Wright Center administrator wins Fulbright award

By Haley Tenore

Elizabeth Fortune turned frustration into opportunity through a simple realization: "I thought there had to be a better way."

At Virginia Commonwealth University, Fortune is administrative director of the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, which helps convert health research into patient care. But she will head to Germany in November through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, working with international colleagues that could offer insights into the crucial - if often overlooked - field of research administration.

An initiative of the State Department, Fulbright includes programs that send U.S. faculty and professionals abroad to learn more about their fields and exchange information about best practices. Fortune was selected this year for a Fulbright International Education Administrators award and will spend two weeks in Berlin.

"I never seriously thought about applying" for an IEA award until summer of last year, she said. "I was at a conference, and about half of the attendees in the room were from EU countries. They were talking about frustrations of working with U.S. partners, not clearly knowing what all the rules are, and the level of difficulty in collaborating" - primarily because of differences in how university-based research is structured and differing governmental requirements.

The "better way" Fortune decided to explore reflects the impact of her field, both globally and at home. With careers that support scholarship and creative activity, research administrators help power VCU's multifaceted quest for knowledge - and they often work behind the scenes, holding together the many components that collectively advance VCU's mission.

At the Wright Center, Fortune manages its finances, philanthropic donations and grants, and helps ensure that its research follows regulatory guidelines.

"I'm really interested in exploring how German universities provide education, training and support for study teams to do clinical trials and clinical research," said Fortune, who hopes to bring innovations back to VCU's research enterprise. "But I'm also interested in the profession of research administration."

The field encompasses the business side of making research projects happen, including identifying funding opportunities, developing grant proposals, ensuring regulatory compliance and overseeing finance and resource management. Fortune has noted that research administration has been added to the critical roles targeted in workforce development efforts by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, elevating the profession's visibility in the research universe.

"Research administration gained prominence in the U.S. in the 1990s," Fortune said. "It is just now becoming recognized as a profession in Europe. They call it research management, as opposed to research administration."

The research process in Europe is more decentralized, Fortune said, with more responsibilities resting on senior faculty researchers. In the United States, companies, industries or the government may fund university-based research. During her two-week seminar in Berlin in November, Fortune will examine how the practices at European universities could improve the research process at VCU.

"I am incredibly honored to receive this Fulbright award, which will enable me to bring back knowledge that will benefit VCU," she said.

Fortune thanked Wright Center director F. Gerard "Gerry" Moeller, M.D., for supporting her pursuit of the Fulbright opportunity.

"I think it'll be valuable for her, and it'll be valuable for VCU for her to learn in her international exposure to research administration from a different perspective," Moeller said.

He said the Fulbright award is a recognition of Fortune's international stature in the field, and he is looking forward to the insights she will bring back from Germany.

"We in the U.S. and in Virginia have a set way of doing things," Moeller said, "but it'd be great to learn new things so that there'll be a totally different perspective" on research administration and the philanthropy that helps drive it.