Establishing A Lab

Staffing and HR Issues – Frances GlanvilleConflict – Dan Smith

Research – Craig Crosson

Presented by the COM Faculty Affairs and Development Team

Staffing a lab – before you start

• Determine what functions need to be performed – always better to create the job before you find the person to fill it

• Use personnel in other labs, either at MUSC, or your previous institution, as examples

• Consult with a senior investigator to determine what your needs are

Staffing a lab – Hiring Steps

• Identify funding source and amount• Make sure space is available, as well as lab

equipment, computer, phone, etc.• Draft a position description that includes

responsibilities, education, skills• Send email with funding source, draft position

description, etc to your business manager or CoE representative

Staffing a lab – International Hires• Notify your Business Manager or CoE representative as soon as you

think you might be hiring an international candidate – some of the rules are different

• International hires can take months, be prepared for this delay• Pay for international hires is generally determined by the Department of

Labor and can be higher than generally expected• Not all expenses incurred in visa processing will be known up front and

not all expenses can be paid by the applicant, law requires that some specific fees be paid by the sponsor.

• There are other rules involved in International hires that can affect hiring length and cost – talk to your business manager or CoE Representative.

• Changes in work location, salary, and/or responsibilities can result in an employee being required to obtain a new visa – make no changes without consulting the international office

Staffing a lab – Employee started work, now what?

• Take the time to review the position description and your expectations with the new hire – at least twice – once on first day of work, and again about 3-4 weeks later

• Plan a brief check-in meeting at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month and 2 months after start date. Use this meeting to review performance and re-enforce expectations.

• Document, document, document – Document any issues that arise – this is important for you and the employee.

Staffing a lab – New employee is doing really well

• Make sure to “Praise in public”• Do not promise an increase in either title or

salary – these are granted by HRM and are based upon position requirements, not performance

Staffing a lab – things are not going well

• Document, document, document – Document any issues that arise – this is important for you and the employee.

• Consult your business manager or CoE representative as soon as you have some idea the employee may not work out – they can guide you through the process of remediation and/or separation of the employee

• Do not notify the employee they are being suspended, separated or otherwise “punished” until after seeking advice from your business manager or CoE representative

Contacts• Department Business Manager/Administrator• CoE-HR Representative

– Frances Glanville (manager) glanvilf@musc.edu or 792-7964– Andrew Bettis (876-2259) bettis@musc.edu for Psychiatry, ENT, SCTR, Orthopaedic

Surgery, and Surgery– Morgan Furr (876-2257) furr@musc.edu for Biochemistry, Microbiology, Neurology,

Neurosurgery, Neurosciences Research, and Pharmacology– Jen Swigart (876-2865) swigart@musc.edu Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Path & Lab

Medicine, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Center for Biomedical Engineering, Regenerative Medicine, Urology, Dean’s Office, and OB/Gyn

– Kathy Wiita-Fisk (876-2258) wiitak@musc.edu Department of Medicine (all divisions); Hollings Cancer Center, and Public Health Sciences

– Contacts for Departments that do not use the CoE: Anesthesia (David Chandler); Family Medicine (Pam Beasley); Pediatrics (Debbie Sessoms)

• Re: Post-doctoral Fellows – Dr. Ed Krug (876-2404) krugel@musc.edu • Re: International Issues – Denise Smith (792-7083) fowled@musc.edu • Re: Graduate Students – Karla Locklear (876-2406) locklear@musc.edu

Types of Conflict• Professional

– Scientific integrity/intellectual– Clinical “turf war”– Clinical misbehavior (medical error, being a jerk publicly,

with a patient)• Personal

– Diversity-related issues (gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, etc.)

– Personality• Abusive behavior• Peer conflict• Conflict with supervisors

These are NOT mutually exclusive; in fact, they often go together

Conflict is Bad

• Higher stress and absenteeism• Reduced motivation• Jerks beget other jerks

– Respond in kind– Sets a tone for the environment

• Inhibit teamwork and team spirit• Productivity suffers

Handling Conflict

• Identify the issues– Trickier than it might seem

• Performance vs. personal vs. both?• Communication problems• Sole target or one of many?• Any insight into motives?

• Seek information– From others, from “problem person”– Privately, earnestly, not in a gossipy way

Handling the Problem Person

• When you are rude, unprofessional, or mean to someone who treats you badly, you are part of the problem.

• Some people may simply not know that what they do annoys others. – No, really!

• In a calm, constructive way, let these people know:• What they’re doing• How it affects you/the team• What change you would like to see in their behavior

Handling the Problem Person – cont.

• Focus on behaviors– Not personality traits– Consider:

– “You’re hateful and obnoxious and I don’t have to put up with it!” versus

– “When you criticize my work in personal terms, it’s very difficult for me not to get offended!”

– Behavior = changeable– Person(ality) = less so– Maintain professionalism

• Dean’s Office Research Staff• Faculty Contracts• Laboratory Space• IACUC• IRB• Submitting a Grant• Bridge Funding• Pilot Project Program

Establishing a Lab

Dean’s Office Research StaffEtta Pisano: Dean

Craig Crosson: Senior Associate Dean for Research Mary McConnell: Program Coordinator

Steve Rosenzweig: Research Infrastructure

Ann-Charlotte “Lotta” Granholm-Bentley: Special Projects

Jan Buffington: Space Management

Patrick Flume: Clinical Research Task Force

Research Leadership Team: Etta Pisano, William Argraves, Howard Becker, Kathleen Brady, Craig Crosson, Judy Dubno, Gary Gilkeson, Lotta Granholm, Louis Guillette, Dan Lackland, Steve Rosenzweig

Faculty Contracts

• MUSC utilizes annual Faculty Appointment Contracts (FAC) – same format for faculty in each of the Colleges

• July 1 – June 30

• For most new faculty, the offer letter serves as the faculty contract through June 30 of the first year of employment.

• Thereafter, each faculty member will receive a FAC from their department/division on an annual basis.

Laboratory Space

In the College of Medicine, all space is assigned to departments and centers based on an analysis of need prepared by the Academic Space Committee.  Space may not be loaned to another unit within the College or MUSC without approval in advance. 

Academic Space CommitteeChair, Dr. Gary GilkesonJan Buffington, Space Management

The committee meets weekly to assess the appropriate use of the College of Medicine’s research and office space, and to assist the departments with their space requirements to ensure the success of all of their missions. The Committee is advisory to the Senior associate Dean for Research and the Dean.

Purpose: to ensure that animals used in research receive humane care and treatment and all applicable laws, regulations and requirements are met.

Activities:• Review applications and amendments• Establish guidelines and policies• Educate and train faculty and staff• Oversee all aspects of the animal care and use in conjunction with Division of Laboratory Animal ResourcesContact InformationCyndi Rosenblatt, MPA, CPIA (IACUC Program Manager)Rupak Mukherjee, PhD (IACUC Chair)http://research.musc.edu/ori/iacuciacuc@musc.edu792-6553

Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee(IACUC)

Institutional Review Board for Human Research (IRB)

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that provide the primary review and approval of all human research protocols at MUSC. The IRBs, as well as the principal research investigator, are responsible for safeguarding the rights and welfare of human subjects who participate in research.

http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/research/ori/irb/792-41486th Floor (Room 601)Harborview Towers

Institutional Review Board

• IRB 1 1st Tuesday– Mark Hamner, M.D. Chair– Susan Newman, Ph.D. Vice-chair– Linda Bunch, CIP

Administrator

• IRB 2 3rd Tuesday– Susan Sonne, Pharm.D. Chair– Steven Swift, M.D. Vice-chair– Summer Young, J.D., MPH, CIP Administrator

• IRB 3 2nd and 4th Tuesdays– David Lewin, M.D. Chair– Donald Courtney, M.D. Vice-chair– Jackie Shedrow CIP

Administrator– Paul Kelly

Administrator

http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/research/ori/irb/

Contact your assigned Grants Administrator in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/research/orsp/staff/gc_areas.html

Submitting a Grant Proposal at MUSC

Federal and All Other Non-Corporate Sponsors• Valerie Chestnut (2-8266)• Rebecca Antley (2-3991)• Susan Greene (2-2040) • Amy Boehm (2-7248)• Ted Blevins (2-9686)

Corporate Sponsors• Cindy L. Brown (2-7191)• Laura Craig (2-1055)

The ORSP Grants Administrator can assist with items like the following:• Registering PI/staff with any required or agency specific electronic

proposal systems• Provide Cayuse accounts; Cayuse is MUSC’s system to system

grants submission system, typically utilized when submitting applications via the Grants.gov portal

• Provide MUSC specific information required on grant proposal forms (i.e. DUNS and CAGE codes, F&A rates and dates, fringe benefit rates, signing official etc.)

• Answer any other questions or assist in clarifying requirements of the grant submission process

Submitting a Grant Proposal at MUSC

Complete an electronic Proposal Data Sheet (ePDS), attach the completed proposal, route for approval via the established division/departmental/college channels and submit to ORSP Grants Administrator at least 3 business days prior to the sponsor’s official deadline

Bridge FundingThe purpose of the bridge funding program is to support investigators with established clinical or basic research programs during periods when a competitive renewal or “next stage” application is not funded.

The originating grant must have received full indirect costs. Examples of eligible grants include competing R01 and NSF renewals and new R01 resubmissions that were initiated by an R03, R21 or K award.

Bridge funding awards will not exceed $60,000. Awards will be co-funded by equal contributions from the Dean’s office and the Department where the original award was assigned. The award period will be for one year.

Application deadlines for bridge-funding will be April 15th, August 15th, and December 15th of each year.

SCTR Pilot Project Program2009-2012

Support the conduct of scientifically meritorious, new and innovative pilot projects through a competitive cross-SCTR grant program with open solicitation, peer review and funding in grant categories such as Discovery, Early Career Investigator, Novel Methodology and Technology• 78 funded projects including 3 cores• $3.5 million pilot funds awarded

– (including matching funds contributions of $360k)

https://sctr.musc.edu/index.php/programs/pilot-projects