Promoting Partnerships To Improve Veterans’ Health

NPC CORE OPERATIONS TRACK

(Ritz-Carlton Ballroom)

Friction to Function: Managing HR Complexities Across NPC–VA Relationships

This session will revisit essential HR fundamentals to help ensure your hiring processes are resilient in the face of ongoing challenges. Topics will include conducting effective performance reviews, structuring positions and remuneration, and managing workplace conflict. Attendees will learn best practices for aligning VA requirements with NPC needs, while complying with state and federal policies. Leave equipped with practical strategies for strengthening your HR foundation.

Speakers: 

• Annette Coder, Director of HR & Operations, Seattle Institute for Biomedical and Clinical Research
• Jessica Mulligan, MS, CSP, Director of Human Resources & Operations, Boston VA Research Institute, Inc.

LEADERSHIP/GOVERNANCE TRACK

(Ambassador Room)

Engaging with Executive Leadership Team: Where Insight Meets Impact

Moderators will focus on engaging executive leadership (panelists) how they are investing in their facility’s research enterprise, and what strategies they utilize to overcome the pernicious barriers (lack of resources, manpower, infrastructure).

Panelists will share their insights on “force multipliers” and “measurable momentum” in growing research and innovation at their facilities.

Speakers: 

• Dr. Thomas Ferguson, Chief of Staff, VA Memphis Healthcare System
• Lou Dell’Italia, MD, ACOS-R, Birmingham VA Health Care System; NPC Executive Director 

RESEARCH APPLICATIONS TRACK 

(Diplomat Room)

Beyond the Basics: Understanding and Leveraging Indirect Cost Rates

Major changes are coming to the way nonprofits recover their indirect costs on federal awards.  The Federal Government is pushing for a cap of 15%, how will your organization recover its costs?

Learn how you can be prepared for this change by joining a discussion of the different possible options for recovering your indirect costs, including the FAIR Model now being proposed to Congress.  If implemented, what are the next steps for your organization? 

This overview will give you the basic tools needed to start reviewing your current accounting structure, software, and indirect costs allocation model so that you can create a plan and are not caught unprepared for anticipated changes.

Speaker: 

• Bob Forrester, Board Member, Boston VA Research Institute, Inc.

NPC CORE OPERATIONS TRACK

(Ritz-Carlton Ballroom)

Understanding VERA: The Strategic Connection Between NPCs and VERA

Every year NPC’s are required to submit their RDIS report to the VA. Learn how this report is used in determining the annual research allocation that your VA will receive. Discussion will include how VERA dollars are used to fund a variety of medical and research functions, benefiting both the VA and NPC’s.

Speakers Coming Soon

LEADERSHIP/GOVERNANCE TRACK

(Ambassador Room)

Having Difficult Conversations

Leadership often requires making difficult decisions for the good of the organization and the research program, but these decisions often create the need to deliver bad news or make difficult asks of subordinates and partners. This session shares strategies for how NPC leaders and others can manage difficult conversations and making them as productive as possible.

Speakers: Patrick Donley, Director, Doolittle Leadership Center

RESEARCH APPLICATIONS TRACK 

(Diplomat Room)

Engaging Industry

A session on engaging industry partnerships to advance veteran research.

Speakers coming soon

NPC CORE OPERATIONS TRACK

(Ritz-Carlton Ballroom)

Stronger Together: Proven Strategies to Engage and Empower PIs

Explore proven strategies for strengthening relationships between NPCs and VA Principal Investigators (PIs). This session will highlight effective approaches to outreach, clear and transparent communication, and ways to position PIs as champions for research. Attendees will also learn how to partner with their ACOS to amplify visibility, expand engagement, and ensure research efforts are widely understood and supported.

Speakers: 

• Shrarafkhaneh Amir, Principal Investigator, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
• Katrina Washburn, Executive Director, South Florida VA for Research and Education
• Lou Dell’Italia, ACOS-R, Birmingham VA Health Care System
• Elaine Staats, Executive Director, Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research

LEADERSHIP/GOVERNANCE TRACK

(Ambassador Room)

Beyond Clinical Trials: Unlocking the Power of NPC Education Authorities

Step into how NPCs are pushing beyond clinical trials to drive real, visible impact on veteran communities.  From cancer screening initiatives to tackling food insecurity, this session highlights new and innovative programs that are redefining what’s possible through education & training authorities of the NPCs. Hear candid success stories and perspectives from industry sponsors investing through philanthropic and QI funding and walk away with strategies to position the NPC as an indispensable partner in meeting a broad range of veterans’ needs. 

Speakers: 

• David Cennimo, ACOS-E, East Orange VA Medical Center
• Kristen Bourgerie, Executive Director, Veterans Bio-Medical Research Institute
• Genentech representatives

RESEARCH APPLICATIONS TRACK 

(Diplomat Room)

Coming Soon: Precision Medicine Session

Want to Work with Industry Sponsors, But Are Unsure How to Assess Your NPC’s Risk?

NPCs should diversify their revenue streams to avoid overreliance on any single funding source. Working with industry presents tremendous opportunity to be involved with impactful research, while benefiting from relationships that can be developed for the long term. Different from publicly funded projects, industry projects have a different rhythm, specific milestones, and timelines that are sensitive to marketplace pressures. This session will crowdsource the best available ideas for how to gauge your team’s readiness, a project’s feasibility and other factors you should consider.

The goal of this session is to leave with a checklist tool for assessing potential projects against your NPC’s ability to deliver results and your tolerance for risk. Bring your good practices to share with us during the session.

(Ritz-Carlton Ballroom)

Facilitators:

• Carol Meyer, MBA, Executive Director, Institute of Medical Research
• David Edelman, VA OAA Health Services Research Postdoctoral Fellowship

Connect with Others, Build Your Marketing Tools, Tell Your NPC Story

Every NPC has a story — but not every NPC has the time or staff to build print materials from scratch. In this hands-on session, we'll start with your audience: Who are you talking to, and what do they need to know? From there, we'll identify the must-have elements for each audience, show how a fact sheet becomes a trifold with no extra writing, and cover the tools that make it easy — including free Canva access for nonprofits. Participants will sketch out their own materials in real time and leave with a shared audience guide and digital templates ready to customize.

(Ambassador Room)

Facilitators:

• Liz Stout, Public Affairs Liaison, NAVREF
• Katrina Washburn, Executive Director, South Florida VA for Research and Education

Research Coordinator Training

This interactive session brings NPC leaders together to collaboratively brainstorm ideas, strategies, and best practices for both initial and ongoing training of Research Coordinators across our sites. Participants will discuss what training approaches have been successful at their sites, identify current gaps and challenges, and share what they envision as an effective and sustainable coordinator training program.The purpose of this session is to encourage collaboration, idea-sharing, and innovation in coordinator development. Through group discussion and crowd-sourcing activities, NPC leaders will help identify practical tools, resources, and training strategies that can be standardized and adapted across sites to support the growth and success of Research Coordinators.The ultimate goal of this session is to develop effective training tools and resources that NPC sites can utilize to onboard, train, support, and retain high-performing Research Coordinators. 

(Diplomat Room)

Facilitators:

• Caitlin Mahaney, Executive Director, Bay Pines Foundation
• Precious Leaks-Gutierrez, Director of Operations, Tampa VA Research and Education Foundation