About ORSP
Formerly known as OSA, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) serves PNWU programs and engages community partners in scholarly endeavors. ORSP provides resources for research coordination including design, compliance, grant applications, funding management, and dissemination.
Research Development and Support
- Research Support – Advise and assist with research idea implementation and study design. Connect investigators with appropriate mentors, collaborators, and internal and external resources.
- Research Resources – Provide support for PNWU’s REDCap software; funding to connect investigators with consultants for biostatistical support; and editing for manuscripts, publications, and grant proposals.
- Research Events – Coordinate the PNWU Research Symposium, Research Exchanges, and research workshops for faculty and students.
Research Compliance and Integrity
- Institutional Review Board (IRB) Assistance – Advise and assist faculty, staff, and students for successful submission of proposals to the IRB including navigation and use of the IRB software.
- Compliance – Provide guidance to investigators and institutional leadership regarding compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and institutional policies concerning research, such as human research protections, biosafety, and research integrity/misconduct.
- Technical Assistance and Training – Assist and provide training on various software platforms utilized for research (e.g., CITI Training, Mentor IRB, ClinicalTrials.gov, etc.).
Grants and Contracts Administration
- Internal Funding – PNWU Seed Funds to support faculty, staff, and students in developing research projects by providing funds to cover research-related costs. Funding categories include Faculty and Staff Research Grant, Mentored Research Grant for Students, and Research Dissemination Grant.
- External Funding – Support to faculty and staff seeking and managing sponsored (external) funding. Assistance with idea development, identification of funding opportunities, proposal development, budget creation, proposal submission, award management, compliance, closeout, reporting, etc.
Meet the Team
Kathaleen Briggs Early, PhD, RDN, CDCES is the Interim Vice President of Research and Professor of Nutrition. She teaches nutrition and chronic disease management in the COM, SOPT, and SDM. She has been with PNWU since its beginning. Her research focuses on community-based interventions and secondary data analyses for issues related to diabetes, obesity, culinary medicine, quality of life, and health equity. Dr. Briggs Early’s charge as the Interim Vice President of Research is to strengthen research infrastructure, partnerships, collaborations, and faculty and student development.
Caiti Young, MEd, is our Grants and Contracts Administrator and coordinator for PNWU’s primary care training enhancement grant through the Health Services and Resources Administration. Before joining PNWU, Ms. Young was the anatomy lab supervisor and an anatomy instructor for Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Auburn, Alabama for four years. She has a master’s in education in exercise science from Wichita State University.
Jeremy Simmons, MS, is our Institutional Review Board Administrator. Mr. Simmons is charged with running PNWU’s human research protections program which includes working with the IRB to review and approve studies, conduct post-approval monitoring, and ensure all federal and local regulations are met for human subjects research. He has a master’s in experimental psychology from Central Washington University and currently serves as a volunteer member of the VA Health Care System’s IRB in Portland, OR.
Brittni Packard, MS, is OSA’s Administrative Coordinator. Ms. Packard takes the lead in planning ORSP’s events including the annual PNWU Research Symposium and the Research Exchange. She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration and previously worked at Yakima Valley College for four years before joining PNWU.
