Program Committees

To ensure a high level of oversight both for trainees and the Research Training in Neuroendocrinology (RTN) program as a whole, we maintain an Executive Steering Committee (ESC). The ESC roster includes the program director (McCartney) and associate program director (Barrett), and three experienced research mentors in the RTN program:

• Doug Bayliss, PhD (Pharmacology)
• Boris Kovatchev, PhD (Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences)
• Helmy Siragy, MD (Medicine/Endocrinology)

The primary responsibilities of the ESC are to:

• review applications to the Program, interview top candidates, and make decisions regarding training grant appointment;
• review and formally evaluate each program trainee’s progress (including a review of mentor performance);
• participate in any significant decisions regarding program design and direction (e.g., appointment of new mentors, change in program policies/standards, curriculum development, resource allocation, etc.);
• regularly attend program-sponsored seminars/activities;
• review and approve the annual program update (described below); and
• oversee recruitment into the program and formulate new recruitment strategies as needed.

An additional level of oversight is provided by the Program Review Committee (PRC), composed of four highly experienced T32 training grant directors at UVA:

• Mark D. Okusa, MD (Kidney Disease and Inflammation)
• Gary K. Owens, MD, PhD (Basic Cardiovascular Research Training Grant)
• William A. Petri, MD, PhD (Infectious Diseases Training Program and Biodefense Research Training and Career Development)
• Margaret A. Shupnik, PhD (past director, Research Training in Neuroendocrinology Program)

The PRC’s charge is to assess the operation and performance of the Program, to identify any real or potential problems, and to make formal recommendations regarding programmatic improvement.