Office of Research Leadership & Staff

Dana McTigue, PhD, advances the College of Medicine’s research mission and supports faculty, staff, and trainee researchers. A Professor of Neuroscience and The Belford Family Endowed Chair in Spinal Cord Injury, Dr. McTigue has secured more than $28 million in external research funding. A highly influential voice in her field, she has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications and has delivered more than 85 invited presentations worldwide. Her national leadership includes service as both a governing council member and as treasurer for the American Society for Neurochemistry.

Beyond the lab, Dr. McTigue is a foundational leader within the college, known for her commitment to the success and well-being of colleagues and learners alike. She is a prolific mentor who has guided more than 40 trainees, served on more than 75 PhD and dissertation committees, and contributed to numerous faculty mentoring committees. Prior to serving as Vice Dean for Research, Dr. McTigue served as Associate Dean for Foundational Research.

Dana.McTigue@osumc.edu

Dana W. Glenn is the Senior Director overseeing the College of Medicine Grants Management Office (GMO). She provides leadership over the pre- and post-award operations in the GMO. This includes proposal submission, post-award financial reporting, other support reporting and assisting with award transfers for incoming faculty.

Dana.Glenn@osumc.edu

Dr. Golden-Kreutz is the senior director of the Center for Clinical Research Management within Ohio State College of Medicine and co-chair of the research leadership team for Healthy State Alliance at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.

Deanna.Golden-Kreutz@osumc.edu

Sara Koenig, PhD, MBOE, serves as a key member of the college’s leadership team. She leads strategic and operational initiatives supporting research administration, compliance, and financial oversight, with a focus on driving organizational effectiveness and enabling high-impact research programs.

Sara.Koenig@osumc.edu

Richard J. Gumina, MD, PhD, is a nationally recognized cardiologist, physician‑scientist, and academic leader who serves as Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Associate Dean for Convergent Research at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, as well as Professor of Internal Medicine with tenure.

Trained through the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin with subsequent residency and fellowship training at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Gumina brings extensive experience in human subject's research, including leadership of large clinical and translational studies, stewardship of cardiovascular biorepositories, and oversight of research involving patient‑derived data and biospecimens.

Dr. Gumina leads an NIH‑funded translational research program focused on the molecular and immunologic mechanisms of cardiovascular disease—spanning inflammation, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and cardiac remodeling—and has authored more than 150 peer‑reviewed publications while contributing to national scientific review panels and mentoring trainees across the research continuum.

Clinical profile

Paco Herson, PhD, is an experienced academic neuroscientist with a long-standing interest in translational research focused on therapies to reduce cell death and improve functional outcomes following cerebral ischemia, critical illness and injury. He serves as the associate dean for Research Innovation and oversees the Office of Research Innovation (ORI) to provide strategic vision and oversight related to technology, commercialization and external relationships. The ORI interacts with faculty, staff and learners to assist in education, intellectual property protection, early stage research and development, technology licensing, start-up formation and marketing. The ORI is a strong partner to all College of Medicine employees as they navigate the technology and commercialization process, amplifying the resources of the University and providing accountability and guidance.   

Academic profile

Timothy R. Huerta, PhD, MS, serves as Chief Research Information Officer and Associate Dean for Research Information Technology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine. He is also Director of Biomedical Informatics for Ohio State’s NCATS-funded Center for Clinical and Translational Science and a Professor with joint appointments in Family and Community Medicine and Biomedical Informatics.

Dr. Huerta’s work focuses on the research information infrastructure, governance, and analytic capacity required to support complex biomedical, clinical, and health services research. His scholarship spans health information technology, implementation science, team science, patient-centered informatics, community-engaged data systems, and large-scale research data platforms. In his leadership roles, he provides strategic vision and operational oversight for research information technology, biomedical informatics, research data governance, honest brokerage, secure computing, and advanced data infrastructure, helping align technology, governance, and research operations so investigators can more effectively translate discovery into practice at scale.

Ann Scheck McAlearney, ScD, MS, is Distinguished Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Executive Director of CATALYST (Center for the Advancement of Team Science, Analytics, and Systems Thinking in Health Services and Implementation Science), and Associate Dean for Health Services Research at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She also holds appointments as Professor in Health Services Management and Policy (College of Public Health) and in Biomedical Informatics and Pediatrics within COM.

She brings over 35 years of experience in health services research, with sustained federal funding for more than 25 years, and is internationally recognized for her expertise in qualitative and mixed methods research. Dr. McAlearney has authored more than 450 peer-reviewed publications, 11 books or edited volumes, and over 100 book chapters. In her leadership role, she provides strategic direction for health services and implementation science research and partners with the Office of Education to expand related training programs.

Academic profile

Julie Johnson, PharmD, is director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), serves as associate dean for Clinical and Translational Research in The Ohio State University College of Medicine and is associate vice president of Research for The Ohio State University. She also holds an appointment in the College of Pharmacy and holds the Dr. Samuel T. and Lois Felts Mercer Professorship of Medicine and Pharmacology. Her research focuses on precision medicine discovery, implementation and clinical trials to document implementation outcomes. As director of the CCTS, Dr. Johnson will serve as the PI of a seven-year $37.9 million Clinical and Translation Science Award from the NIH.

Kristy Townsend, PhD, is Associate Dean for Research (ADR) Operations and Compliance in The Ohio State University College of Medicine and a tenured Professor in Neurological Surgery. A neuroscientist specializing in neurometabolism, she leads the Neurobiology & Energy Balance Lab, which first identified “adipose neuropathy”, neurodegeneration of peripheral nerves in adipose tissue linked to metabolic disease and aging, and continues to advance understanding of brain–adipose communication and adipose innervation. Dr. Townsend previously served as Director of Widening Impact in Medicine and Science (WIMS).

She joined Ohio State in 2020 following roles at the University of Maine, Joslin Diabetes Center, and Harvard Medical School. She is the founder and Director of the Research Accelerator Program to Translate, Innovate and Commercialize (RAPTIC), now a campus-wide initiative. In her ADR role, she oversees the COM Dean’s Intramural Funding Program, leads faculty research development programming, and directs non-human subject research compliance, including misconduct, conflicts of interest, laboratory and animal oversight, and NIH/data requirements. Learn more at the COM Research Compliance SharePoint.