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The new Research Consortium on Families and Children is becoming a catalyst for faculty members across the Columbia campus eager to pool their multi-disciplinary expertise and grant-writing efforts for more research support.
Elise Ahyi is coordinator of the consortium, which is being funded for three years by USC’s Office of Research and Health Sciences.
“Our goal is to identify people who want to do more research in the child and family area and to create a research network to enhance current grant-writing efforts,” said Ahyi, who was an assistant provost at Dartmouth College before joining USC last fall.
Faculty from public health, law, medicine, social work, and psychology have attended consortium meetings; about 30 faculty are expected to be part of the consortium by summer. The consortium includes faculty members from USC’s Institute for Families in Society and the Center for Child and Family Studies.
“I can't think of a campus imitative that more directly ties USC's commitment to expand its research stature and its commitment to serve our citizens and communities,” said Harris Pastides, vice president for research and health sciences. “I anticipate that many research findings stemming from the consortium will be used to inform clinical practice and public health policies and thereby improve our well-being.”
Prospective faculty members are among those attracted by the consortium’s efforts to foster more collaboration and grant-writing efforts.
“Two of the newest faculty members we recruited in psychology expressed their interest in joining the consortium during the interview process,” said Ron Prinz, a psychology professor and one of four members of a faculty steering committee for the consortium. “I think a lot of new faculty members are especially interested in this kind of interdisciplinary brainstorming and collaboration.”
Other faculty members on the consortium’s steering committee are Robert McKeown, epidemiology and biostatistics; Lib Patterson, law; and Jeff Schatz, psychology. The consortium is planning a retreat this spring to focus on grant writing for research on families and children.
03/04
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