Angela Valencia, a research administrator with the University of Arizona Health Sciences Office of Research Administration, has received the 2018 Catherine Core Travel Award from the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA).
The very competitive award is in support of her participation in NCURA’s 60th annual meeting, Aug. 5-8, in Washington, D.C. All award recipients will be recognized during the meeting luncheon Aug. 7.
“Professional development is one of the most important facets of research administration, not only to provide continuing education but also to strengthen a person’s commitment and dedication to our career field,” said Lauren Zajac, executive director, UAHS Research Administration. “The travel award is an incredible investment in a high-performing member of our profession.”
In nominating Valencia for the award, Zajac noted that her “dedication to providing outstanding service to our investigators is unparalleled, especially in assisting our investigators with pre-award support for public health collaborations and Department of Defense-funded research proposals. Angela also focuses her efforts on research development activities that lay the framework for future submissions. For example, she has made it her mission to understand, train and provide expertise to faculty members on using the Pivot database to identify additional grant opportunities.”
As a UAHS research administrator, Valencia coordinates grant proposals, from creating budgets to communicating with National Institutes of Health officials in the efforts of securing funding for health research.
“My research career began when I first arrived in the United States and was searching for a job opportunity that could help me start my graduate studies,” said Valencia. “My first position was with the UA nutritional sciences department, where I participated in a research project aimed at assessing energy expenditures among Native American children at risk for obesity. This early research position motivated me to pursue a graduate degree that could facilitate my work responsibilities and also support my ongoing interest in health education and research.”
She completed a master’s degree at the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, where she continues to collaborate as a guest lecturer.
“Being from a Hispanic background, I’ve always been very interested in addressing health disparities and am always willing to collaborate and learn about efforts that address health inequities,” Valencia said.
UAHS Office of Research Administration
The Office of Research Administration at the University of Arizona Health Sciences provides concierge-level service to all UAHS investigators in support of research pre- and post-award activities, including sponsored project application submission, contract negotiation, clinical trials, and compliance support. In providing a centralized consortium of research administration professionals, the Office is a one-stop shop for interactions with sponsors and central campus administrative units including the Sponsored Projects Services, and the Institutional Review Board. For more information, please visit research.uahs.arizona.edu
About the University of Arizona Health Sciences
The University of Arizona Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. The UA Health Sciences includes the UA Colleges of Medicine (Phoenix and Tucson), Nursing, Pharmacy and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with main campus locations in Tucson and the growing Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, the UA Health Sciences reaches across the state of Arizona and the greater Southwest to provide cutting-edge health education, research, patient care and community outreach services. A major economic engine, the UA Health Sciences employs approximately 4,000 people, has approximately 800 faculty members and garners more than $140 million in research grants and contracts annually. For more information: uahs.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Instagram)