Performance under pressure

General Article
August 7, 2003

Grant and Contract Specialist Roseann Shannon helps establish procedures to manage complex international HIV grant

Roseann Shannon works with members of the HVTN team to adapt business practices to meet the needs of the large and complex international project. Photo by Todd McNaught

By JANIS SIEGEL

Being part of the team of specialists and program staff that administers a five-year, $60 million, HIV-vaccine grant might make some people nervous. But not Roseann Shannon-a person, colleagues say, who can forge new procedural ground and build trust and confidence in her wake.

"Roseann is a very calm, even-keeled person," said Shannon Lysen, manager of Grant and Contract Administration.

Kim Moreland, director of Grant and Contract Administration, notes Shannon is also an exceptional listener.

"Roseann understands what people are saying," Moreland said. "And she has a real determination to get it right."

In Grant and Contract Administration, Shannon has a job that might seem invisible, which is a measure of her success.

She helps develop new processes to manage the enormous HIV grant, the complexity of which has required Shannon and colleagues to adapt business practices to meet the project's needs.

The grant supports the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, which is funded by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institute of Health and led by Dr. Larry Corey. The international network, which has its core operating center at Fred Hutchinson, was launched in May 2000 to develop and test HIV vaccines through clinical trials, aiming to find a regimen that will prevent AIDS and stem the global viral epidemic that affects 42 million people.

International subcontracts

Under the grant, Shannon helps issue subcontracts to clinical-trial sites in the United States, Peru, Brazil, Haiti and other countries. She also provides advice and assistance on all issues related to the grant's management.

Banks Warden, chief operating officer of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, said that because Shannon does such a great job, he doesn't have to deal with nearly as many operational issues on a daily basis. "Helping us do business every day on four continents takes someone who has both intelligence and a great attitude," he said. "Roseann makes things happen."

The project has prompted Shannon and colleagues to develop innovative procedures with a swift turnaround time. Many foreign clinical-trial sites have never been involved with a project of this complexity, and funding for these sites involves many administrative approvals, all of which cross Shannon's desk. For instance, sending foreign sites advance funds for equipment or staff is often a new procedure for everyone involved.

"She really forged ahead in coordinating the efforts for advanced payments, and it's become the model in our office for facilitating a process," Lysen said. "We can now get out an advance payment in a matter of days."

Because Shannon serves as the go-between from the center to grant officials at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, she has a unique role in Grant and Contract Administration.

"She is probably the only specialist so closely involved with the process of a grant," Lysen said. "Her patience is important. This is a very time-sensitive project, and there's a lot of pressure on Roseann to make it happen. But she is smart and articulate and can break down a lot of complicated issues."

New systems

To Shannon, the role she plays involves common-sense values of communication and integrity.

"International sites require diverse financial arrangements," she said. "So we had to create systems that weren't in place previously. So many different people are involved, and sometimes an answer about NIH guidelines is needed right away. Our office emphasizes the need to provide service to our customers, so I try to respond immediately to questions from the network staff and follow up on payments with staff from the center's Accounting and Finance departments."

Shannon works 80 percent time, but due to the dramatically fluctuating volume of her work, she occasionally takes projects home and comes into the office on weekends when necessary.

Her skills and willingness to serve the needs of a dynamic project make her a great fit for the job, Moreland said.

"Roseann is the voice of the program and an advocate for the program, and she does this with a great deal of diplomacy," Moreland said.

"I believe the network grant may be one of the most complex projects the center manages, and she does everything possible to keep us on top of it. She has to try to find a way to act on requests, and she also has to convey messages that say we may need to find another way to get something done. Not only does she find new solutions to nontraditional problems, but she also has extensive knowledge of the fundamental material for managing grants and contracts."

Moreland said Shannon's people skills play an equally effective part in her achievements.

"She has an enormous sensitivity to nuance," Moreland said. "And she's able to understand the pressures that others in the program are dealing with."

For more information on Grant and Contract Administration, visit centernet-staging.fhcrc.org/CN/depts/osr/.

[Janis Siegel is a Seattle freelance writer.]

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