Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation

Page Contents:

1. 1. The Opportunity
   2. The Role
   3. The Challenges and Opportunities
   4. The University
   5. The Schools
   6. The Campuses
   7. The Office of Research and Innovation
   8. Centers and Institutes
   9. The Values-Based Culture
   10. Candidate Profile & Qualifications
   11. Application & Nomination Information  
       
       

The Opportunity

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) seeks a dynamic, effective, and forward-thinking leader to serve in the newly created role of Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation (SVPRI). The SVPRI will have the extraordinary opportunity to join TTUHSC at an exciting period of transition and growth under a shared vision to Transform Health Care through Innovation and Collaboration. Reporting to the President, the SVPRI will play a collaborative role as an energetic leader who will build upon the University’s previous research and clinical successes to inspire and support the faculty toward increasing TTUHSC’s research productivity and impact while balancing its commitment to preparing health care professionals for successful careers and service in the field.

The successful candidate is...

The kind of person…

who sees clearly what must be done, collaborates with critical stakeholders, takes decisive action and communicates transparently.

who sees everything through the prism of core values and who strives to live up to those values in every aspect of work and life.

who never sees other people as merely an expedient means to one’s own career success and who earns the trust and love of those they lead.

who, by virtue of servant leadership, commits to a cause larger than oneself, inspires others to achieve Big Hairy Audacious Goals that stimulate progress. 

The Role

The SVPRI will lead the Office of Research at TTUHSC and be responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of research and innovation by providing creative, efficient research administrative operations; promoting a bold, collaborative, innovative research environment; increasing opportunities for engaging with funding agencies, industry partners, and other constituencies; supporting intellectual property and technology transfer; and providing strategic guidance and decision making on matters relative to resource planning, policy development, promotion of research and scholarly activity, exploration of innovative funding opportunities, and coordination of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaborations.

Working closely with the university President, Provost, Deans, and other executive officers and directors of schools, institutes, and departments within TTUHSC, the SVPRI will work to align research with the overall strategic plan of the University across its five schools and five campuses. To accomplish this, we seek a leader who will leverage all of their experience to support a culture for creative growth of quantity and quality of research and scholarship that aligns with the TTUHSC values of One Team, Kindhearted, Integrity, Visionary, and Beyond Service.

Strategy and Vision

• • Advance TTUHSC’s research and innovation portfolio in support of TTUHSC’s mission and strategic plan.
  • Serve as TTUHSC’s advocate on research activities and as a representative in efforts to produce major new research programs within the scientific community as well as to expand the University’s reputation in research and innovation.
  • Champion, support and develop ways to catalyze the research and innovation pipeline through education, awareness, and utilization of resources.
  • Develop a research and innovation strategy that builds on current assets, supports the regional needs of the community, and positions the institution for scholarly excellence.

Collaboration

• • Serve on the Texas Tech Research Park Inc. Board by an appointment from the TTUHSC President.
  • Advise, mentor, and collaborate with TTUHSC leadership and faculty to strengthen output and success rate of high-quality publications, extramural grant proposals and research initiatives.
  • Develop sustainable relationships with local, regional, national and international public, private and industry sources to increase innovative, collaborative research and funding opportunities.
  • Stimulate and support the growth of innovative multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research throughout the Texas Tech University System’s component institution research community.
  • Promote and assist with the opportunities for intellectual property and technology transfer, identifying opportunities to partner with the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub at Research Park. 

Leadership

• • Chair the University’s Research Council, which is one of five leadership, strategic councils, formed to ensure we attain our visionary goal to transform health care through collaboration and innovation. 
  • Develop and promote research support policies, practices, and programs that foster the professional growth and development of the TTUHSC community including faculty, students and staff.
  • Assist Deans and Chairs with the recruitment of highly qualified research faculty.
  • Effectively supervise the administration of Sponsored Programs, Laboratory Animal Resources Centers, and the Office of Research Integrity.
  • Develop administrative infrastructure that supports and enables successful, focused research at TTUHSC.
  • Prioritize and allocate internal budgetary resources for research opportunities at TTUHSC.

The Challenges and Opportunities

• Vision / Plans for the Future – The successful candidate will play a central role at TTUHSC in developing and supporting a vision for the future of the research enterprise that will bolster its scholarly efforts and service to West Texas. The SVPRI will inherit an organization that is ready to build upon existing strengths and must be committed to communicating across diverse units and locations to identify new areas for potential growth and excellence.
• Enhancing Communication and Leading Within a Distributed Organization – Given the scope of TTUHSC’s presence in the region, the SVPRI must be a visible leader amongst its campuses and effectively employ existing, and develop new, avenues of communication between the Lubbock campus and the University’s locations across West Texas.
• Developing External Relationships – The SVPRI will step into a role that will provide a significant platform to engage influential stakeholders in West Texas. The SVPRI must be prepared not only to represent and advocate for TTUHSC’s needs, but also the opportunities for partnership with these groups, and approach discussions as an active participant seeking to develop methods that are mutually beneficial and bring the University’s strengths to bear.
• Increasing Research Productivity – By guiding the University’s work toward strengthening its research portfolio, the SVPRI will serve as a catalyst for creating new opportunities to further enhance research productivity. The SVPRI will play a lead role in partnering with key stakeholders to identify and secure new research funding, increase scholarly activity, and build cross-disciplinary, cross-departmental, and cross-location partnerships that capitalize on TTUHSC’s presence in the region.
• Enhancing Infrastructure and Leading Positive Change – TTUHSC foresees tremendous potential for future growth and opportunity over the next decade, but the processes and internal infrastructure relied on in the past are not adequate to support its heightened aspirations. As such, the SVPRI must be a creative leader who is willing to take calculated risks as the University seeks to increase its research funding and footprint. The SVPRI must understand and support the balance between supporting current areas of excellence and compliance with state and federal regulations, while leading the discussion surrounding new areas for growth and how to best provide the necessary infrastructure for achieving the University’s strategic goals.
• Developing and Retaining a High-Performing Team – The SVPRI will be responsible for leading an organization that partners with a wide-range of units within the University at multiple locations. This will require the ability to lead and empower a team of individuals coming from diverse backgrounds and locations. To be successful, the SVPRI must be committed to fostering an environment that is committed to collegiality, transparency, and teamwork. Moreover, the SVPRI will provide the leadership necessary to cultivate an environment that encourages entrepreneurism, reward success, and supports the professional development of staff as they serve as leaders in their respective areas.
• Communication and Transparency – The SVPRI will be expected to create a culture that is committed to effectively and proactively communicating with the wide-range of internal and external constituents served by the Office of Research and Innovation. Therefore, the SVPRI will possess strong listening skills, the ability to engage stakeholders in meaningful discussions, and an openness in providing information about the decision- making process and how decisions will impact university stakeholders as it strives to fulfill its mission and achieve its goals.

The University 

The Texas Tech University School of Medicine was created by the 61st Texas Legislature in May 1969 as a multi-campus institution with Lubbock as the administrative center, and with regional campuses at Amarillo, El Paso, and Odessa. In 1979, the charter was expanded to become the University that is now home to the TTUHSC School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Health Professions, Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences with campuses in Abilene, Amarillo, Dallas, Lubbock, Midland and Odessa. The regional campus in El Paso has grown to a separate sister university, TTUHSC El Paso. TTUHSC’s schools are committed to regionalized, interdisciplinary, multi-campus educational experiences, and to the related biomedical research, graduate studies, patient care and community service required of a health sciences center.

Home to 763 full-time faculty and 3,104 full-time staff supported by a budget of over $760 million, TTUHSC has as its major objectives the provision of quality education and development of academic, research, patient care, and community service programs to meet the health care needs of West Texas, which in total is comprised of 108 counties and represents 50% of Texas’ land mass and 13% of its total population. This 131,000 square mile service area and population of 2.75 million has been, and remains, highly underserved by health professionals and accessible health care facilities, despite the substantial and meaningful contribution made by TTUHSC. While underserved, this area is a strategic region for our nation providing the majority of food, fiber and energy for the United States. Thus far, TTUHSC has trained more than 28,000 health care professionals who are serving patients and driving medical discovery in tangible, life-changing ways – both for the residents in its immediate service area and around the world.

Demographic shifts in West Texas populations, as well as socioeconomic and epidemiologic characteristics of its sub-groups, create major and specific demands for service. While education of students and residents remains the primary focus of the institution, there has been an important impact on the health status of West Texas. The lack of a single locus of population density has resulted in the regionalization of medical and health care education and patient care on multiple geographically separated campuses. In providing an excellent quality undergraduate, graduate, and continuing health professional education at each site, the health needs of the larger community have been better met and relevant indices of health status demonstrate significant improvement. A primary effort is made to achieve a balanced group of students encompassing underrepresented minorities, diverse age groups, and heterogeneous backgrounds in educational and life experiences and to continue to provide excellent health care for the people of West Texas, a special effort is made to recruit applicants from West Texas and from rural and border communities. Students from these areas are more likely to service their home regions upon graduation, which ensures the long-term perpetuation of quality health care in West Texas and that the objectives of TTUHSC are continually met.

Lori Rice-Spearman

Recently, TTUHSC conducted two rigorous hiring processes to select our President and our Provost and Chief Academic Officer. It was critically important in those selections, as it is with the SVPRI, that we choose leaders who model our values-based culture and have the technical and leadership experience to lead us to reach our visionary goals. 

In 2020, the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents chose Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph.D., to serve as TTUHSC President following the promotion of the university’s former president, Tedd Mitchell, M.D., to serve as Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System. Dr. Rice-Spearman was selected because of her depth of knowledge of the health care education system, her passionate vision for the future of health care delivery and her deep alignment with our culture. 

President Rice-Spearman recently announced the appointment of Dr. Darrin D’Agostino as our Provost and Chief Academic Officer. Dr. D’Agostino brings to the position a strong vision to unite the efforts of TTUHSC’s five schools toward achieving the institution’s objective to providing more meaningful interprofessional education and fully supports and is in close alignment with TTUHSC’s Values-Based Culture.

Like Texas itself, TTUHSC is an independent entity that is part of a larger union, the Texas Tech University System. As a university separate from Texas Tech University, TTUHSC has been entrusted with a singular charge: to teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, researchers and health care professionals while simultaneously providing the people of West Texas with world-class patient care—both an institution of higher learning and a place where real people come for life-saving medical care. For more information about TTUHSC, please visit www.ttuhsc.edu.

The Schools

TTUHSC operates five schools and five satellite campuses across West Texas, as well as multiple online programs with its flagship campus residing in Lubbock, Texas. Health care professionals at TTUHSC receive a hands-on education coupled with innovative research opportunities and strive to advance the health of people in West Texas and beyond through the unique learning opportunities and services offered by its diverse schools and campuses:

The Campuses

The Office of Research and Innovation

Centers and Institutes

The Values-Based Culture

TTUHSC began our journey to create a sustainable values-based culture in May, 2018. A very diverse group of 104 HSC team members collaborated to create a draft of the institution’s common core values that will drive our cultural renovation. Over 2,600 additional faculty, staff and student team members gave input and contributed to the final version of TTUHSC’s Values Based Culture Field Guide. The University’s goal is for everyone to hold themselves and others accountable to the behaviors that define our values-based culture. To that end, the office of the Chief People Officer formed five collaborative and cross-functional Values Integration Teams to help integrate HSC values into daily work and processes. Each of the teams is focused on helping to create the environment that allows all individuals to live authentically in alignment with our values-based culture. 

TTUHSC has worked hard to recognize those who are living our values, knowing that together the university community will change the culture and make a positive impact on our students, patients, TTUHSC stakeholders, and each other. For more information regarding TTUHSC's Values-Based Culture, please visit the Office of People and Values.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

We are looking for someone who gathers joy and energy from applying these abilities and experiential elements:

• A strong record of distinguished and collaborative research and scholarly publications that exhibit a commitment to academic excellence;
• The ability to foster an environment that enhances efforts to secure additional federal and private grant funding, increase research productivity. and advance the University’s research mission and impact in addressing the health care needs of West Texas’ residents and the region;
• A commitment to academic quality, including outstanding teaching, scholarship, and service;
• A genuine intellectual curiosity and a desire to engage with others diverse interests and backgrounds;
• The ability to effectively inspire faculty, staff, and other TTUHSC constituents to further the research mission of the university;
• An understanding and appreciation of experiential learning and its power to enhance student learning;
• The ability to develop shared strategic goals and opportunities and identify effective collaborations to increase TTUHSC’s research and innovation efforts internal and external to the University;
• The ability to be a consensus builder but make decisions in a decisive and timely manner;
• A commitment to inter-professional efforts and the identification and creation of opportunities for meaningful cross-curricular collaboration in research, education, and practice;
• The ability to form effective industry partnerships;
• A strong fit with the University’s values-based culture; and
• A respect and support for the University’s traditions and goals.

QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates for the SVPRI at TTUHSC must possess the following qualifications and experience:

• An earned doctorate or requisite terminal degree related to health science center research;
• A strong personal record of research, scholarship, mentorship, publication, and funding, as appropriate for the discipline;
• Prior experience at a major research organization or university or work experience that includes substantial interaction with academic institutions;
• Demonstrated effective administrative experience, including fiscal oversight and supervision of staff;
• Proven leadership in the promotion of multi-disciplinary research;
• Demonstrated record of support for diversity;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• The ability to listen, persuade, show appreciation, and build consensus with interdisciplinary teams;
• Experience in implementing capacity building to support faculty and student research.

Application and Nomination Process

The Search Committee will begin reviewing applications immediately and will continue to accept applications and nominations until the position is filled. Applicants must submit a current curriculum vitae and a letter of interest describing relevant experience. Submission of materials via e-mail is strongly encouraged. Nomination letters should include the name, position, address and telephone number of the nominee. All nominations and applications will be handled in confidence. Applications will remain confidential until the selection of the finalists, whose names and application materials will be made public.

Applications and letters of nomination should be submitted to:

Alberto Pimentel, Managing Partner
Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates
6512 Painter Avenue
Whittier, CA 90601
Email: apsearch@storbeckpimentel.com
Refer to code “TTUHSC-SVPRI” in subject line

TTUHSC is required by law to notify you of the University’s compliance with federal and state laws, including but not limited to, Title VII¹, Title IX², the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ³, Chapter 21 of the Texas Labor Code⁴, and the federal E-Verify⁵ system. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a protected veteran.