A NEW RESEARCH STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SUNY UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
NEUROSCIENCE WORKING GROUP REPORT Daniel Tso, Eric Olson, Huaiyu Hu, Karen Albright, Li-Ru Zhao, Preethi Ganapathy, Sharon Brangman, Stephen Faraone, Tinatin Chabrashvili, Wei-Dong Yao, William Brunken, Francesca Pignoni The Neuroscience Working Group (NWG) represents the research faculty of the departments of Neuroscience and Physiology, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neurosurgery, and Neurology as well as academically-minded clinical faculty from Neurology, Neurosurgery and Geriatrics. The overarching goal of this planning effort is to strengthen this community through better integration and strategic investments. The NWG was in remarkable agreement regarding the challenges and opportunities presented by the strategic goals of winning larger grants and engaging with the clinical faculty in translational research. • The effort to obtain larger, center-style grants is hampered by the comparatively small research community at Upstate. Hence, the NWG believes that efforts in this direction require a gradual approach and must include formation of inter-departmental collaborative groups, winning of large MPI grants, expansion through a series of strategic hires, and development of regional or national partnerships. • A critical challenge in developing basic-clinical collaborations is the lack of protected time for clinicians. The current relative value unit-focus strongly disincentivizes research efforts of clinical faculty and residents alike, and is not compatible with the mission of a medical research university. Sustained expansion of clinical and translational research is unlikely unless this issue is addressed. The NWG also developed a number of proposals to strengthen the neuroscience research community. • First, there is a commitment to increase intra- and inter-departmental cross- fertilization efforts. These start with locally controlled initiatives such as adding clinical lecturers to graduate courses, creating a “research liaison” position in each department, providing ample opportunities for interactions (basic-clinical science seminars, workshop, biennial retreat, etc.), and promoting interdepartmental grant submissions (MPI, T32). They then extend to local, regional and national inter- institutional collaborations that will elevate the profile of Upstate neuroscience. • Next, the committee was enthusiastic about establishing a pilot mechanism to fund projects that involve both clinical and basic science researchers, joining efforts in broader research areas of cross-departmental interest (non-human primate model, in vivo ocular imaging diagnostics, bioengineering and organoids, etc.). In this context, seed funding for trainees (MD-PhD students, postdocs and residents) would help us develop stronger collaborative teams, and a robust track record for institutional training grants and MPI grants.
124
