Bioinformatics Advisory Committee
Charge and Structure
Introduction
Several units and departments within the university have joined together to establish an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in bioinformatics. The program is housed in the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies (SIGS) and is governed by a group established by program documents and whose makeup includes representatives of the participating units according to the number of participating departments in each unit.
SPHIS has three departments – Bioinformatics and Biostatisics, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Epidemiology and Population Health – and has two representatives on the governing group, which is the maximum for a unit.
The governing body has original jurisdiction over the academic aspects of the program, including curriculum, admissions, student financial support, administration, and assignment of mentors. SIGS is the oversight and approval body for the program and its governing group. Students in the program are enrolled in SIGS.
Original jurisdiction of a course included in the curriculum is with the unit offering the course; the unit is also responsible for scheduling and delivery of the course and for providing faculty, staff, and resources needed to schedule and deliver the course.
Each unit participating in the program is also responsible for providing faculty effort for mentoring, up to a limit agreed to by the program governing group and the unit. Many units are fulfilling this responsibility by naming specific faculty and level of work effort for each. SPHIS is fulfilling our mentoring responsibility by committing to an overall level of effort by our faculty with a dynamic list of faculty who are available.
SPHIS participation in the bioinformatics program is managed by Dr. SusmitaDatta with administrative assistance from Dr. Pete Walton in the dean’s office.
Charge
The Bioinformatics Advisory Committee is charged to advise chairs, deans, and SIGS bioinformatics program representatives on all aspects of SPHIS's involvement, including operations, personnel commitment levels, and other resources. Final decisions in these areas are made by the Dean with recommendations from the SPHIS bioinformatics manager and the Dean’s Executive Committee.
The Bioinformatics Advisory Committee may choose to recommend or comment on other aspects of the bioinformatics program, including academics and admissions, but does so with the understanding that the program governing body has jurisdiction in these areas. Similarly the committee may choose to recommend or comment on SPHIS courses in the bioinformatics program but does so with the understanding that the Faculty Forum, acting on behalf of the Executive Faculty, has jurisdiction in these areas with recommendations from the parent department and SPHIS Curriculum Committee.
Structure
The Bioinformatics Advisory Committee is an ad hoc committee of the dean and the Dean’s Executive Committee. The dean’s office provides a liaison and recording secretary to the committee.
The committee’s membership is as follows:
Bioinformatics program participation manager (chair)
Dean’s offices administrative liaison (non-voting)
Chair, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, or designee
Chair, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, or designee
Chair, Epidemiology and Population Health, or designee
Chair, Health Management and Systems Sciences, or designee
Chair, Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, or designee
Each department is entitled to representation at each meeting of the committee; a department chair may attend or send a designee who may vary from meeting to meeting.
Parliamentary procedures of the committee are Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
Issued by Dean’s Office, 02/25/11
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