The University of Michigan Office of Research will honor four U-M staff members for their outstanding service to the research community.
Lori Deromedi and Rick Brandon will receive the Office of Research Exceptional Service Award, Judy Carrillo will receive the Research Administrator Recognition Award, and Tom Bray will receive the Research Technical Staff Recognition Award.
Rick Brandon
Judy Carrillo
Tom Bray
“The health of our research enterprise is a reflection of the excellence of our staff, whose dedication and expertise have helped the university conduct the largest volume of research of any public university in the United States,” said S. Jack Hu, vice president for research.
An award reception is scheduled for 3:30-5 p.m. May 15 in the Hussey Room on the second floor of the Michigan League. The award ceremony and remarks will begin at 4 p.m. The event is open to the public.
The Exceptional Service Award recognizes staff members in Office of Research units for important contributions to the university’s research mission through exceptional performance and by going beyond the ordinary fulfillment of position duties.
Deromedi, compliance specialist intermediate in UMOR’s Research Ethics and Compliance unit, has worked at U-M for nearly 20 years, joining UMOR in 2012. She manages the Research Ethics and Compliance website and develops resources to help U-M researchers better understand the office’s research oversight responsibilities and compliance monitoring functions.
She administers the university’s Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Oversight program, and also coordinates campuswide efforts to inform researchers about important changes to federal policies and procedures.
Brandon, associate general counsel for the Office of the General Counsel, has played a critical role in the university’s patent and technology transfer efforts for more than 17 years, including a recent stretch as interim director of the Office of Technology Transfer.
His management style allowed for a smooth leadership transition, and during his term as interim director, the technology transfer team reached near-record numbers of invention disclosures, patents filed, patents awarded, licenses signed and startups launched.
The Research Administrator Recognition Award recognizes research administrators in any unit across campus, and honors exemplary service to the research community over a number of years.
Carrillo, financial senior manager for the Department of Internal Medicine, successfully manages a group of research administrators across the department’s 13 divisions. She leads a team that thoroughly reviews all grant submissions from the department’s 800-plus faculty.
Carrillo’s skills are evident, based on results from a recent faculty survey about grant submissions, which revealed satisfaction scores of higher than 84 percent in categories such as knowledge of the staff, ability to solve problems, accuracy and understanding of faculty needs.
The Research Technical Staff Recognition Award recognizes staff members who have, independently or along with faculty, advanced the research mission of her or his unit in a way that extends beyond the ordinary fulfillment of a position’s duties.
Bray, converging technologies consultant for the Duderstadt Center, has provided technological support for U-M faculty research and artistic projects for more than 25 years. He has effectively bridged the gap between academics across campus and the technological resources they need to enable research and programmatic goals, and his services are available free of charge to all U-M faculty through the Duderstadt Center.
He also educates faculty and staff from a variety of schools and colleges on the use and integration of cutting-edge media tools so they can reach their artistic and educational objectives.
The awards were selected by Hu, based on recommendations from an award selection committee consisting of past award winners: Linda Chadwick, director of research administration, LSA; Carrie Disney, research administrative coordinator, School of Social Work; Jessica Getman, Gershwin Edition managing editor, School of Music Theatre & Dance; Cathy Handyside, assistant director of eResearch administration systems, Information and Technology Services; Nicholas Prieur, research process manager, Institute for Social Research; Kerri-Anne Sullivan Cross, senior research process manager, ISR; Patricia Turnbull, research process manager, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, UM-Dearborn; and Sharon Vaassen, research manager, Orthopaedic Surgery.
