The University of Minnesota School of Public Health ranks as a premier public health research institution in the United States based on a number of key criteria:
Research grants and contracts received. Among schools of public health across the country and among the schools that make up the University of Minnesota, the School is a leader in research grants and contracts received. Over the past three years, the School has held an esteemed position among an elite group of four schools of public health garnering more than $40 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding annually. Across 21 schools within the University of Minnesota – one of the nation’s top seven public research universities – the School ranks third in total sponsored funding. On this basis, the School ranked as the most productive grant-receiving unit within the University.
The breadth of research conducted. Faculty, staff and students are engaged in research that complements the School’s educational programs and advances the knowledge and expertise needed to address pressing public health needs. Faculty research interests are diverse and far-ranging, spanning topics from the basic molecular mechanisms of disease to the effectiveness of health care delivery systems and the impact of policy on public health. The School has earned distinction for research in many areas, including: adolescent health behavior; nutritional epidemiology and obesity prevention; health services research; chronic and infectious disease epidemiology, including the genetics of cardiovascular diseases; health disparities among minority and ethnic populations; smoking and alcohol prevention and cessation; the structure and financing of health care systems; the conduct and analysis of clinical trials; treatment of HIV/AIDS; occupational health and safety; women’s health policy, risk assessment and biomarkers; and the use of health databases for research and public health planning.
The breadth of the School’s research is further extended through a vigorous commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration. The School has embraced University-wide strategic planning initiatives, which call for, among other things, an overall emphasis on collaboration. It participates extensively in collaborative efforts within the School itself, within the University’s Academic Health Center (AHC) and across the University, from the School of Architecture to the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Among the School’s most visible collaborative efforts is active participation in more than half of 15 interdisciplinary centers housed in the AHC. This includes work with the Obesity Prevention Center, which is a partner in the National Cancer Institute’s $54 million initiative to understand the relationship between obesity and cancer, and with the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, which connects scientific research to real-world action through communications and public policy recommendations around such issues as pandemic influenza and bioterrorism.
The School itself is host to 21 interdisciplinary centers recognized nationally and internationally for their high-caliber research, outreach and training. These centers facilitate a high degree of creativity as well as collaboration among faculty and students within the School and beyond. For a complete listing of the centers hosted by the School, please visit http://www.sph.umn.edu/about/centers/home.html.
A high-caliber research faculty. Many members of the faculty are leaders in their disciplines, recognized for the quality of their research, their publication in peer-reviewed journals, the number of citations referencing their research and requests for podium and panel presentations. School faculty are recognized by colleagues as productive researchers with a high success rate in receiving extra-mural support. They are often sought by other units as collaborative partners based on their quantitative expertise and range of interests. Appendix 3.2.b lists faculty involvement on editorial boards, in study sections and in other activities that support public health as a discipline and as a practice and documents the caliber of the School’s faculty.
Certainly, the School’s stature in public health research can also be attributed to its institutional home. As noted earlier, the University has consistently ranked as one of the top seven public research universities in the nation. While impressive, the University has set a more ambitious goal: to become one of the nation’s top three public research universities.
In addition, the University is one of only a handful of campuses in the nation with the full complement of the six health science disciplines: public health, medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy. Ready access to the depth and breadth of health sciences scholarship available on the campus creates rich opportunities for the multi-disciplinary collaboration that complex public health issues require. Opportunities to collaborate with other campus schools are encouraged through concerted University efforts. Among them are:
Interdisciplinary initiatives sponsored by the Office of the President;
The University’s Research Infrastructure Task Force, which has included cancer and infectious disease research – both strong areas of expertise for the School – among the President’s five proposed priority areas of emphasis; and
The Task Force on Collaborative Research, which has identified recommendations for greater collaboration across University schools and departments. These recommendations would allow the School to build upon its strong tradition of collaboration in research.
Financial support is also made available to encourage a multi-disciplinary approach to research. The University – and the Academic Health Center – offer one- or two-year seed grants to foster collaboration. Ultimately, it is intended that such collaboration may lead to the development of new academic and research centers of excellence that draw upon the faculty’s diverse skills and experience.
Research Policies and Procedures
All faculty members are required to participate directly in research/scholarly activities that relate to the generation or interpretation of knowledge that will enhance the well being of the public. The School’s Academic Appointment, Promotion and Tenure document (http://www.sph.umn.edu/about/policies/apt/home.html) describes the expectations for research/scholarly activity at various faculty ranks.
The University – and the School – are committed to research of the highest integrity, conducted according to the highest ethical standards. The philosophy underlying the University’s system is expressed in the words of President Bruininks:
“The mission of the University of Minnesota is deeply connected to the conduct of research. It is of critical importance to the reputation and future of this institution that we remain committed to the highest standards of research integrity in all work conducted in our institution.”
The University has developed and maintains a sophisticated grants and project management oversight system that applies to all of its units, including the School. The system clearly identifies the roles and responsibilities of various members of the University for elements of the grants application and management process and protection of human subjects. It establishes lines of authority within the University related to all transactions on sponsored projects. A fundamental aspect of the University’s oversight approach is the decentralization of many responsibilities to the principal investigator level, with oversight and monitoring provided by department heads and deans.
University Infrastructure for Oversight. The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), the umbrella office responsible of overseeing research at the University’s five campuses, is home to seven administrative programs or units that focus on various aspects of the research process. (Please visit http://www.research.umn.edu/about.html to learn more about OVPR.) Reporting to the OVPR are two organizations charged with research management and oversight:
The Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) has the authority to deal directly with both federal and non-federal funding agencies relating to any aspect of externally funded activity at the University. The SPA signs all applications for funding and also accepts all awards on behalf of the University. It also houses the Electronic Grants Management System (EGMS), a centralized grant preparation and tracking system. (Use of the EGMS has helped School faculty prepare for transition to the new federally required electronic grants management system set to be implemented in early 2007);
The Office of Oversight, Analysis and Reporting monitors and analyzes grant transactional activity to identify unusual activities and report problems to deans and department heads in order to implement resolutions. A fuller description of grants management at the University may be obtained at: http://www.oar.umn.edu/
In addition, other University-level offices and programs take an active role in ensuring the conduct of quality research.
The Council of Research Associate Deans (CRAD), made up of Associate Deans for Research for all units in the University. CRAD reviews and provides guidance on research-related policies and initiatives and serves as a forum for the University’s research colleges to exchange information. The School’s Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research will chair the Council in 2006-2007.
Fostering Integrity in Research, Scholarship and Teaching (FIRST), which provides a comprehensive curriculum to help faculty meet the challenge of responsible conduct of research and scholarship.
Regulatory Affairs, which facilitates ethical and responsible research through education, monitoring and resources.
Research Subjects’ Protection Programs, which reviews and monitors use of human and animal subjects in research, ensuring oversight of risk, consent and justified use issues. This office is also known as the Institutional Review Board (IRB). All grants and contracts that include research with human subjects must be reviewed and approved by this office.
Technology Commercialization and Business Development, which seeks proprietary protection for University technology and negotiates its transfer to the private sector through licensing or by participating in starting new companies.
University Policies. A number of University policies, set by the Board of Regents, the University Senate and other administrative bodies, govern research conducted across the University and at the School. Relevant policies are listed at http://www.research.umn.edu/regulations/policies/.
School Oversight and Policies. The School ensures that all faculty, staff and students undergo the rigorous training offered at the University level related to the proper conduct of research. This includes training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) as well as in research policy, procedures and human subject protection offered by the University’s FIRST program (http://www.research.umn.edu/first/). In addition, the School ensures that all faculty, staff and students meet the strict training requirements of federal funding agencies with respect to the safe, responsible and ethical conduct of research. Principal investigators also are required to receive special training related to research management and oversight.
To further safeguard the integrity of research, all grant proposals that involve a School faculty member must be reviewed and approved prior to their submission at each of three levels: the Division Head, the School’s Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research and SPA, the University-wide office authorized to submit all research proposals and receive awards from external sources on behalf of the Board of Regents.
Within the School, faculty members, Division Heads and the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research are responsible for:
The School’s compliance with all federal rules and regulations;
Accurately calculating facilities and administrative cost recovery; and
Ensuring that any cost-sharing or special resource needs conform to School policies.
When a grant or contract is awarded, the principal investigator is responsible for carrying out the work as proposed, monitoring the progress of the research, submitting interim and final reports as required and completing the work within budget. Annual faculty evaluations by Division Heads include a review of responsible grants management and satisfactory conduct of research.
For faculty who need to spend time at other institutions to further their research or scholarly activity, the School participates in the University program for sabbatical leaves consisting of 50 percent salary support for two semesters and 100 percent salary support for one semester. Faculty may apply for a sabbatical every six years and for semester leave every four years. Leave is awarded by the University on a competitive basis.
Research Practices
The School’s research practices embrace the key characteristics of practice-based research (ASPH Special Publication/January-February 2006). These practices aim to focus rigorous scientific research on real-world problems and the development of practical applications and interventions linked to the core principles and essential services of public health. Also central to the School’s practice-based research principles is a commitment to partnership – with practitioners, members of communities and their leaders, policymakers and other academic researchers across disciplines and geographies. The School views rigorous scholarship as essential to the development of successful public health interventions – and effective partnerships as vital to the successful application of effective interventions.
The School has been and continues to be involved in significant practice-based research. For example, in 2002, the School began a community-based, participatory research project aimed at addressing health disparities in communities in the Twin Cities. With funding from an Allina Foundation grant entitled “Building Community-University Partnerships to Address Health Disparities in Minnesota,” School researchers partnered with the Minnesota Department of Health and leaders from organizations representing an array of communities, including Latino, African, African American, Asian American and American Indian to create and develop the Participatory Research Partnership (PRP). Two consecutive subcontracts were awarded to community-based organizations (the Urban Coalition and the Powderhorn/Phillips Cultural Wellness Center) to facilitate PRP activities. The PRP has successfully competed for grants from:
The Minnesota Department of Health Division of Health Services to explore barriers to care among Minnesota Care program enrollees (end date 12/04);
Medica Foundation to disseminate the results of the DHS study to grassroots community members (end date 2/07); and
A small grant from the University’s Office of Public Engagement to work with community members to create a course on Cultural Research (end date 9/06).
Members of the PRP have published, presented and taught together. Although support from the Allina grant ended in February 2005, the PRP continues to meet monthly to pursue collaborations in health disparities.
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