ORA Updates
New Hires in the Office of Research Administration
Laurian (Lauri) Bradford, Director of Sponsored Programs Administration
Lauri joined the Downstate team in April 2015 and has been a tremendous resource in her role as a Sponsored Programs Administrator and Training Specialist in our Research Administration Pre-Award office. She has over 11 years of experience working with grants management and submissions. She recently completed her Masters’ degree in Research Administration and Compliance and is credentialed as a Certified Research Administrator (CRA). In her time with Downstate, she has supported the organization not only with successful submissions but the administration and organization of a wide variety of tasks related to grant management, including the development of tools to assist faculty and administrators. Prior to coming to Downstate, Lauri worked at Columbia University and more recently, Northwell/Feinstein Institutes of Medical Research.
Nicole Whetstine, Assistant Director of Sponsored Programs Administration
Nicole is a certified research administrator and holds an EdD in Educational Leadership from the University of Central Florida. She has more than 13 years of experience in pre- and post-award grants administration within public and private higher education institutions. Most recently, Nicole served as Associate Director of Post Award Grant Administration within the Office of Sponsored Research Administration at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Outside of work, Nicole enjoys yoga, creating art, and camping with her husband and two teenage sons.
Rebecca Keefe, Sponsored Programs Administration
Prior to Downstate, Rebecca worked for the Research Foundation at the University at Albany campus for seven years in the areas of Research Administration as well as Labor Distribution. She obtained her Masters’ degree from Boston College, and there she worked in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research as a Fiscal Specialist. Rebecca enjoys traveling, photography, interior design, and gardening.
Laurie Henry, Grant Manager
Laurie is a seasoned Research Administrator with 26 years of experience in Higher Education. She was most recently with the University at Albany's Sponsored Programs Administration office as a Grant Administrator Team Leader. During her tenure, she provided post-award support for all of the various departments on campus and looks forward to utilizing her experience and knowledge to support the important research happening at Downstate. In her downtime, Laurie loves history and enjoys exploring genealogy.
Policy Updates
Two new policies were posted on our website on November 22nd for a 12/1/2022 effective start date. New policies and existing policies will be posted in the Handbook section of our website going forward, with many more to be uploaded. New policies will be announced prior to their effective date and existing policies will simply be posted.
We encourage you to bookmark this page so that you’ll have the latest policies at your fingertips. Please feel to frequently check the FAQ page as well, as this too will be routinely updated.
RF Symposium
Approximately every three (3) years, the Research Foundation holds a research symposium in Albany for the Sponsored Program staff at all the campuses. There is no cost to the campus as this is all sponsored by external companies (i.e. TIAA-CREF, WCG, and others). This year there were over 300 attendees, representing 32 campuses and 64 schools. Like national meetings, there are several tracks for attendees. Downstate presented at 4 of these sessions, joined by other representatives on campuses and central office.
New Updates to Clinical Trials Webpage
The Clinical Trials webpage has been updated to include information specific to patients, investigators and sponsors. In the patient area, sponsored studies open to enrollment will be highlighted. The investigator area will highlight processes and the sponsor area is targeted solely to sponsors. The funded studies open to enrollment will be updated monthly.