Administrative Staff

Jena provides administrative and business support to the department chair, and to other faculty as requested by the chair. She is involved in the creation, coordination, and execution of special events, projects, and programs. She assists with logistics planning and budgetary management and serves as the primary contact for volunteer coordination and community outreach. She is also the primary coordinator of the CQS Summer Institute.   

Pattie primarily assists faculty in preparing and assembling grant proposals/contracts in compliance with sponsor, VUMC, and federal guidelines. In addition, she interacts with other departments and agencies to facilitate the development, submission, and administration of grant proposals. As a certified research administrator (CRA), Pattie possesses a comprehensive knowledge of best practices in sponsored research administration. She also monitors terms and agreements of grant awards for compliance and is our department's primary contact for FDA and VA Interagency Personnel Agreements (IPAs) and VU Employee Service Agreements (ESAs).  

Margaret primarily assists with the planning and execution of events, communications, and other administrative activities, including conferences, courses, and programs such as the CQS Summer Institute, ASA traveling courses, and the department's 20th anniversary celebration.

Peg is involved with creating, editing, and implementing a wide array of communications, from the department’s online presence and recruitment materials to manuscripts, abstracts, and funding proposals. She also manages various projects for the chair and senior leadership, particularly in conjunction with faculty affairs and career development, as well as providing administrative support to the Vanderbilt Biostatistics Data Coordinating Center, the department's BioVU team, and assorted initiatives.

Nicole primarily assists faculty and staff with human resources–related tasks and position management, including facilitating recruitment and new hire onboarding processes. Her responsibilities include supporting the IT and Analytical Staff Promotions Committees and facilitating staff performance evaluations and promotion processes. She serves as the departmental contact for Kronos and MyWorkday, liaison to VUMC Human Resources, and Biostatistics admin for internships and postdoctoral fellowships.

Sandra primarily supports faculty and senior staff with complex financial analyses on post-award activities to assess the viability of strategic and financial plans and research programs. A certified public accountant, she integrates financial principles, theories, and concepts to develop relevant reports for principal investigators. In addition, she monitors research programs and project implementation expenditures to ensure compliance with institutional and federal guidelines. 

Kayla provides administrative and business support for the department, including effort management, as well as pre-award and post-award activities. She also supports the Resource Allocation Committee by providing regular effort-gap analysis and reporting. 

Chazlie is responsible for all aspects of the Biostatistics Graduate Program, including budgeting, managing the content and framework, facilitating the admissions process, and providing administrative support for program-related activities. She also assists with establishing new educational initiatives, such as distance learning and summer internship programs.  

Cierra supports general operational assignments and various administrative and financial processes, including office operations, staff onboarding, procurement, space management, and special events coordination. She also serves as the departmental liaison to VUMC’s central procurement and disbursement offices, its facilities management department, and external business groups and service providers, and is the administrative contact for Concur, travel arrangements, and the Wednesday seminar series.

Janey oversees the administrative team and is responsible for planning, organizing, and managing departmental fiscal and human resources to support collaborative research and educational activities. She interacts with VUMC Academic Enterprise, the hospitals, and the medical center administration to ensure these activities are coordinated and integrated into compliance with established policies and procedures. Janey is the primary contact for purchase and equipment requisitions, travel, contracts, and the authorization and approval of other expenses. She works closely with the department chair on departmental budget preparation and expenditure. In addition, she serves as the departmental contact and liaison to VUMC Immigration and Export Compliance offices.