Supporting HESI’s Effectiveness with Improved Staff Collaboration and Program Synergy

The size of HESI’s portfolio and its scientific staff have grown substantially over the past decade.

We are committed to ensuring that the quality and effectiveness of HESI’s support for these programs also continues to grow!

To achieve this, we are excited to announce three new ‘virtual’ Centers that will serve as focal points for staff to share strategic approaches, scientific developments, management best practices and innovations. Each of our Scientific Committees and Board Strategic Programs will be aligned with one of the following three thematic Centers.

The Centers are as follows:

Center for Environmental and Ecological Health
Center for Translational Sciences
Center for Patient and Consumer Safety

Centers will be led by HESI staff responsible for fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and addressing program support and implementation challenges. The Cross-Center Leadership Team will serve as a staff-led forum for improving operations, staff development, and strategic impact across HESI. Center leaders on staff may also engage the HESI Board of Trustees, Scientific Committee leaders, and other key stakeholders to help achieve these goals.

These virtual Centers will augment our staff’s ability to identify and implement operational, administrative, or programmatic synergies within HESI. These new Centers will not change the core operations, remit, or accountabilities of HESI’s Scientific Committees or our Board of Trustees. Each Scientific Committee will retain its independence but will benefit from more deliberate collaboration among managing staff, and enhanced organizational efficiency resulting from intra- and cross-Center discussions.

We are excited about this new approach and its impact on our ability to develop science for a safer, more sustainable world.

  • Center Directors and Advisors:
    Syril Pettit, DrPH, MEM, Michelle Embry, PhD,
    Jennifer Pierson, MPH, Connie Chen, PhD, MPH,
    Raegan O’Lone, PhD, Sandrine Deglin, PhD,
    Lucilia Mouriès, PhD
    • Center Director: Michelle Embry, PhD
      Senior Advisor, CEEH: Sandrine Deglin, PhD
    • Center Director: Jennifer Pierson, MPH
      Senior Advisor, CTS: Connie Chen, PhD, MPH
    • Center Director: Syril Pettit, DrPH, MEM
      Senior Advisor, CPCS: Lucilia Mouriès, PhD

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why this new model?

    As HESI expands, this new tiered structure allows for more efficient operations and expanded leadership expertise.

  • Do Center Directors have full authority over Committees in their Center?

    No, Committees retain their autonomy. Center Directors can suggest changes, but implementation requires Committee support.

  • Can I join a Center instead of a Scientific Committee?

    No, Centers are organizational constructs to support management and synergy.

  • Do Centers have their own budgets?

    No, budgets remain within the individual Committees. However, Committees can collaborate on joint activities or grants.

  • Can Committees from different Centers collaborate?

    Yes, collaboration across (and within) Centers is encouraged and facilitated by regular meetings of Center staff.

  • Will there be immediate changes to Committee operations?

    No, initial changes will primarily affect staff management and coordination.  Committees within a Center will retain their current levels of scientific, strategic, programmatic, and budgetary autonomy.

  • Can new Centers be formed, or existing Centers be changed in the future?

    Yes, the model is dynamic and will evolve based on experience. The Executive Director will manage these adjustments.

Contact Us

Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI)

hesi@hesiglobal.org
Phone: +1-202-659-8404
Fax: +1-202-659-8403

740 15th Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005

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