Staff

Margie Crawford

Margie Crawford is director of research administration for Ohio State's College of Medicine Office of Research. Margie is responsible for research administration in the College of Medicine and the Office of Health Sciences. She has more than 15 years of university research administration experience at The Ohio State University and the University of Florida. Margie holds a master's degree in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University.

Email: margie.crawford@osumc.edu
Phone: (614) 292-0010

Cecil Smith, Dr.P.H.

Cecil Smith, Dr.P.H., is assistant vice president of research facilities and compliance in Ohio State's College of Medicine Office of Research. He has over 30 years of experience in research safety, institutional research risk management and facilities operations. Principal responsibilities include: assurance that research enterprise activities comply with local, state and federal regulations (e.g., OSHA, FDA, HHS, USDA, EPA, NRC); utilization of research space; support of institutional research risk committees (i.e., IRB, IACUC, IBC, URSC, HSRC, ECC); and space/facilities planning. He currently serves as chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee and is a member of several other research risk committees. Cecil holds a Doctorate in Biohazard Science from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, and he is a Registered Biosafety Professional, American Biological Safety Association.

Email: cecil.smith@osumc.edu
Phone: 614-292-0220

Brenda Akins

Brenda Akins is an assistant director for research for Ohio State’s College of Medicine Office of Research. Brenda works closely with the Office of Technology Commercialization to encourage innovation and commercialization by Wexner Medical Center faculty, staff and students. She also addresses various compliance issues. Prior to joining OSU, Brenda served as the associate director for the University of Iowa Research Foundation, where for 12 years she managed select university technologies by securing patent protection and negotiating and enforcing license agreements. Brenda started her research administration career in the University of Iowa Division of Sponsored Programs, where she served as an institutional reviewer of grant and contract proposals, and resolved pre-award and post-award issues. Brenda holds a JD from The University of Iowa College of Law, and is a member of the Iowa Bar Association.

Email: brenda.akins@osumc.edu
Phone: (614) 247-1973

Melinda Akins

Melinda Akins is an assistant director of research for Ohio State's College of Medicine Office of Research. Melinda is responsible for research operations, grants management and coordination of large, complex research proposals. She has more than 10 years of grants administration experience and previously worked with both regional and national NGOs on grants coordination, development and fundraising. Melinda has most recently served as Clinical Research Manager for the department of Neurological Surgery and Neurosciences Signature Program at The Ohio State University Medical Center.

Email: melinda.akins@osumc.edu
Phone: (614) 292-4876

Karla Gengler-Nowak, PhD, CRA

Karla Gengler-Nowak, PhD, CRA, is an assistant director of research for Ohio State's College of Medicine Office of Research. With more than eight years of experience as a sponsored program officer in the Office of Sponsored Programs, Karla has extensive experience in grants management and is responsible for college research data analysis and presentation and the development of database tools to facilitate college reporting needs. She also assists with grants management. She received her PhD in evolutionary biology from The Ohio State University and is a certified research administrator.

Email: karla.gengler-nowak@osumc.edu
Phone: (614) 292-7936

Vanessa Hill, MSHS, CCRC

Vanessa Hill, MSHS, CCRC, is an assistant director of research for Ohio State's College of Medicine Office of Research. Vanessa's responsibilities include clinical research compliance and quality assurance review, as well as training and education of clinical research teams. She has extensive experience in protocol development and clinical trial coordination, management and operations, with a focus on experimental therapeutic research and the drug development process. Vanessa has a master's degree in Clinical Research Administration from George Washington University and is certified as a Clinical Research Coordinator from the Association of Clinical Research Professionals.

Email: vanessa.hill3@osumc.edu
Phone: (614) 292-2856

Heather Link, MS

Heather Link, MS, is an assistant director of research for Ohio State's College of Medicine Office of Research. Heather's responsibilities include research compliance, controlled substances oversight, space and facilities planning, as well as training and education. She has extensive experience in research laboratory operations, including human, animal and biosafety compliance and space utilization and management. She earned her master's degree in Pharmaceutics from The Ohio State University and is currently pursuing her MBA at Ohio State's Fisher College of Business.

Email: heather.link@osumc.edu
Phone: (614) 688-7469

Elaine Wakely

Elaine Wakely is an administrative manager for Ohio State's College of Medicine Office of Research. Elaine's responsibilities include pre-award grants support, coordination of the Research Investment Fund programs, and other research administrative duties. She has assisted investigators with the preparation of clinical and basic research proposals for pre- and postdoctoral fellowships, career awards, research grants, multi-center consortium proposals, program project grants and center grants. For the last seven years Elaine has worked in research administration as the grants development specialist at The Ohio State University Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute and the program director for research education for the College of Medicine. She also has 20 years of experience in transplantation research, both at The Ohio State University and the University of Iowa, as well as three years in survey research at Iowa State University Department of Statistics.

Email: elaine.wakely@osumc.edu
Phone: (614) 688-5811

Steve Traylor

Steve Traylor is a resource planning analyst for Ohio State’s College of Medicine Office of Research. Steve conducts college research data analysis and assists with the development of database tools in support of college reporting needs. Steve holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Southern California.