Each VA facility having one or more healthcare professions training affiliations must establish an advisory entity (i.e., Affiliation Partnership Council) to assist in the management and coordination of the relationships between VA and its affiliations partners. The intent is for the councils to act as strategic planning and coordinating bodies for the affiliations. The APC appointed this committee for the accomplishment of specific management or strategic tasks associated with Research for which the APC is responsible.

Charge: • Develop goals and objectives in keeping with the APC priorities strategic plans.
• Promote research, research education, scholarship and collaborations between the VA and AU Investigators.
• Submit reports to assess the committee’s effectiveness in reaching its goals and objectives and make recommendations for future activities to the APC.
• Advise and formulate recommendations and provide information to the APC on research and research education and policy guidelines and procedures.
• Establish subcommittees as required to facilitate the work of the committee
• Advise on the allocation and use of funds to support research and research education
• Engages in strategic planning for research development
• Facilitate joint recruitment of VA Merit Award Eligible/VA Merit Award Funded Investigators to accept AU/CNVAMC positions.
• Committee Chair, or his/her designee will be responsible for scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, presiding over meetings, prepare an annual report, and perform other duties consistent with the efficient management of the committee.
• Each committee member would be responsible for completing all assigned tasks as prioritized by the Committee Chair.
• Plan and conduct VA, AU, and Fort Gordon/Eisenhower Research symposium.

Sponsor

Co-Chairs of the Affiliation Partnership Council: AU Senior Vice President for Research and Associate Chief of Staff, Research and Development Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center

Co-Chair

Michael Diamond
Tom Hartney

Membership Roster

Members Role Constituency Representing Term
Interim Associate Dean for Research, Dental College of Georgia,
Babak Baban
Member Dental College of Georgia Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
CNVAMC Research Career Scientist/Professor of Physiology,
Wendy Bollag
Member Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Executive Director, Augusta Biomedical Research Corporation,
Jetesey Dennis
Member Augusta Biomedical Research Corporation Administrative July 2020 - June 2021
Executive Director of Corporate Relations, AU,
Rob Dennis
Member Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Senior Vice President for Research, Augusta University ,
Michael Diamond
Committee Co-Chair AU Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
CNVAMC Senior Research Career Scientist/Regents' Professor,
Zheng Dong
Member Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Robert Gibson Member Emergency Medicine Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Chief of Clinical Investigation, Eisenhower Army Medical Center,
Jeremy Goodin
Member Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Associate Chief of Staff, Research and Development, Charlie Norwood VAMC,
Tom Hartney
Committee Co-Chair Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Glenda Hathorn Secretary/Reporter Staff July 2020 - June 2021
Vahe Heboyan Member MCG Department of Population Health Science Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
John Heslen Member AU Cybersecurity Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Karen Nixon Member Partnership and Economic Development Administrative July 2020 - June 2021
Monty Philpot Member Office of Government Relations and Community Affairs Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Chair, Department of Psychiatry, AU,
Anilkumar Pillai
Member Department of Psychiatry, AU Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Administrative Officer, CNVAMC Research,
Christopher Rogers
Member Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Administrative July 2020 - June 2021
Anita Ruddick Member Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
AVP, Interdisciplinary Research, AU,
Warren Thorp
Member Interdisciplinary Research, AU Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Almira Vazdarjanova Member Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
AVP, Sponsored Program Administration, AU,
Diego Vazquez
Member Sponsored Program Administration, AU Administrative July 2020 - June 2021
Associate Dean for Research, College of Allied Health Sciences,
Chandramohan Wakade
Member College of Allied Health Sciences Faculty July 2020 - June 2021
Associate Dean for Research, College of Nursing, AU,
Julie Zadinsky
Member College of Nursing Faculty July 2020 - June 2021