Katie Porter wins Canadian research admin award

Behind every great researcher is a great research administration team. Clinical research studies have complex regulatory rules, funding obligations and contracts to manage. This isn’t where researchers should be spending their time, so that’s where a top notch research administration team comes in.?

Katie Porter, MBA Hamilton Health Sciences’ (HHS) research administration director, has been enhancing the research administration profession for over 20 years. In recognition of her contributions, she recently received the Walter Hitschfeld Award from the? Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA).

The award is named for Walter Hitschfeld, a founding member of CARA, and is awarded to someone who has made an exceptional impact on the research management setting in Canada. Award holders are granted CARA’s honorary lifetime membership.

“I’ve always wanted to help people understand the importance of research administration in institutions,” says Porter. “I never imagined it would land me amongst an impressive list of past winners of the Walter Hitschfeld Award. I’m very honoured!”

Research administration as a career path

Porter began her career as an entry level secretary at University of Toronto and just happened to move into the research administration field, where she has stayed ever since. She joined HHS 12 years ago as a contracts specialist, managing contracts between HHS researchers and third-party companies.?

She says she has always been fascinated by the research administration field and discovered that most people, like her, fell into it, rather than intentionally seeking out that career path.?

Our team at HHS has recognized the changes in the research landscape and we’re finding ways to support innovative new ideas.

So, Porter and a colleague saw value in writing about the research administration profession and the role of research administration within large institutions. What started as a series of published articles, turned into a book: Steer Your Career: A Research Administrator’s Manual for Mapping Success, followed a couple of years later by a second book, The A-Z Guide to Research Contract Review.?

More recently, as someone who has always promoted research administration as a career path, Porter became heavily involved in the development and launch of a Research Administration certificate program at Mohawk College. She even taught one of the courses when the program first launched in 2019. Porter was pleased that the college decided to use her books as textbooks for the program, which are now also used as texts for the University of Central Florida’s Master of Research Administration program.

“When we wrote the books our intention was to help others get into and navigate the field,” says Porter. “We never imagined they would be used as textbooks!”??

An evolving and growing field

Over the past 15 years, Porter has presented at countless conferences and mentored numerous research administrators across Canada. She has successfully played a role in bringing awareness to the research administration field, which is beneficial for the profession now more than ever since there’s a greater need for the support.??

Research studies are becoming more complex, with multiple funders, global collaborators and evolving regulatory requirements.?On top of that there are new and innovative technologies being developed, where research also needs to play a role.

“This shift has resulted a greater need for research administration expertise and collaboration,” says Porter. “Our team at HHS has recognized the changes in the research landscape and we’re finding ways to support innovative new ideas. It’s such an exciting time to support research in health care.”??