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Department of Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry
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Research Space Committee

The Department of Psychiatry Research Space Committee (DPRSC) is a subcommittee of the Research Council and is advisory to the Chair. The DPRSC is led by Elizabeth Twamley and Abraham Palmer. Additional members of the committee were selected based on diversity in gender, academic rank, and research space occupied, and include Murray Stein, Abraham Palmer, Caroline Nievergelt, Andre Der-Avakian, Suzi Hong, and Jared Young. The role of the DPRSC will be to review faculty requests for research space, to advocate for faculty making space requests to the Health Sciences Space Advisory Committee (HSSAC), to advise regarding reallocation of space when required by the HSSAC, to conduct periodic Department-wide reviews, and to provide advice to the Chair on strategic planning for future space needs.

The HSSAC has jurisdiction over the School of Medicine, the School of Pharmacy and the School of Public health. HSSAC provides specific recommendations to the Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences regarding the most effective use of existing space and the assignment of new space. HSSAC and the Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences have ultimate authority over all space occupied by the Department of Psychiatry. HSSAC conducts periodic (approximately annual) evaluations to measure productivity in all university-owned research space. When they determine that research space is not well-funded and/or not well-used, they will make a range of recommendations. These recommendations include but are not limited to: a narrative advisement expressing concern about the space and an expectation to see better funding and/or use at the next review, a formal notification that the space has been placed "At-Risk" for reassignment if funding and/or use does not sufficiently improve at the next review, or immediate reassignment to the VCHS Unassigned Pool. When space is reassigned to the VCHS Unassigned Pool, the current occupants are usually allowed to remain in place until the space has been reassigned. Space can be reassigned at any time based on HSSAC needs, however, and it will be up to the Department to vacate and clean the space for new occupants. HSSAC makes decisions about space based on funding per assigned square foot (ASF). As of September 2023, the mean value was $682/ASF in the Department of Psychiatry.

Faculty members requiring space are required to use the HSSAC Space Request Application to request space. Faculty members are invited to consult with Elizabeth Twamley and Abraham Palmer, as well as their fund manager, in completing the form.

Completed forms should be sent to Elizabeth Twamley with a copy to Catherine Hampel  and Abraham Palmer. DPRSC will make a recommendation to the Chair about the space request and will submit the form to HSSAC, which meets once per month.