Research Accomplishments and Progress
Overview
Our research goal: We will advance public health science that improves health and health equity through rigorous, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research.
To achieve our research goal, we set three specific objectives:
- Encourage scientific innovation and growth of research that enhances our current strengths and addresses critical and emerging areas of need.
- Become the global leader in impactful public health equity research.
- Invest in infrastructure that cultivates research success.
Our specific activities include several initiatives to foster a culture of excellence and collaboration among our faculty, such as implementing a faculty research incentive policy that recognizes exceptional contributions while upholding our collegial ethos. Moreover, our commitment to supporting early career faculty through mentoring programs and comprehensive onboarding has laid a strong foundation for their success. We have also prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts through comprehensive reviews of promotion guidelines and tenure considerations, ensuring inclusivity in our evaluation processes.
We have reimagined our research support services through the Rollins Office of Research and Administration (ROAR), which provides tailored assistance for grant submissions and program development. Our focus on health equity research, alongside initiatives like the grant-writing course for doctoral students and administrative supplements for workforce diversification, reflects our dedication to addressing pressing public health challenges. Through these concerted efforts, we are advancing our mission to develop and lead impactful research at Rollins.
Key Achievements
Encourage scientific innovation and growth of research that enhances our current strengths and addresses critical and emerging areas of need.
- Developed a faculty research incentive policy to reward faculty who exceed expectations and make exceptional contributions to the school.
- Supported pilot projects to enhance scholarship in key topical areas.
- Established Rollins Research Hubs that bring together faculty across the school engaged in a specific key topical area to: (1) exchange ideas and information on current projects; (2) plan symposia, retreats, or other research community building efforts in the area; and (3) develop collaborative pilot projects that can lead to larger funding opportunities and impact.
- Implemented a mentoring program to ensure that early-career faculty receive comprehensive support.
Become the global leader in impactful public health equity research.
- Reviewing our faculty promotion guidelines to ensure our considerations of excellence include a commitment to health equity research.
- Supporting faculty in developing large program applications, including a collaborative grant to work with service sectors to develop structural interventions.
- Establishing a Rollins Research Hub in health equity.
Invest in infrastructure that cultivates research success.
- Developed a comprehensive onboarding program to provide new faculty with the information and tools they need to support their transition to Rollins.
- Developed and implemented a grant submission policy to ensure the highest quality applications with the greatest chance of success while also preserving the wellness of our research support staff.
- Supported faculty in developing competitive and engaging grant proposals, prioritizing support for early-career faculty and new and larger programs.
- Identified a consistent stream of resources to support faculty research program development.
- Reimagined research support by developing and implementing ROAR.
- Supported PhD program growth, including developing a new grant-writing course for doctoral students and providing information on alternative funding opportunities, including diversity supplements, for doctoral students.
