Center Structure

Patricia Herman and Ian Coulter, co-directors of the Center, jointly make decisions regarding the operation of the Center. The co-directors are advised by three groups:

  1. The Executive Committee (EC) is made up of the presidents of each of the member CIH institutions or their designees who have been given executive authority to make decisions on behalf of that institution, plus non-voting ex officio representatives (one each) from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and the NCMIC Foundation. The EC nominates/appoints from its voting members a smaller working group of the EC called the Leadership Council (LC).
    • The Leadership Council (LC) is made up of three officers of the EC (the chair, vice-chair/secretary, and one at-large member) and empowered to deliberate and make decisions on behalf of the EC. Membership of the LC is reasonably representative of the professions and institutions. The LC makes decisions based on majority rule: two LC members constitute a quorum. The chair of the LC has the responsibility to communicate the actions of the LC to the EC at large.
  2. The Research Advisory Board (RAB) is appointed by the institutional/voting members of the EC with each member of the EC (thus, each member institution) appointing one member of the RAB. Members of the RAB have the highest degree available in their academic discipline and a research track record. The RAB is the main body involved in helping the co-directors address the needs of researchers involved in the Center.
    • The Research Agenda Review Committee is a subgroup of the RAB that helps determine which research concepts will go on to become Center research proposals and projects.
  3. The Policy Advisory Group is a group of experts who are not necessarily CIH practitioners or researchers and are not members of CIH institutions. Instead, they are knowledgeable about shaping and changing health policy. This group advises the co-directors and Center members, but especially the Research Agenda Review Committee, on the types of research most likely to affect policy and how to position research and findings for funding and maximum impact. Membership in this group is by invitation only and approved by the EC.

The CIH Research Network is a web-based platform to support collaboration across member institutions. It is the core of the Center and allows different levels of access to member institutions’ researchers, faculty, staff, and students. At the CIH Research Network, research concepts are conceived, designed, proposed, and submitted for approval to the Research Agenda Review Committee and co-directors to become Center proposals. This network also provides a platform for members to, with the support of Center mentors and reviewers, collaboratively write successful proposals. In support of these efforts the Network provides online access to a number of resources including:

  • searchable directory of Center member institutions and their researchers’ interests and experience;
  • list of resources including available labs, datasets, and patient populations;
  • discussion group forums to share ideas, and connect with others, and identify needed resources;
  • webinars covering methods and new and ongoing research;
  • calendar(s) of events;
  • posts on newly published research;
  • lists and links to possible funding sources and RFAs; and
  • links to other resources of interest.