The GIP Facilities Planning and Space Management Subcommittee is focused on establishing a library of information that is useful to members of the GIP, recommending data collection efforts related to space, developing common definitions around space and financial data to allow for metric development and benchmarking, and much more. Over the past months, members of the subcommittee have been taking turns facilitating hot topic discussions on the monthly subcommittee calls on topics such as: emergency preparedness, building simulation centers, reporting metrics, and data management systems. Summaries and PowerPoint slides from some of these calls are available below for your review. Please contact gip@aamc.org for more information on this subcommittee.
How to Manage Freezers and Specimen Storage - March 2023
On the March subcommittee call, Niki Smith, MMHC, Associate Vice President of Space Management at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, facilitated a timely hot topic on managing freezers and the steps VUMC has taken to ensure proper and adequate storage practices. Forming a committee to approve freezer space in farms, mandating alarm wiring on freezers, and establishing long-term storage have positively impacted the maintenance and standardization processes. By instituting a committee comprised of senior research leadership, PIs and space management staff, as well as partnering with right person who maintains the various freezers, helped others understand the guidelines and approval process for new space, sizing and specifications of recommended freezers and how to handle preventative maintenance. Buy-in from the research community was essential. Several researchers from different departments allocated funds toward the long-term storage solution. While there are still older model freezers throughout the medical center, they are quickly becoming the exception and not the rule.
Presenter
Niki Smith, MMHC
Associate Vice President, Space Management
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Materials
Addressing Space for Clinical Efforts - February 2023
On the February call, Suzann Staal from the University of Colorado School of Medicine discussed challenges, solutions, and ideas for addressing clinical workspace issues. Space solutions for clinical research and trials, as well as clinical faculty and coordinators are challenging, involve multiple stakeholders, and are not standardized. Labs associated with clinical research take up a significant amount of space that is not always utilized on a regular basis. There were also concerns about walking distances and regulations with offsite locations. Solutions included gathering data to fully understand specific space needs, such as units favoring shared workspaces and obtaining clear definitions of the type of research being conducted, and being explicit about space allocation in recruitment letters. Coordinating between the various schools within the university and collaborating with those leaders can also mitigate space concerns for clinical efforts.
Presenter
Suzann Staal, M.Arch
Director, Planning & Facilities
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Materials
Data Management Systems - PowerBI - November 2022
On the November call, Jeremy Theis, PE from the Medical College of Wisconsin discussed how they utilize data to make informed decisions around space management and allocation. Additionally, he discussed how to understand the density of space and the nuances with research space usage. With many partnerships with the various hospitals and facilities throughout Milwaukee, Jeremy and his team built the space and research density dashboards with PowerBI, Qlik, AutoCAD, and other data management systems to provide accurate and updated data to those who need access. The space system’s management is centrally controlled, but the user input is mostly decentralized. There are individuals in each academic unit or organization charged with ensuring the use data is maintained and updated over time.
Presenter
Jeremy Theis, PE
Director of Planning
Design and Construction
Medical College of Wisconsin
Materials
Implications of the Hybrid Workplace - October 2022
During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical schools pivoted quickly to working and teaching remotely, which dramatically changed what the traditional workplace looked like. The unprecedented shift to remote work demonstrated flexibility, resourcefulness, and adaptability to a changing environment across the staff and faculty. It also drove staff and faculty to define and enhance campus culture and answer tough questions as they look to create the workplace of the future, including the evolution of physical space. On this subcommittee call, Stanford University School of Medicine Associate Dean for Facilities and Planning Niraj Dangoria did an encore presentation of his popular breakout session from the Group on Business Affairs (GBA) and the Group on Institutional Planning (GIP) 2022 Joint Spring Meeting. The participants on the subcommittee call were highly engaged in this hot topic.
Presenter
Niraj Dangoria
Associate Dean
Office of Facilities Planning and Management
Stanford University School of Medicine
Materials
Resilience at Work in Higher Education - July 2022
The connection between the design of a workspace and employee performance is inextricably linked. A well-designed space can have a significant impact on energy, productivity, and resiliency among workers. On the July call, representatives of Pacific Office Interiors and Haworth discussed research involving the conservation of resource theory and how we are surrounded by internal, external, stable, and fluid resources. As employees, faculty, and students experience stress, the resources they have available become increasingly important. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated stress on resources as many organizations had to adapt rapidly to a remote workforce. As COVID-19 becomes endemic, employees and learners are coming back into the office and classroom. Organizations must continue to foster resilience on campus and bolster loyalty through met needs in this new phase.
Presenter
Kristin Reddick
Senior Design Research Consultant
Workplace Research and Insights
Haworth
Materials
Introduction to Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Cost Rates - June 2022
On June 16, the GIP Facilities Planning and Space Management Subcommittee spent their monthly call learning about Facilities and Administrative (F&A) cost rates. Darryl Lim, director of costing policy at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), presented to the subcommittee. Darryl’s responsibilities at UCSF include the development and negotiation of UCSF’s F&A rate proposal and managing cost recovery policies and analysis for UCSF. Darryl is an experienced leader in the cost allocation areas such as the space surveys and the implementation of the FTE allocation model. Prior to UCSF, Darryl worked in management roles at Huron Consulting Group and KPMG LLP serving the higher education industry for over 20 years specializing in F&A rate development, cost recovery, and research administration.
Presenter
Darryl Lim
Director of Costing and Cost Recovery Policy and Analysis
University of California, San Francisco
Materials
Planning and Building a New Simulation Center - May 2022
Presenter
Maura Ross, MPA
Senior Program Coordinator
University of Arizona Health Sciences
Data Management Systems - September and October 2021
On the September call, Niki Smith, MMHC, and Jeremy Theis, PE, facilitated a discussion around the different data management systems used at AAMC-member institutions. Many platforms exist and subcommittee members discussed why they choose certain platforms over others as well as why space management systems are important to academic medical centers. The FICM Manual was mentioned as an important resource guide in space management (see link below under materials). The group spent the October call continuing the discussion. The conversation was focused on questions asked in annual space surveys, if schools update their occupancy data centrally (versus the department level), and processes for asset management.
Presenters
Niki Smith, MMHC
Director of Space Management
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Jeremy Theis, PE
Director of Planning
Design and Construction
Medical College of Wisconsin
Materials
Presentation slides (PDF)
Postsecondary Education Facilities Inventory and Classification
Evolving Space Guidelines in a Post-COVID-19 World - August 2021
Presenters
Randi Eisner, JD
Associate Director
Space Planning and Development
University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
Maura Ross, MPA
Senior Program Coordinator
University of Arizona Health Sciences
Reporting and Metrics - July 2021
On the July call, Sri Sankarapu and Niraj Dangoria facilitated a discussion around metrics and reporting, specifically how each institution handles them. Some have overall campus space utilization metrics that are provided to the dean on a regular basis. Other metrics discussed include research space utilization and percentage of inactive space. Faculty headcounts, FTEs, and other factors need to be considered for space-related metrics. Some schools use self-reported space systems that are monitored. Because these metrics and reports are often very subjective, it is difficult to determine best practices when it comes to these practices.
Presenters
Niraj Dangoria
Associate Dean
Office of Facilities Planning and Management
Stanford University School of Medicine
Sri Sankarapu
Director of Space Planning
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
Materials
Keck Research Space Guidelines | Keck School of Medicine of USC
Reoccupancy Space Planning and Planning for New Administrative Staff - April 2021
Presenters
Randi Eisner, JD
Associate Director
Space Planning and Development
University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
Brock Rindahl
Director of Facilities Planning, Design, and Construction
University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
Emergency Preparedness in the New Work Environment - March 2021
On the March call, William Myles from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, facilitated a timely hot topic discussion on emergency preparedness. Emergency preparedness and safety routines on university campuses and in ancillary properties require observation and the evaluation of risks, even with reduced presence of students, staff, and faculty. While the COVID-19 pandemic demanded emergency response on a global scale, our medical schools remained open, maintaining their mission of preparing physicians, researchers, and educators for present day and expected health care challenges. Preparedness and training activities discussed allow medical schools to be responsive and resilient during emergencies, old or emerging.
Presenter
William Myles
Emergency Preparedness and Safety Administrator
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
Materials
Best Practices for Shrinking Faculty Space Footprints - February 2021
Presenter
Arnetha Whitmore
Chief Administrative Officer
Director of Finance and Administration
Institute for Human Genetics
Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research
University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine