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  • 1.  Faculty as core directors

    Posted 08-26-2024 16:13

    For those of you who have faculty who are also core directors, how do you handle the potential conflict of interest, as far as access/priority/charging for the PI's work vs. core work? What workflows and systems do you have in place?



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    Natasha Nikolaidis
    Associate Director of Operations
    Purdue University
    West Lafayette IN
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  • 2.  RE: Faculty as core directors

    Posted 08-27-2024 10:06

    Hi Natasha,

    This is difficult for faculty directors since the core and their lab applications overlap and they are expert in the area of study.  The way I have approached this is that if the experiment is the same as a core service then the director is a core customer like everyone else so that we can be sure we are compliant with fair pricing.  I have not seen access or priority issues, but again I would take the line that core policy applies to the director when they are a customer with a project in the core. 

     

    Janette Lamb PhD | Institutional Research Cores Program Director

    A: MACC 3101

    E:  jlamb@mcw.edu        T: 414 955 8456

     

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  • 3.  RE: Faculty as core directors

    Posted 08-27-2024 10:12

    Yes, we in theory have the same policy. Do you work completely on the honor system? Or are there procedures and guardrails in place to ensure the policy is being followed? 



    ------------------------------
    Natasha Nikolaidis
    Associate Director of Operations
    Purdue University
    West Lafayette IN
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Faculty as core directors

    Posted 08-27-2024 10:16

    Currently the honor system, but I am working on policy for the core facilities.

     

    Janette Lamb PhD | Institutional Research Cores Program Director

    A: MACC 3101

    E:  jlamb@mcw.edu        T: 414 955 8456

     

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  • 5.  RE: Faculty as core directors

    Posted 08-27-2024 10:17

    Hi Natasha,

    All users including core directors must follow the same policies uniformly. Thus, any project from a faculty member(core) that is not core work is treated the same as any other client i.e. submission forms, payment etc. Work related to R&D for the core can be treated differently imo for eg: RG study participation is considered professional development- thus not charged for labor

     

    Regards

    Sridar

    Sridar V. Chittur, BPharm, PhD, MBA

    Past EB member, ABRF

    Research Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences

    Director, Center for Functional Genomics, SUNY Albany

    Life Sciences Research Building, Rm 1145

    1400 Washington Avenue

    University at Albany

    Albany NY 12222

    Tel:518-591-7215

    http://www.albany.edu/genomics

    RRID:SCR_018262

     




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  • 6.  RE: Faculty as core directors

    Posted 08-27-2024 11:21
    Hi, Natasha,

    This is a great question, and one that is not easily answered, especially when a core has grown organically from a PI/Faculty member's lab. My experience has been that no matter what systems or processes you put in place there will always be a way to work around them. Whether that are intentional workarounds or just staff implicitly wanting to make their director happy and pushing their work first. 

    Given this you are probably better served having open and honest conversations with the faculty member and staff of the core about expected behaviors moving forward. I have had some success explaining how OMB rules/Uniform Guidance predicate the structure to keep everyone in compliance and out of the headlines. Depending on the faculty member this can be done very successfully, but as I'm certain everyone in this community knows those conversations can also be incredibly difficult. 

    If your institution has policy in place to pay or reward the faculty member for their service as Director these conversations tend to be easier. Providing the Director discretionary funds they can use to pay for use of the core can make it more palatable for them to abide by other rules around access and priority. 

    If you really want to look at systems and workflows, then a request, project and billing tracking system (such as NuCore or iLab) is a great place to start if you're not already in one. However, these can almost always be circumvented, especially given the reporting structure that tends to exist between Directors and core staff, and the power dynamic that exists between them.  

    Best of luck!

    Noah


     

    Noah Brian Curtis, MAcc
    Senior Manager, Finance
    Business Activities

    Research, Innovation and Impact

    THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 




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  • 7.  RE: Faculty as core directors

    Posted 08-29-2024 08:01
    Natasha,

    Thank you for asking this question.  Conflicts of Interest is one of the greater challenges I face as a core manager.  At Creighton, there are some basic policies in place, that our Core Directors' advisory committee instituted a year ago, but that doesn't mean those policies are followed in each core facility.  In my core (Imaging), I use that document as leverage if anyone tries to go around the rules, and people like to find loopholes (including directors).  I also remind directors that we have to be customer service oriented, taking into mind the interests of all users, not just the primary user or the director.

    Specifically, core directors are not allowed free instrument time.  They must use a proper funding code to use equipment.  Also, the core does not offer free services in exchange for authorship or acknowledgment.  However, in some cases, usage can be deemed "maintenance" or "training", and directors/users could be getting away with a limited amount of free time through that loophole, but typically not in my core since all training and maintenance and instrument reservations are supposed to be funneled through me.  Core directors may also apply for a voucher (same as any PI) if they don't have sufficient funding.

    And if a director wants me to do their imaging work for them, I will be happy to do it... at the "Assisted User" rate.  I simply do not have time or bandwidth to offer "charity" imaging services, for any PI.

    I hope that gives you some additional help, but feel free to ask if you have more specific questions.

    Anthony Stender
    Imaging Core Manager
    Creighton University







    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Faculty as core directors

    Posted 08-29-2024 10:38

    I would like to thank Natasha, and everyone else who has contributed to this string.  These conflicts are important and difficult to manage effectively.  As a relative newbie to directing institutional cores, who came into a situation where almost none of the directors knew that they should be paying for services in their own cores, seeing what other institutions are doing is invaluable. 

    This is the strength of the ABRF organization and is appreciated.

    Janette

     

    Janette Lamb PhD | Institutional Research Cores Program Director

    A: MACC 3101

    E:  jlamb@mcw.edu        T: 414 955 8456

     

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