Today’s researchers face many challenges, from competition for grant funding to work-life balance. Recognizing this, Dana-Farber’s Office of Research seeks to continuously enhance its support services and capabilities. Some of the key resources available to Dana-Farber faculty are highlighted below.
Key Support Services
Grants Management
The Office of Research helps investigators identify potential sources of funding through mechanisms such as a funding newsletter and website, and by providing investigators with access to a subscription funding database. Investigators receive professional support in the preparation, submission, and management of grants through department-based Research Administration and the central Grants and Contracts Office. Dedicated grants management specialists in departments help faculty complete applications and prepare budgets. The Grants and Contracts Office reviews applications and completes the electronic submission process. Once funded, the Office of Research provides oversight to ensure that the overall grants program is compliant with federal policies, while staff help faculty manage their portfolio, providing regular status reports and projections while ensuring adherence with sponsor requirements.
Clinical Trials Support
Dana-Farber has several well established support offices that facilitate the conduct of clinical trials. The Clinical Trials Office, which assists faculty in preparing and gaining approval to conduct a trial, also helps in recruiting, training, and overseeing clinical research staff. The Office of Human Research Subjects provides regulatory guidance and resources to help investigators prepare protocols. It also supports the scientific review and IRB processes and helps ensure that all reviews and approvals have been completed prior to activation. The Quality Assurance Office for Clinical Trials is responsible for monitoring trials and conducting audits to ensure that appropriate standards for enrollment and data management are maintained. It also handles patient registration and the registration of trials required by external agencies. The Clinical Training and Education Office offers a wide variety of seminars and programs for clinical investigators and clinical research staff. Finally, the Clinical Trials Agreement and Budget Offices negotiate industry agreements on behalf of faculty.
Technology Transfer
Facilitating the translation of research discoveries into novel products for the detection and treatment of cancer and related diseases is a top priority of the Office of Research. The Belfer Office for Dana-Farber Innovations (BODFI) evaluates research discoveries for commercial potential and, with the Office of General Counsel, files patent applications covering promising inventions. A variety of strategies are employed to transfer Dana-Farber intellectual property to commercial entities, such as licensing to biopharmaceutical companies and facilitating the formation of start-up ventures. BODFI also facilitates the development of collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and provides advice to faculty on technology-transfer issues.
Faculty Development
To help ensure that Dana-Farber’s faculty thrive, the Office of Faculty Development responds to faculty needs in such areas as career development, work-life balance, and other topics that affect professional satisfaction and growth. The Gloria Spivak Faculty Advancement Fund provides awards to selected faculty who are at a critical juncture in balancing work and family demands. The Office sponsors career-enhancing seminars and new mentoring initiatives. Faculty committees provide feedback on the concerns of groups with specific needs. For more information, please call 617-582-8714. To make a donation to a specific physician, researcher, lab, or clinic, please contact Rebecca Freedman at 617-632-4215 or rebecca_freedman@dfci.harvard.edu.
Academic Affairs
The Office of Academic Affairs advises individual faculty on career growth issues and the promotion process. It provides guidance on activities that support the best opportunity for academic promotion, optimal timing for promotion, and preparation of promotion documents.
Faculty Activities
The Office of Research Integrity serves as a resource to faculty who wish to perform external professional activities. The office assesses proposed external arrangements, identifies potential conflicts of interest, and advises on how best to structure their arrangements to minimize such conflicts.
Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Affairs
The education and support of postdoctoral fellows and graduate students is critical to Dana-Farber’s mission. The Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Affairs Office creates a welcoming and supportive environment for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. It supports trainees’ professional development through programs on manuscript writing, grant writing, and laboratory management, and provides professional editing services for papers, grants, and CVs. An annual retreat facilitates networking and provides a platform for fellows and students to showcase their research. A dedicated lounge is outfitted with computers, television, and information about educational programs, funding opportunities, and job and apartment listings.
For more information on the services and resources available to Dana-Farber researchers, visit Research Administration or Core Facilities.
