Organizational realignment: Research centers and communications

Dear colleagues,

As we continue to advance the University of Arizona’s research mission, we are taking important steps to strengthen interdisciplinary discovery, connect our work with national research priorities and create a structure that reflects our shared vision and goals.

We are realigning the organizational structure of our research centers and communication functions to coordinate our efforts more effectively, enhance collaboration, and position every unit in our research enterprise to thrive in support of our strategic imperatives.

Research centers joining the Office of Research and Partnerships

Several research centers previously housed within Health Sciences will join the Office of Research and Partnerships (ORP) this summer. This move represents a strategic opportunity to better support interdisciplinary research, expand capacity for large-scale collaboration and further elevate the university’s national leadership in health-related discovery.

The following centers will be housed within ORP:

• Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center
• Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies
• Center for Biomedical Informatics and Biostatistics
• Center for Innovation in Brain Science
• Center for Sleep, Circadian and Neuroscience Research
• Comprehensive Center for Pain and Addiction
• University of Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center

This new structure will build on the university’s recognized strengths in several areas – including biomedicine, neuroscience, immunology and health data science – and will deepen connections across the institution as we enhance the scale and impact of our research.

A unified research communications team

As part of this transition, communications team members from Health Sciences will join ORP to form a unified research communications team. The new integrated communications team in ORP will support research priorities and raise the visibility of the U of A’s research and discovery endeavors locally, nationally and globally.

We are pleased to announce that Rachel Reinhardt will oversee this team for ORP Communications. Rachel has led communications in Health Sciences for the past two years and brings strong collaborative leadership skills and extensive experience in research storytelling.

A dedicated communications team will remain within Health Sciences. This team will focus on institutional branding, interprofessional initiatives and stakeholder engagement around key health sciences programs. This team will also play a central role in developing a collaborative communications model with Banner Health.

Each communications team will focus on its priorities and collaborate to enhance the university’s ability to communicate the impactful work we do in research, education and engagement to our communities.

These changes reflect our shared commitment to aligning our organizational structure with strategy to amplify our research and academic efforts. We are supporting our faculty and staff through this transition and are grateful for everyone’s contributions. Together, we are building a stronger research environment that will help us achieve our ambitions and deliver research that shapes the future.

Thank you for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Tomas Diaz de la Rubia
Senior Vice President for Research & Partnerships

Jennifer Barton
Interim Vice Provost for Health Programs