Research Faculty Executive Committee

Overview

The creation of a Research Faculty Executive Committee (RFEC) was one of the top recommendations from the 2024 MGB Research Strategic Plan. The vision was for the RFEC to collaborate with research leadership in reviewing upcoming decisions, identifying both intended and unintended consequences, and providing informed recommendations.

This group is an elected cohort of 24 individuals who represent faculty by rank and type of research (fundamental, clinical and population and healthcare delivery) across the AMCs and specialty hospitals.

Research Area Definitions

Fundamental [Basic] research is open-ended investigation that seeks to unlock the biological, chemical, molecular and genetic underpinnings of life and typically takes place in a dry or wet lab environment. Examples of this include but are not limited to work involving in vitro analyses, in silico analyses, or involving organoid or model systems.

Clinical Research includes research involving human subjects. Examples of this include but are not limited to clinical trials, observational studies, physiological studies, behavioral studies, and epidemiologic analyses. IRB approval (not exemption) of the study that includes the applicant as a named study staff is required if applying in this category.

Population and Healthcare Delivery research includes research on interpersonal, family, neighborhood, community and societal-level mechanisms and pathways that influence disease risk, resilience, morbidity, and mortality, as well as outcomes and health services research. Examples of this include, but are not limited to, population healthcare sciences; community health/population research, health disparities/equities research, health outcomes research, and health services and policy research.

Terms

Elected representatives will serve 3-year terms, with a lifetime limit of 2 terms. If not elected, individuals may run again as many times as they wish.

Co-Chairs

The RFEC will elect two co-chairs (limited to senior faculty positions) who will serve as RFEC representatives and attend the monthly meetings of the Research Executive Committee (REC).

Meeting Commitments

Total monthly commitment: at least 3 hours (4 hours for co-chairs)

• Monthly Research Oversight Committee (ROC) meetings (generally second Monday of the month)

• Monthly RFEC meetings

• Monthly Research Council meetings

  • 2 alternate RFEC members will chair each meeting
  • 30 min office hours before and after the Research Council meeting

• Elected RFEC Co-chairs:

  • Monthly Research Executive Committee (REC) meetings

Roles and Responsibilities

The RFEC will meet monthly and be available as an additional sounding board for the research community for any issues that may arise. To aid in the flow of communication, either one of the co-chairs of ROC or one of the CAOs will attend the RFEC meetings. All RFEC members will be members of the Research Oversight Committee (ROC).

The RFEC will oversee monthly Research Council meetings (formerly Research Council at MGH and RC Live at BWH) that are open to the full research community. This meeting will be hybrid and will be chaired by two members of the RFEC. The Research Council chairs will rotate monthly, so that each RFEC member will only be responsible for 1 meeting annually. For each monthly Research Council meeting, it will also be the responsibility of the co-chairs to hold in-person and virtual “office hours” in the 30 minutes immediately before and following the Research Council, making themselves available to hear from members of the research community in a smaller and one-on-one setting.

All told, the total minimum monthly commitment will be at least three hours (four hours for the co-chairs).

This committee will be supported administratively by the Research Oversight Committee staff.