1. Support for Research and Scholarly Work

Library System

The Libraries at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are a key partner in teaching, learning, and research. Supporting freedom of inquiry, the Libraries foster a diverse and inclusive environment in which to engage with ideas and acquire the critical skills necessary for life-long learning. By combining the latest information technology with excellent public service, the staff guides and maintains a rich information environment, facilitates access to it, and creates a hub of campus and community scholarly activity. There are two major libraries on the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus: 1)W.E.B. Du Bois Library-154 Hicks Way. The W.E.B. Du Bois Library houses materials in the social sciences and humanities as well as the Government Documents, East Asian, Map, and Law Collections, and Special Collections and Archives, where the W.E.B. Du Bois Collection is located. 2) Science and Engineering Library-Lederle Graduate Research Center, Lowrise. SPHHS Assigned Librarian: Ellen Lutz lutz [at] library [dot] umass [dot] edu (lutz[at]library[dot]umass[dot]edu)

Office of Information Technologies(OIT)

OIT provides a number of computer services at the University of Massachusetts Amherst including accounts, email, instructional technologies, network connectivity, classroom technologies and online storage and collaboration as well as Spire and Learning Management Systems such as Moodle. This office also has a Support Center for faculty and students. OIT helps faculty and students obtain free and low-cost software and provides support for a wide range of software. https://www.umass.edu/it/

Office of Faculty Development (OFD)

The OFD offers a range of workshops and events designed to help faculty members thrive throughout their academic careers. Programs include New Faculty Orientation and the First Year/First Fridayseries, “I’m a PI, Now What?” series, New Chairs/Heads Academy, LEAD+ (ongoing programming for Chairs/Heads), LEAF (Leadership Essentials for All Faculty), scholarly writing retreats, and events dedicated to various groups of faculty members (e.g., new Associate Professors, faculty members who run labs). https://www.umass.edu/faculty-development/

National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)

Through the Office of the Provost, SPHHS faculty have access to free memberships in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). The NCFDD is an independent professional development, training and mentoring community of scholars and graduate students from more than 450 colleges and universities. It provides resources and programs “designed to help scholars increase their research productivity and work-life balance.” Membership provides access to monthly webinars; multi-week courses; a discussion forum for peer mentoring and problem solving; writing challenges; and access to the NCFDD member library, which includes past webinar materials, referrals and readings. To activate your membership, visit the NCFDD website.

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2. Support for Scholarship and Research through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement

Internal Grants Program

The Internal Grants Program of the University of Massachusetts Amherst provides funds annually for the purpose of stimulating and developing research and scholarly activities. These monies are made available through multiple peer-reviewed competitions throughout the year. Programs include the Faculty Research Grants, Samuel F. Conti Fellowship, the Healey Endowment Grant, the Public Service Endowment Grant, and the Armstrong Fund for Science. Additional funding is available through the MSP union, and from special programs including fellowships through the Center for Research on Families (CRF), Institute for Social Sciences Research (ISSR), and Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS). https://www.umass.edu/research/proposals/find-funding/internal-funding-opportunities

University Support for Grant and Contracts

The university offers support for pursuing and administering grants, contracts, and related commercial ventures through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement, as noted below.

Research Administration & Compliance

The Office of Pre-Award Services (OPAS) reviews and submits all proposals to funding agencies for externally sponsored programs in research, instruction, and other public service programs as authorized in the university’s Trustee Policy T94-034. OPAS supports and advances the university's mission by providing leadership and expertise in the area of pre-award research administration. Once the grant is awarded, the Office of Post-Award Management (OPAM) supports the administration of the project, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations, reviewing and negotiating award terms, and executing awards and sub-awards on behalf of the university. Research Compliance oversees all compliance requirements related to research under one coordinated unit; areas of oversight include animal use and care, human subject protection, biological and chemical safety, export control, responsible conduct of research, conflict of interest, research misconduct and data security and facility access. https://www.umass.edu/research/about

University Institutional Review Boards

The University has established a series of committees to ensure the proper handling of hazardous materials and to guide faculty through other regulatory processes. These committees include the Radioisotope Use Committee, which oversees the use of radioactive materials as required by the federal government; the Chemical Hazards Committee; the Biological Hazards Committee; and the Recombinant DNA Biosafety Committee. http://ehs.umass.edu/environmental-and-hazardous-materials-management-services

There is also a review board to oversee Human Subjects’ research. All relevant federal guidelines for the protection of human subjects are strictly enforced at the University. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Human Subjects Research Review includes faculty, staff, and external members. https://www.umass.edu/research/compliance/human-subjects-irb

An additional review board oversees Animal Research. The Director of Animal Care and Campus Veterinarian is responsible for ensuring compliance with all federal and state regulations covering the use of laboratory animals. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) includes faculty, staff, and external members. https://www.umass.edu/research/compliance/animal-subjects

Core Facilities

To facilitate research success, the university offers many facilities as shared services. The Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS) offers clinical investigation resources, including bone densitometry, room calorimetry, sleep monitoring, biosensor evaluations in a built home environment including kitchen and living space, and whole-body imaging. Cell culture facilities, animal imaging, and transgenic and gene targeting services are also available through IALS. Details about core facilities, and price structures for the use of IALS facilities, are available online. http://www.umass.edu/ials/core-facilities

High performance computing facilities are also available through the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center. http://www.mghpcc.org/

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3. Support for Scholarship and Research through the School of Public Health and Health Sciences

Internal Grants

Faculty in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) may apply to the Dean’s office for funding to enhance an existing or new research program. The goal of this award program is to assist award recipients to generate preliminary data needed to strengthen larger extramural grant applications. Applications that represent a new collaboration between SPHHS faculty members are particularly encouraged. We anticipate that the average size of these awards will be $10,000 and we will fund about 4 awards.

School of Public Health and Health Sciences’ Research Administration Office

The Research Administration Office(RAO)for the School of Public Health and Health Sciences is located in the second floor of Arnold House. This office assists with pre-award and post-award functions and work as one unit in the grant process and is jointly overseen by the Associate Dean for Research and the Associate Dean for Administration and Finance. Each SPHHS faculty member is assigned a RAO research specialist who will serve as the faculty’s primary point of contact for both pre-award and post-award research administration needs. In the pre-award area, the SPHHS Research Administration Office helps in preparing the grant or contract for submission. All externally funded proposals as well as Letters of Intent (LOI) must be vetted first through RAO and then the University’s Office of Pre-Award Services (OPAS).RAO Research Specialists will help faculty with application guidelines, confirm that faculty are eligible to apply, work with faculty to create an appropriate budget and verifies that the forms are completed properly. If faculty are applying for grant or contract funding for a project, they must start with a pre-award consultation requested through the webform below preferably 6 to 8 weeks in advance of the sponsor due date. In the post-award area, the SPHHS Research Administration Office handles all requests once the proposal has been forwarded to the granting agency, including once the grant is funded. All internally and externally funded proposals are set up through the University accounting system. The Principal Investigators(PI) receive a project grant number and a speed type with which they can order materials and pay for personnel. The RAO staff will meet with the PI regularly, according to need, to review award spending and to discuss both academic year salary recovery (AYSR; used to fund teaching and research buyouts) and summer compensation from their research grants. Faculty should also request a meeting with their RAO Research Specialist if they need to re-budget an award. RAO staff also assist in submitting annual reports and award close-outs. For further information and to request RAO pre-award or post-award services, please use the webform: SPHHS Proposal Assistance Request Form

Additionally, the RAO teams maintains a Teams channel.

SPHHS Office of Administration and Finance

The HR and Finance staff in SPHHS are responsible for processing a variety of expenditure, budget, and revenue transactions as well as for ensuring the completion of personnel paperwork. Staff are located on the second floor of Arnold House.

SPHHS Information Technology (IT) Services and Support

Computing support for SPHHS faculty, staff and students is available through the SPHHS IT Services. The SPHHS maintains a server, which provides secure hard disk space for research projects. Data stored on the server can be shared with research collaborators, and is backed up daily, with tapes stored off-site. The IT unit also maintains IT equipment available for shared use, including Windows laptops and portable digital projectors. The SPHHS IT unit also facilitates site licenses and hosts a computer lab available for faculty, staff and student use.

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4. Community Engagement

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences has many active projects within the region, and new faculty members are invited to participate and/or identify new potential projects. The Office for Public Health Practice and Outreach (OPHPO), located in Arnold 244, engages students in practice opportunities, outreach and workforce development. OPHPO facilitates the Western MA Health Equity Network along with trainings and other events to support engagement of SPHHS faculty, staff, and students with area communities. The OPHPO also organizes and co-sponsors the Western Mass Health Equity Summit held bi-annually. The summit brings practitioners and community leaders together to take steps to advance health equity in the region by working, learning, and taking action together. Faculty interested in community engagement regionally, and statewide, should set up a meeting with the director of the Office for Public Health Practice and Outreach, in order to understand the scope of current projects locally, regionally and in the Commonwealth. https://www.umass.edu/public-health-sciences/office-public-health-practice-and-outreach

The Center for Community Health Equity Research (CCHER) brings together researchers from diverse disciplines with community partners to investigate health disparities and promote health equity. CCHER aims to improve the recruitment and retention of students from under-represented groups in health-related professions and to develop and implement novel interventions to improve health and build community resilience. https://www.umass.edu/health-equity/

SPHHS faculty and staff also conduct research, teaching, and services in communities through center and institutes, including the Institute for Global Health, UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program, and Center for Language, Speech and Hearing. https://www.umass.edu/public-health-sciences/organizations

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