Charting a Plan for Research Success

The UC College of Medicine’s Research Cabinet, led by Senior Associate Dean Stephen Strakowski, MD, has been hard at work over the past year developing a strategic plan for research to guide the college for the next five years.

But the cabinet hasn’t been working in isolation. Faculty across the college have been engaged in discussions about the research mission—a core competency and differentiator for both the academic and clinical sides of the organization.

"The prestige of an institution tends to follow its research prestige,” Strakowski says. And prestige for the College of Medicine is what Strakowski and others hope to deliver with the plan they’ve mapped out.
Strakowski, also vice president for research at UC Health, offered a glimpse of that plan during a Jan. 15, 2013, presentation to faculty and staff titled "Advancing CoM Research: The Next Five Years.”

His talk was the first in a series of presentations to be made by the College of Medicine’s senior associate deans. 

With more than 200 in attendance, Strakowski highlighted successes from 2012, including the development and launch of the $1 million Discovery Acceleration Initiative, establishment of a Biomedical Technology Advancement Council to enhance entrepreneurialism and commercialization, improved research infrastructure and a strengthened training pipeline.

He emphasized that while progress has been made, continued careful planning and strategic decision making will be key to future success.

Strategies moving forward include:
• A focus on translational science
• Enhancement of critical infrastructure
• Development of new funding streams.
• Initiation of effective an aggressive faculty development.
• Increased collaboration with key partners.

Research investment, Strakowski says, will be made in programs that are strong, dominant or unique, or those critical to future success. 

In 2013, Strakowski and the research cabinet plan to communicate more broadly about the strategic plan and begin implementation by gathering 1-, 3- and 5-year goals from leaders of key program areas, finalize the program structure for the undergraduate pre-med program, critical to continued strengthening of the college’s training pipeline, and finalize the structure for basic science departments.

Strakowski’s presentation followed a Nov. 8, 2012, presentation by Thomas Boat, MD, dean of the College of Medicine and UC vice president for health affairs, in which he discussed progress made College of Medicine since he presented his vision for the college in October 2011.

Presentations by the other senior associate deans of the College of Medicine will be made by Andrew Filak Jr., MD (academic affairs), Feb. 18; Lori Mackey (operations and finance), March 18; and Myles Pensak, MD (clinical programs), April 15. All presentations are in Kresge Auditorium and begin at 12:15 p.m.