Advancing Ohio State’s strong tradition in life sciences research training “Excellence in research is ultimately determined by the productivity of our graduate students, as defined by lead- authorship in top-tier publications.” Visibility - Integration - Connectivity

OAA Discussion 6 Feb 2013 Kathleen Boris-Lawrie, PhD David White Professor of Molecular Virology College of Veterinary Medicine Executive Director, Ohio State’s Life Sciences Network

Vision: To link discipline-based and interdisciplinary graduate programs and the Office of Research in common purpose to build on Ohio State’s strengths to reach prominence in the life sciences. …the result of a continuing effort to revitalize graduate education and research in the life sciences at Ohio State….. External review of the interdisciplinary graduate programs 2004 Doctoral program assessment and plan of Graduate School 2008 Provost’s task force on the life sciences 2009 NRC rankings 2010 Connect organizational processes and agreements to develop the overarching research themes and existing strengths given present funding opportunities for Ohio State.

Mission: To advance the impact and productivity of research activities of life sciences faculty, staff and graduate students. Specific Objectives 1) Leverage OSU’s considerable financial resources and intellectual capacity to form new interdisciplinary teams of faculty that are researching the most important issues in the life sciences. 2) Recruit and productively matriculate highly qualified, talented and diverse graduate students. 3) Raise the visibility, integration, and recognition of Ohio State’s life sciences research and graduate programs to the highest levels of public and private recognition.

Forge One OSUPut Students FirstFocus on Faculty Success Unprecedented collaboration & leadership Deans of life sciences colleges led by the Graduate School in partnership with Office of Research Amplify the visibility & impact Ohio State’s strong tradition of excellence in life sciences research and graduate studies Synergize & leverage Energetic, uniquely-talented faculty and doctoral students in synch with newly integrated fiscal and infrastructure arrangements Recast Our Research Agenda Commit to Our Communities Simplify University Systems and Structures With graduate programs across life sciences colleges and schools Design and implement the next-generation cross-disciplinary research programs LSN.OSU.edu “The bird’s eye view” …prospective graduate students/faculty and all citizen of Ohio Advanced information technology Integrate people and data resources in support of aggressive, innovative interdisciplinary teams “Ohio State's Time” … President Gee Ohio State’s Life Sciences Network

Accomplishments Year-1 1) The LSN webportal: - Draws together people and resources from 12 colleges & schools; - Serves the public, OSU and external life scientists; - Provides a single entry point to the full scope of life sciences research activity at Ohio State University. 2) Ratified for the first-time membership standards and uniform administrative guidelines for the interdisciplinary graduate programs (IGPs); 3) Co-localized the life sciences IGPs (n=4) in one campus location; programmatic functions were integrated; IGP staff responsibilities reconfigured; advance integration with Interdisciplinary Research Initiatives. 4) Commenced arrangements to colocalize IGPs and discipline-based graduate programs (n=7), thus physically linking discipline-based and interdisciplinary graduate programs.

5) Developed principles of Ohio State’s interdisciplinary advancement Global health requires fundamental understanding of how cells and organisms function Molecular events in a single cell function in series transmit to provide environment responsiveness and generation of cellular constituents of tissues, organs and ultimately whole-organisms. Populations-based research of human, animal and plant communities is the basis for strategic analysis of public health issues and appropriate solutions. Applications of scientific knowledge involve delicate local, national & international partnerships, thus empowering communities to protect the health of the planet.

6) Ohio State’s interdisciplinary breadth & capacity, include……. Genome-based networksEpigenome-wide marks Microbiomes and model systemsScience of behavior Nanoscale cellular machinesRegulatory science Bioinformatics and computational biology Workforce preparation - Mentoring life scientists to succeed in the global & interdisciplinary workplace; - Innovative training methods to complement traditional research training; - Contemporary career entry points: industry, biotechnology, entrepreneurial enterprises, tech transfer, science policy, regulatory agencies, STEM training ect.

Gateway to life sciences: OSU’s LSN portal Advancing scope & rigor of scientific training Catalyzing extramural research Connection and Energy

Highlights of Expected Year-3 Outcomes In partnership with Program Council, the LSN has generated: - Measures to incentivize faculty to advance interdisciplinary research - Seed grant funds supporting innovative faculty proposals to significant RFAs - Measures to reward graduate programs progressing to NIH-level metrics: Domestic student recruitment, retention, to productive matriculation (n=> 2 first-author publications in impact-journals) and placement in the scientific workforce - External assessments recognizing OSU’s life sciences programs and high impact strategic initiatives.