With the addition of a graduate-level medical professional program, a strong research requirement for faculty, and the expectation that both graduate and undergraduate faculty will seek grant support, the PIs propose to establish an Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) for Presbyterian College. The PIs will initially focus on building the administrative support necessary for the Pharmacy School and subsequently expand their efforts to support the undergraduate campus. Upon completion of the project, the goal is to have a centralized OSP that serves both the graduate and undergraduate faculty and programs successfully. This is a new function for the organization with three primary objectives (1) Develop and implement a formal administrative structure (FAS) for Pre- to Post-award grants management and reporting, (2) Create a research development initiative (RDI) to assist faculty in finding grant funding opportunities, developing proposals, post-award mentorship, and support, and (3) Evaluate the program to ensure the proposed structure and processes implemented meet the dynamic needs of an expanding faculty and administration and develop a sustainability plan. Working with the PIs' mentors at the Medical University of South Carolina and with the institution-wide support of their presidentially appointed steering committee, the PIs will establish a centralized office overseeing all grant activity; develop policies, procedures, an communication methods governing faculty grant development, from funding source identification to grants administration; develop institutional policies and procedures to govern facilities management and safety policies related to federal funding source requirements; provide education for existing staff, particularly in the area of grants management and accounting and reporting; add and train new staff in order to more efficiently and effectively manage and grow grant volume; develop policies and make provisions for technology transfer and intellectual property development needs, IRB, IACUC, and biohazard policies and procedures; and utilize evaluation methodology to ensure that the proposed processes and procedures designed and implemented meet the needs of the faculty and administration. Increasing ethnic diversity by continuing the Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy's (PCSP's) emphasis on recruiting students to pharmacy from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and encouraging them to participate in faculty-directed research will be emphasized.
Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy (PCSP) faculty research areas address critical public health issues with a particular focus on rural, indigent and medically underserved populations. Research interests include chronic disease management, health disparities, health literacy, childhood and adult obesity, diabetes, chronic pain, biologica markers of disease, sickle cell anemia, medication safety management, dementia and dementia related disease, and health economics and outcomes research. Presbyterian College (PC) undergraduate faculty research areas include space weather systems, genetics, nanoparticles, endangered ecosystems, and psychology.
