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What is Health and Human Development?

Diverse fields of study that share one
common goal: enriching the lives of others.

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Goal 2: Supporting Research and Innovation 

Grow the impact of the college’s research scholarship at least proportionate to overall University research impact growth over the next five years.

Objective 2.3: Enhance research activities through investment in doctoral and post-doctoral training programs 

Action Item 2.3.1

Increase submission of institutional and individual training grants.

Implementation Tasks icon-olus-circle
  • Task 1: Evaluate feasibility of hiring additional member of HHD research office to focus exclusively on T32 pre- and post-award support.
  • Task 2: Summarize all recently submitted NIH T32, NIH F31, NIH F32, NSF GRFP, and other grants to support graduate student and post-doctoral fellowships. Include PI(s), department, mechanism, timing of submission, outcome of review, award if funded.
  • Task 3: Finalize HHD institutional support formula to be used to support T32 awards if funded (i.e., admin support time, graduate student match slots, postdoctoral fellow match slots, diversity supplements to stipends).
  • Task 4: Determine coordination points among existing training grants activities.
Responsible Party icon-olus-circle

Office of the Associate Dean for Research

Metrics icon-olus-circle

(1) Number of institutional and individual training grants submitted and funded; Number of pre- and post-doctoral fellows funded; (3) Number of fellows from underrepresented groups funded on training grants.  

Start and End Dates icon-olus-circle

Spring 2021 – Fall 2021; ongoing

Action Item 2.3.2

Explore strategies to expand the number of graduate assistantships.

Implementation Tasks icon-olus-circle
  • Task 1: Investigate matching opportunities to combine department and college funds to expand the number of graduate assistantships
  • Task 2: Project tuition dollars that are reasonably likely to be unspent at the end of the fiscal year; develop a process for faculty to request these dollars to cover research assistant tuition if they support the stipend and health insurance on a research grant
Responsible Party icon-olus-circle

Office of the Associate Dean for Research; HHD Finance Office

Metrics icon-olus-circle

(1) Number of graduate assistantships supported by department/college collaborative funding; (2) Number of graduate assistantships supported by research grants.

Start and End Dates icon-olus-circle

Summer 2021 – Spring 2023; ongoing

Action Item 2.3.3

Create a college-level postdoctoral fellow support function that will be a differentiator in attracting and retaining postdocs and that has a focus on postdocs from under-represented groups.

Implementation Tasks icon-olus-circle

Create a postdoctoral fellow “Pathways to Leadership” program to identify and retain talented postdocs from under-represented groups, with the goal of transitioning into research and tenure track faculty positions at Penn State    

Responsible Party icon-olus-circle

Office of the Associate Dean for Research; HHD Executive Committee

Metrics icon-olus-circle

(1) Median number of credit hours taught per faculty not in administrative roles in relation to grant effort; (2) Percent of time spent on research, teaching, and service; (3) Number of graduate and undergraduate courses that satisfy requirements for more than one HHD academic department.

Start and End Dates icon-olus-circle

Summer 2021 – Spring 2022; ongoing

Key Performance Indicators

Increase in funding mechanisms for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.