June 2023 Updates

Formalizing Operational Planning Support

The Aligned Research Collaboration Agreement solidified our intentions to build a research center of excellence, now known as the Brown Innovation and Research Collaborative for Health (BIRCH). To move from planning to activation of BIRCH, the Joint Executive Council needs to approve an operational model. Key conversations regarding current state occurred during our April and May working group meetings, though many voiced the need to formalize operational planning support. In response to the feedback, a project team has been created with representatives from administration, analytics, IT, HR, legal, and compliance. Together with the internal advisory committees, the project team will steward the operational planning from draft to Joint Executive Council approval. The goal is to present the plans, which together comprise the operational model, to the Joint Executive Council at the end of this calendar year.  Creating a project team is intended to secure the necessary expertise to develop thoughtful and detailed operational plans; many others will be asked to contribute to this process as the project team details the vision, scope, and implementation plan for each office of BIRCH.

Huron Consulting Engagement for Improving our Human Research Protection Programs

This spring, we engaged Huron to help us outline what a unified human research protection program (HRPP) could look like, with the ultimate goals of improved faculty and staff experience and improved performance indicators. This engagement with Huron is nearing completion. The next steps include reviewing the Huron roadmap with IRB representatives from all three organizations, the BIRCH project team, and the advisory committees before developing a recommendation to the Joint Executive Council and Brown University leadership.

Establishing Internal Advisory Committees

A key component to the structure of BIRCH is a set of internal advisory committees: the Research Advisory Council, the Research Operations and Policy Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Clinical Trials Committee. In the next few weeks, we will be naming leaders for and members of these committees. These committees will guide and inform the components required for Phase 2—the financial model, the operational model, and our joint research strategic plan—and consult and advise the Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Administrative Officer.

Joint Executive Council Updates

After spending 14 months on temporary leave to lead the U.S. government's COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery efforts, Dr. Ashish K. Jha will return to lead the Brown University School of Public Health. Dr. Jha will resume his post as Dean of the School of Public Health on July 1, where he will continue to lead high-impact initiatives, championing an expansive portfolio of research and education priorities and recruiting world-class faculty. Interim Dean Ronald Aubert continues his leadership through the close of Brown's academic and fiscal years before taking on the permanent role of Senior Associate Dean of Education at the School. We would like to thank Interim Dean Aubert for his exceptional vision and leadership in aligning Brown's research priorities and for his enormous contributions to the genesis of BIRCH.