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Article I

Institute of Regenerative Medicine

The name of the Research Institute shall be the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, hereinafter referred to as “the Institute”.

Article II

Mission, Vission, and Value Statements 

Mission
Advancing fundamental knowledge toward developing transformative technologies and therapeutics in Regenerative Medicine while training future biomedical leaders and innovators to serve the health-related needs of civilian and military communities.

Vision
Establishing UTSA as a citywide leader in discovery and application of novel biomedical and biotechnical solutions based on Regenerative Medicine toward improving human health and well-being.

  • Values
  • Scientific Integrity
  • Research Excellence
  • Education & Training
  • Collaboration
  • Equity
  • Respect
  • Community

Article III

Adminstrative Structure

The Institute and its established bylaws shall be reviewed and approved by the Deans’ Research Council (DRC) and shall be governed by such. These bylaws shall govern the organizational structure, appointment terms, and selection of the Institute’s leadership and membership.

Section 1. Membership and Eligibility. The Institute shall be led by two Co Directors, one from the COE and one from the COS, shall have Core Faculty and Affiliate Members, an Internal Executive Committee (IEC), and an External Advisory Committee (EAC).

A. Co-Directors. The Co-Directors of the Institute will be appointed by the respective Deans of the COE and COS in consultation with the IEC and EAC. The Co-Directors shall be appointed to three (3) year terms with the possibility of reappointment, and will report directly to the Deans of the COE and COS. The Co-Directors will be members of the IEC with full voting rights. Eligible persons to serve in this position include tenured faculty members. Responsibilities will include:

  • Provide leadership for the Institute
  • Represent the Institute to the UTSA administration, the public, funding agencies and other organizations that have dealings with the Institute
  • Review the overall operations of the Institute. Interact with Institute members and execute decisions regarding the Institute on behalf of the EC.
    • Provide fiscal and budgeting oversight and reconciliation for the Institute
    • Lead fundraising efforts for the Institute
    • Hire and supervise administrative personnel of the Institute
  • Maintain day-to-day operations of the Institute

B. Internal Executive Committee (IEC). The IEC will aid in determining the most effective directions for research and use of Institute funds. The IEC will meet quarterly with the Co- Directors. Proposed composition of the IEC:

Proposed Internal Executive Committee (IEC)

  • IEC Chair – Dr. Michael Yaszemski (COE, BCE)
  • Institute Co-Directors – Drs. Eric Brey (COE) & John McCarrey (COS)
  • Department Chair, Mechanical Engineering (ME), UTSA – Dr. Hai-Chao Han
  • Department Chair, Biology (BIO), UTSA – Dr. Garry Sunter
  • Department Chair, Kinesiology, UTSA – Dr. Sara Oswalt
  • Representative, UTSA COE – Dr. Teja Guda
  • Director, UTSA Genomics Core, UTSA COS – Dr. Brian Hermann
  • Director, UTSA Brain Health Consortium – Dr. Jenny Hsieh
  • Director, UTSA Stem Cell Core – Dr. Christopher Navara
  • COS Associate Dean for Research – Dr. Jose Lopez-Ribot
  • COE Associate Dean for Research – Dr. David Akopian

C. External Advisory Committee (EAC). The EAC will be made up of members who are leaders in the fields of regenerative medicine, biomaterials, tissue engineering, biomechanics, military health, stem cell biology, neurobiology and reproductive biology. The EAC will meet annually with Drs. Brey and McCarrey and the IEC. The EAC will review annual productivity of the Institute, provide insight into research directions and strategies, and comment on the success of each objective (described in the next section). EAC members will be recruited from the San Antonio and South Texas region as well as from leading institutions across the United States. The EAC will maintain a membership of at least three (5) experts appointed by the IEC in consultation with the Deans of the COE and COS and the IRM co-directors. The EAC will meet annually with the IEC to review annual productivity of the Institute, provide insight into research directions and strategies, and comment on the success of each IRM objective. Composition at the time of establishment of the IRM is proposed to include will include representatives from the following organizations:

Proposed External Advisory Committee (EAC)

  • US Army Institute of Surgical Research – Dr. Andre Cap
  • BioBridge Global – Dr. Becky Cap
  • Harvard University – Dr. Kevin Eggan
  • University of Maryland – Dr. John Fisher
  • UT Health San Antonio – Dr. Byron Hepburn
  • Rice University – Dr. Antonios G. Mikos
  • University of Pittsburgh – Dr. Kyle Orwig
  • UT Health San Antonio – Dr. Alan Peterson
  • Mayo Clinic – Dr. Andre Terzic
  • Lackland AFB & 59th Medical Wing – Dr. Erik Weitzel
  • StemBioSys – Dr. Sy Griffey

D. Core Faculty. Core Faculty shall be UTSA tenured or tenure-track faculty. These individuals should have a primary research focus in the fields of stem cell biology, biomaterials, tissue engineering, cell and molecular biology, biomechanics, neuroscience or Regenerative Medicine, and will be appointed by the EC after submitting a request to the Institute Co-Directors. Core Faculty have the benefit of eligibility for student scholarship and fellowship, travel and other research-related support funding when made available by the Institute. Core Faculty are expected to meet minimum activity levels associated with the promotion or creation of intellectual works (e.g., research papers and/or proposal submissions) in collaboration with the Institute. Minimum activity levels will be set and reviewed by the EC in consultation with the EAC on an annual basis.

E. Affiliate Members. Affiliate Members shall be UTSA faculty or research staff or non- UTSA employees (external faculty members, researchers, industry experts), including adjoint faculty in the joint Biomedical Engineering graduate program with UT Health San Antonio, or in the Cell & Molecular Biology PhD program or the Neurobiology PhD program or the Chemistry PhD program at UTSA. These individuals need not have a primary research focus in the fields of stem cell biology, biomaterials, tissue engineering, biomechanics, neuroscience, reproduction or Regenerative Medicine, but should have expertise relevant to these areas. Affiliate Members shall be appointed by the EC after submitting a request to the Co-Directors. Research partnerships between these individuals and Core Faculty are anticipated to strengthen and provide synergy for the Institute.

Section 2. Administrative Operations. The Institute will report to the Deans of the COE and COS and will be reviewed annually by the Deans’ Research Council (DRC). The Institute will follow administrative review and approval processes set forth by UTSA and the DRC. All changes in leadership will receive final approval from the Deans of the COE and COS.

Article IV

Meetings and Reports

Section 1. Annual Meetings. A meeting of the Internal Executive Committee (IEC) and External
Advisory Committee (EAC) shall be held annually to evaluate the Institute’s effectiveness and to
review the Institute’s Annual Report.

Section 2. Quarterly Meetings. Meetings of the IEC will be held quarterly to review the ongoing
work of the Institute.

Section 3. Annual Report. The Co-Directors will submit an annual report giving an account of
research and scholarly activities of the IRM that were conducted throughout the previous year. The report will be submitted to the Vice President for Research (VPR) and Deans’ Research Council (DRC) through the Offices of the Deans of the COE and COS. The report will follow the format provided by the Office of the VPR. The Co-Directors shall present the annual report to all IRM Members, and the IEC and EAC.