sanders IMPACT Practice Center where researchers can incorporate the center’s clients into their studies, a “living lab,” as Green calls it. “We’re in a sweet spot that has developed into a self-supporting cycle,” he says. “Now that we’ve reached this level, we want to reinforce and expand on what we’ve accomplished.”
When asked about what lies ahead, Gavini is optimistic. “I think we can reach $30 million in our total grant portfolio in the next few years,” he says. “Definitely.”
