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As one of the country’s top academic medical centers, research is central to our mission at UVA Health. Yet, the passionate, hardworking teams who drive this vital effort often stay behind the scenes and out of the spotlight. The Hoos Research Champion Award aims to change that by giving these team members the recognition they deserve.

An idea born out of the Spark Innovation Competition, this new award honors team members whose dedication and leadership elevate UVA Health’s culture of research excellence. With more than 90 nominations for over 60 people, there’s no doubt that our research community is full of talented people making a difference.

This year’s three award-winners were recognized at their individual department meetings earlier this month, and each received $1,000 and an engraved award. Get to know these research superstars below.

Andrew “Drew” Weko
Clinical Research Coordinator
UVA Stroke Trials and Research Team (START)

“This award helps confirm that clinical researchers are a valuable part of the healthcare system. It’s a great honor and a privilege to be recognized.”

Winning Qualities

Nominators praised the entire START team and, in particular, Drew Weko’s exceptional contributions. In just over four years as a Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC), Drew has established himself as an integral part of START and the larger School of Medicine research community by consistently showing up, demonstrating enthusiasm for the job at hand, and showing empathy for the patients he’s determined to help. He is:

• Patient-focused | After completing his Master’s of Public Health in Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, Drew was excited to take on the role of CRC because it provided him an opportunity to serve patients in his home state. “We spend a lot of time meeting with patients, listening to them during a challenging time and acting as a liaison to see how we can get them involved in research and hopefully move clinical care forward in some way,” says Drew. 
  
  
• Forward-thinking | Drew has helped set the standard for consistency and compliance inside our walls through his own work ethic and by sharing his expertise and knowledge with others. In addition to mentoring student researchers at UVA, Drew has worked with his START colleagues to develop a training program for CRCs at StrokeNet Central Atlantic Network for Research (SCANR) spoke sites across Virginia. This effort to standardize processes among all CRCs involved in stroke research led to national recognition for “professionalizing” the CRC StrokeNet workforce.
  
  “A lot of my own success comes from those that have mentored me, so it brings me a lot of personal satisfaction to be able to share what I’ve learned with others who are eager and excited to be involved in this work,” he says.
  
  
• Collaborative | Unique among clinical research coordinators, each member of START signs on to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year to help the clinical team identify, screen, consent, and enroll research candidates. “We all share equal responsibility for our trials,” says Drew. “I think without that collegial, collaborative approach, we would not be as successful as we are, with some of our trials ranking in the top 10 for recruitment nationally.”

What Nominators Had to Say

“Drew brings people together with a shared sense of mission: to advance the science of stroke treatment, prevention, and recovery. His and the START Team’s positive attitude, reliability, and genuine enthusiasm elevate the entire UVA stroke research enterprise.” — Brad Worrall, MD, Vice-chair for Research, Department of Neurology, and Andrew Southerland, MD, Executive Vice-Chair, Department of Neurology

“It is invaluable to have someone to whom I can delegate tasks and trust they will be completed accurately, and Drew is exactly that individual. He is widely regarded as the go-to person for faculty investigators seeking guidance or support, and he is always reliable in following up on questions or issues.” — Rachael Stone, PharmD, Research Assistant, Professor of Neurology

Lauren Armstrong
Assistant Director of Grants and Contracts
UVA School of Medicine

“I'm very appreciative [for the award], but this is not a job I could do on my own. I am very grateful for our team and everybody that we work with every day to bring this groundbreaking research to life.”

Winning Qualities

Now more than ever, securing funding is a critical part of advancing biomedical research. Assistant Director of Grants and Contracts Lauren Armstrong is an authority on the grants process who ensures we’re not only bringing in funds but also using the funds appropriately. She is:

• Knowledgeable | With over 13 years working in the Office of Grants and Contracts at the School of Medicine (six years in her current role), Lauren is the go-to for all questions related to funding opportunities, grants, regulatory compliance, and other aspects of research administration. “Knowing that you are part of the big machine that helps keep the research enterprise moving, with tangible results you can see — the impact research has on patients and our community — that is rewarding,” says Lauren. 
  
  
• Supportive | As the authority on a process that is often complex, Lauren goes above and beyond to educate others, creating a collaborative environment in which all team members are supported and informed. In addition to mentoring others on her own team, she speaks at national conferences and is actively involved in the Level Up Program, for which she helped secure funding and leads study sessions for participants. 
  
  “Level Up is a micro credentialing course. It allows research administrators to gain additional knowledge in the field and gather credentials for professional development,” says Lauren. “It brings some consistency to the training process, and it builds community by helping people understand how they fit into the big picture and giving them a network of people they can rely on as they get to know the job.”
  
  
• Dedicated | To keep the research “machine” on track, Lauren doesn’t mind working behind the scenes and stepping in wherever she’s needed, even on nights and weekends, whether it’s to educate a colleague, improve a process, or find a solution. “Like any good infrastructure, I think we're working best when we're not necessarily seen but knowing that those products on the other end are what really are going to shine,” she says.

What Nominators Had to Say

“[Lauren] is professional and has a wealth of experience and information which greatly benefits us. Never does she seem impatient or not willing to help. She is invaluable to the institution.” — Helen Norfleet-Shiflett

“Lauren is the heart and soul of the department. She is the first person to volunteer to help pitch and try and to improve a process, see what we can do to make things better for the faculty and go the extra mile at night to get a grant out the door.” — Steven Lichtenstein

“Lauren is one of the best and brightest grant experts at OSP. I personally do not know anybody who has more knowledge in the field. Besides her having super expertise, she is a pure pleasure to work with.” — Olga Cheritihin

Cara Hanby
Senior Protocol Development Specialist
UVA Cancer Center

“This award helps to recognize not only my contributions to research, but the contributions of others like me. I believe it's an important step for all hardworking research staff to get the credit that they deserve.”

Winning Qualities

Since she joined UVA in 2017, Cara Hanby’s role in protocol development has expanded significantly. Yet, Cara has embraced every new challenge and responsibility, becoming a trusted resource for a multidisciplinary team that relies on her vast knowledge of cancer research, from protocol design and funding opportunities to regulatory submissions. She is:

• Passionate | Cara is a research champion, orchestrating every phase of trial development with precision and eagerly working to “make oncologists’ research dreams come true.” Over the past eight years, she has helped expand investigator-initiated oncology trials at UVA, collaborating with multiple disease teams to advance what she calls “homegrown therapeutic approaches."
  
  “Investigator-initiated trials are generally small, early-phase trials that are driven by clinicians’ interests to help answer their research questions,” she says. “Working in protocol development allows me to learn about new, cutting-edge cancer therapies and the science behind them. I'm also always excited to work with cancer patients during studies of therapies meant to help them cope with the side effects of cancer treatment.”
  
  
• Team Player | To advance clinical research at UVA, Cara goes beyond her job description to not only shepherd trials through the development process, but also to inform her peers about the sometimes-daunting steps necessary to ensure success. “Something I really enjoy is coaching and teaching others about clinical research. Starting a job in clinical research can be overwhelming. I think it’s important to be able to pass knowledge along to make the transition a little bit smoother,” she says. 
  
  
• Driven | With support from her current supervisor, Kim Bullock, PhD, Cara has begun to embrace her role as leader, realizing her potential to make an impact. “[Dr. Bullock] has been great about recognizing my experience and my expertise and how I can contribute. She encouraged me to create new tools for our team like a database to track and report all of our studies, and a budgeting template with formulas to help us make budgeting changes quickly and easily,” she says.

What Nominators Had to Say

"Cara exemplifies leadership. Her unwavering commitment to the mission and values of UVA Health combined with her depth and breadth of knowledge in the clinical trial space are just a few of the traits that set her apart. She doesn’t shy away from a challenge and always maintains a positive outlook as she works towards developing solutions for some of our most complex clinical trials and workflow challenges." — Kim Bullock, PhD

"[Cara] has a can-do attitude and is a great team player. She trains physicians and research staff and is always positive and helpful. The SOM and Cancer Center are fortunate to have her.” — Karen Ballen, MD, Division Chief for Hematology/Oncology, Medical Director of Stem Cell Transplant