The Reporter: Dec 1994, Vol.5, No.4
Faculty Profile Data Base

A faculty profile data base now available on CPMCnet provides the university community with an electronic records system containing indexed information that can be searched.

The faculty profile data base covers research and other professional activities on the nearly 200 faculty who submitted information. The information includes current research activities, university/hospital positions, recent publications, professional memberships, and other information, such as editorial positions, patents, consultant activities, board memberships, and industrial experience.

"There is a considerable need for shared information and the possibilities are endless," says Dr. Jaime S. Rubin, assistant dean for research administration and coordinator of the data base. For example, an M.D./Ph.D. student wants to find an investigator who is doing work in a particular area; a PR staff member wants to help a reporter find an expert for a story; a young investigator preparing a grant application to a foundation would benefit from knowing if someone at P&S sits on the foundation's board; someone trying to start a journal club needs to identify interested colleagues; a conference coordinator needs a lecturer on a specific topic. The faculty profile data base will be able to facilitate computerized networking to meet these needs.

The data base can be used outside the campus, for example, by a biotechnology company seeking to support a clinical trial or by a postdoc identifying potential lab positions.

This kind of networking has been a hit-or-miss proposition, frequently accomplished through word of mouth. "Clearly, a centralized method for sharing this information is invaluable and brings Columbia into the information age," says Dr. Rubin.

To access the data base from the main CPMC network menu (CPMC Medical Systems), select "Research & Grants Information" then "Additional Research & Grants Menus via CPMCnet." Under "CPMC Research Resources," Faculty Profiles is the third option listed.