UAB’s meteoric rise in a few decades is attributed to its identity as a collaborative academic research institution, and those who work with Ryan Outman say he is “the essence of this UAB spirit.”
In nominating Outman, colleagues unanimously remark on his commitment, knowledge, diplomacy and ability to find a solution where others cannot — all managed with sense of humor and concern for others. For these reasons, he was selected UAB’s Employee of the Month for April.
Outman wears several hats. Officially his title is program director II in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, which he first joined in 2007. In 2011 he added duties as deputy director of the UAB Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education (COERE) and UAB/VA Health Services, Outcomes and Effectiveness Research Training Program and started to assist with the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) Training Academy. Recently he was elected by his peers to chair the Council of Center Administrators, which supports the University-wide Interdisciplinary Research Centers Program.
To hear him explain it, his job is connecting people and groups: trainees with mentors, faculty with resources and UAB with outside institutions and resources. His success comes from “being able to relate to each person as an individual,” something that was ingrained in him by his parents and aided by his graduate training in clinical psychology.
There was no shortage of glowing testaments to his abilities and contributions. To what does he attribute that?
“I’m task-oriented,” he said, modestly. “I like to get things done, eliminate redundancies, be efficient and collaborate to ensure we all succeed. And I’m happy to play whatever part I can to make that happen.”
He is most proud of being able to “help postdocs and trainees launch their careers and help them along the path to become independent investigators.”
| “Ryan has been exceptionally successful bringing faculty together into teaching and mentoring teams who have made UAB one of the top (if not the top) institutions for developing a career in comparative-effectiveness research. Ryan’s successes in these efforts are the result of “his absolute dependability, his quick and intelligent ability to understand people’s interests and career-development needs and his engaging personality.” |
Brings people together
Outman is credited with innovating training by many, including Kenneth Saag, M.D., director of the COERE Training Program, who calls him a “tremendous ambassador for the training program” and says he has been “instrumental in our recruitment of highly talented trainees.”
Saag, who noted that Outman has been working with him in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology since he first came to UAB, considers him “an exceptionally gifted program manager and project coordinator.”
“He is a highly organized, resourceful individual who works well under pressure,” said Jeffrey Curtis, M.D., William Koopman Endowed Professor in Rheumatology and Immunology. “Challenging situations that require acquisition of new skills and working with diverse individuals is where he flourishes. He is in high demand, and there is certainty that if he is overseeing a project it will be executed well and have appropriate oversight.”
“Ryan has been exceptionally successful bringing faculty together into teaching and mentoring teams who have made UAB one of the top (if not the top) institutions for developing a career in comparative-effectiveness research,” said microbiology Professor David Chaplin, M.D., Ph.D. Ryan’s successes in these efforts are the result of “his absolute dependability, his quick and intelligent ability to understand people’s interests and career-development needs and his engaging personality.”
Expanding training opportunities
“Ryan also played a huge role in the writing of the K grant and TL1 components of our recent CCTS renewal. It’s no exaggeration that the grant would never have gotten assembled without Ryan’s leadership role in this effort,” Chaplin said.
Outman recently took the lead in the development of CCTS TIERS (Training Interdisciplinary and Emerging Research Scholars), a career-development activity that brings post-doctoral and junior faculty scholars together.
“Ryan’s organizational abilities are exemplary, and the success of the CCTS TIERS and summer research programs are in large part due to him,” said Peter Smith, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology.
Robert Kimberly, M.D., CCTS director and professor of medicine agreed. “Ryan’s balance of focus and flexibility, combined with a deft touch in bringing many different people together, reflects an exceptional capacity to pursue the best ideals of UAB and our mission in education and research.
“His skills in bringing together many constituencies — not only across the UAB campus but also across our 11-institution partner network — was remarkable. … He guided faculty and staff across the institutions to create a novel program of training … and was able to synthesize all of the ideas and initiatives into a cohesive program that has received uniform support.”
A good example to others
“Ryan has a wonderful relationship with our faculty, staff and trainees,” said CCTS Deputy Director Cheryl Perry, Ph.D. “No matter how tough tasks may get, Ryan never loses his incredible sense of humor, and he uses it to enhance the morale of others.”
Outman recently was elected by his peers to chair the Council of Center Administrators. Under his leadership, this administrative support system within the University-wide Interdisciplinary Research Centers Program is recognized for its strengths in efficiency, resourcefulness and management of multifaceted programs.
“Ryan Outman’s positive attitude, energy and enthusiasm set the tone for program administrators across the institution,” said Jennifer Croker, Ph.D., program director for CCTS. “His leadership and dedication to making this environment more agile and more productive will enable all of us to be more successful.”
Melissa McBrayer, program director for CCTS, calls him the go-to guy for knowledge about patient-centered outcomes and comparative-effectiveness research and says he “represents what is the best of the very best resources available to UAB.”
David Redden, Ph.D., professor and chair of biostatistics, says even among the great assembly of talent in Rheumatology, “Ryan stands out in his quiet confidence and can-do attitude.”
“If we could clone Ryan a dozen times, they would all be quickly employed. He is one of the few people who has a diverse skill set, works well with others, is trustworthy and reliable and a pleasure to work with,” Curtis said.
Outman lives in McCalla with his wife Liz and children Olivia, 11, Sophia, 8, and Ethan, 2. He said he spends as much time as he can with them enjoying sports activities and family outings.
