Virtual

International Collaborations: Policies, Processes, & Partnerships

Healthcare professionals standing together with their hands stacked.
Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Time: 11:00AM ET - 3:30PM ET
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
This Event is Recorded: The recording and resources will be available 7-10 business days after the event
Hosted by: Office of Extramural Research (OER)
See event recording, transcript, and slide deck

Event Overview:

Description:

  • Are you from a foreign organization looking to secure NIH funding?
  • Are you a domestic researcher looking to partner with a foreign entity?
  • Or are you a domestic institution partnering with a foreign collaborator?

This event is designed to provide each of these audiences with valuable tools and guidance on navigating NIH grants policies and processes. Don't miss this engaging and informative time with NIH experts as they share resources and knowledge during the presentations, case studies, and live Q&A.

Objective:

During this event, participants will:


  • Gain a better understanding of NIH grants policies, processes, and systems affecting applications and awards with foreign components;
  • Obtain guidance from NIH experts on partnering with foreign institutions;
  • Participate in a case study discussion of issues impacting registration and the application process.

Event Resources

See Also

Agenda

Welcome & Overview
 

11:00 am ET

Moderator: Kasima Garst, M.F.S., Systems Policy Analyst

Office of Policy for Extramural Research (OPERA), NIH
Understanding International Collaborations
 

11:10 am ET

Understanding International Collaborations

  • Policies, processes, and systems, including common registration issues related to foreign applicants and awardees, foreign sub awards, and foreign components
  • Q&A

Presenter: Michelle Bulls

Director, Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA), NIH


Presenter: Emily Linde

Director, Grants Management Program

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH


Presenter: Kristin Ta

Senior Advisor

Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA), NIH
Sub Award Agreements: Case Studies on What Should Be Included
 

12:00 pm ET

Presenter: Michelle Bulls

Director, Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)

Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH


Presenter: Kristin Ta

Senior Advisor

Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA), NIH
A Walk-Through of the Federal Financial Report (FFR)
 

12:20 pm ET

Presenter: Emily Linde

Director, Grants Management Program

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH


Presenter: Alan Whatley

Lead Grants Financial Analyst

Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH
Collaborating and Partnering with Foreign Entities From a Scientific Perspective
 

12:50 pm ET

  • How to identify potential collaborators
  • How U.S. institutions collaborate with foreign institutions
  • How to set up programs designed to support foreign collaborations
  • Q&A

Presenter: Emily Linde

Director, Grants Management Program

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH


Presenter: Glen C. McGugan, Jr. Ph.D.

Program Officer

Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH
Foreign Interference
 

01:40 pm ET

  • Protecting biomedical research, innovation, and research integrity
  • Q&A

Presenter: Ki-Cha Flash-Zapata, M.S., M.B.A.

Deputy Director, Division of Grants Compliance and Oversight

Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH
Continuing the Conversation: Building a Successful Program to Support International Collaborations
 

02:35 pm ET

Moderator: Pamela A. Webb

Associate Vice President for Research

University of Minnesota


Presenter: Kim Moreland

Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration

Director, Research and Sponsored Programs

University of Wisconsin - Madison


Presenter: Elizabeth D. Peloso

Associate Vice President & Associate Vice Provost

University of Pennsylvania


Presenter: Geeta K. Swamy, M.D.

Vice Dean for Scientific Integrity

Haywood Brown, MD Distinguished Professor of Women's Health

Duke University

Presenter(s):

Profile Picture for Michelle Bulls
Michelle Bulls
Director
Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)
Office of the Director (OD)
NIH, HHS
Read Bio
Michelle Bulls
<p>Michelle Bulls is the Director of the Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA) with policy and compliance oversight for the 24 Institutes and Centers’ grants management offices within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She provides national leadership and oversight in the business and financial management of the federal assistance biomedical research programs supported by NIH.</p><p>Bulls provides over 30 years of grants policy and compliance administration experience and is well respected Federal-wide for her expertise. She continues to lead, on a national scale, grants policy and compliance efforts in implementing financial assistance regulations and policies across the Federal research platform. She continues to serve as a leader where she champions and drives harmonization, grants management streamlining, and reformation efforts for financial assistance research programs across the Federal government.</p>
Profile Picture for Ki-Cha Flash-Zapata
Ki-Cha Flash-Zapata
Deputy Director
Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)
Office of the Director (OD)
NIH, HHS
Read Bio
Ki-Cha Flash-Zapata
<p>Ki-Cha Flash-Zapata, M.S., M.B.A., is the Deputy Director of the Division of Grants Compliance and Oversight in the OER's Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA). She assists the grants management staff and recipients in understanding their responsibility in safeguarding Federal funds, establishing and maintaining effective management of resources, and monitoring compliance with Federal requirements, policies, regulations, and legislative mandates. Ms. Flash-Zapata previously served in awards management for over 13 in the areas of Other Transactions Authority and Grants Management throughout her tenure at the NIH. In 2008, she served as an Administrative Fellow at the NIH. In 2008 and 2009, Ms. Flash-Zapata earned a dual master's degree in healthcare administration and in business administration.</p>
Profile Picture for Kasima Garst
Kasima Garst, MFS
Lead Grants Financial Analyst
Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)
Office of the Director (OD)
NIH, HHS
Read Bio
Kasima Garst
<p>Kasima Garst is the Director of the Division of Grants Systems Integration (DGSI) within in the OER’s Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA). Prior to her appointment as Director of DGSI, she served as the DGSI Deputy Director and was a Systems Policy Analyst within DGSI’s Systems Policy Branch. She represents NIH on systems policy initiatives at the HHS and Federal-wide levels and works with key NIH stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of critical systems, policies, and compliance requirements across the NIH. Prior to joining OPERA in 2019, Mrs. Garst was a Grants Management Officer at the NIH Fogarty International Center and a Grants Management Specialist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Middlebury College and a Master of Forensic Sciences degree in Forensic Molecular Biology from the George Washington University.</p>
Profile Picture for Emily Linde
Emily Linde
Director, Grants Management Program
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
National Institutes of Health (NIH), HHS
Read Bio
Emily Linde
<p>Ms. Emily Linde is the Director of the Grants Management Program for the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). She has been in grants management at the National Institutes of Health for over 20 years. Prior to joining NIAID, Linde worked at several other institutes, including the Office of the Director (OD) where she served in the Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA); the National Cancer Institute (NCI); and the Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).</p>
Profile Picture for Glen McGugan Jr.
Glen McGugan Jr., Ph.D
Program Officer
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
National Institutes of Health (NIH), HHS
Read Bio
Glen McGugan Jr.
<p>Dr. Glen McGugan, Ph.D., is a Program Officer in the Parasitology and International Programs Branch (PIPB) in the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He oversees a portfolio of research grants focused on various aspects of the biology of medically relevant protozoan and helminth parasites. He also serves as the contracting officer's scientific and technical representative for the Schistosomiasis Resource Center. He is particularly interested in global health, advising trainees and early career researchers, and currently oversees the International Research in Infectious Diseases (IRID) program. Dr. McGugan received a B.S. from the University of South Carolina, and a Ph.D. from Clemson University, and conducted postdoctoral research as an IRTA fellow in the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases at NIAID.</p>
Profile Picture for Kristin Ta
Kristin Ta, M.P.H
Deputy Director
Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)
Office of the Director (OD)
NIH, HHS
Read Bio
Kristin Ta
<p>Kristin Ta joined the Division of Grants Policy as a Grants Policy Analyst and currently serves as Deputy Director to the OPERA Director. Ms. Ta has been with NIH for over 11 years, and previously served as a Senior Program Analyst in the Office of Management Assessment, Division of Program Integrity, where she led reviews of allegations of misuse of NIH grant and contract funds and employee misconduct. Prior to that, she worked as a post-award administrator in the Department of Biochemistry at George Washington University. Ms. Ta studied health and societies and environmental studies at the University of Pennsylvania and has an MPH in health promotion from George Washington University.</p>
Profile Picture for Alan Whatley
Alan Whatley
Lead Grants Financial Analyst
Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)
Office of the Director (OD)
NIH, HHS
Read Bio
Alan Whatley
<p>Alan Whatley is the Lead Grants Financial Analyst for the FFR Reconciliation and Financial Closeout Support Center (FFR-C), located within the NIH Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA). Joining in 2022, Mr. Whatley's team focuses on the review of all NIH Federal Financial Reports (FFRs) and ensures timely financial reconciliation and closeout of all award documents within the HHS Payment Management System (PMS).</p><p>Prior to joining OPERA, Mr. Whatley had worked in the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR) since May 2021 as a budget analyst. The OAR is responsible for allocating and maintaining the entire NIH HIV/AIDS budget. There, Mr. Whatley worked with the NIH institutes and centers within his portfolio to ensure they successfully reported totals for their HIV/AIDS categories in the required systems for each budget cycle within the fiscal year.</p><p>Mr. Whatley began his journey with NIH in December 1998 with the Office of Financial Management (OFM), General Ledger Branch (GLB) where he worked as an accountant. He worked in the GLB from 1998–2006 performing various financial duties such as Interagency Payment and Collection, interagency agreement processing, fund balance with Treasury cash reconciliations, and Intra-Departmental Delegation of Authority fund transfers with other Department of Health and Human Services operating divisions. In 2006, Mr. Whatley transitioned to the Government Accounting Branch (GAB) of OFM. While in the GAB, he worked with all financial aspects of NIH grants with a focus on the processing of FFRs. There, he led a team of 6–9 accountants and financial management analysts in their daily duties.</p><p>Mr. Whatley graduated from Morgan State University in 1996 with a B.S. in accounting.</p>

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