The University of Kentucky College of Medicine has established a new leadership position that will help continue to advance its growing research enterprise.
Andrea McCubbin, MPH, has been selected as the college’s inaugural associate dean for research administration. She began her position on June 13. With a proven record of excellence in research administration, McCubbin will help improve the quality and quantity of scientific discovery and scholarship at the UK College of Medicine.
Among her responsibilities will be collaborating with Rebecca Dutch, PhD, vice dean for research, on day-to-day oversight of research operations; advising college leadership on research policies; guiding investigators and staff on research compliance; and contributing to the college’s diversity and inclusion goals in research.
Previously, McCubbin worked at the UK College of Nursing for 15 years, where she helped establish the Perinatal Research and Wellness Center (PRWC), which helps women holistically reduce modifiable risk behaviors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes while also identifying early prenatal biomarkers of preterm birth. McCubbin advanced from research coordinator to the PRWC assistant director and operations director, with responsibility for operations oversight of the center’s nearly $10 million in award funding including state-academic partnerships, federal, and foundational funding.
In recognition of her exceptional performance, McCubbin has twice received the UK College of Nursing Dean’s PUMA Award for Staff Excellence (2018, 2020), and the 2019 UK College of Nursing Excellence in Engagement for Research-Based Team Members Award.
McCubbin has contributed to 40 peer-reviewed publications and nearly 100 state, national, and international presentations. Many have centered on perinatal tobacco and substance use, maternal immune response, and improving women’s health and wellness.
In 2020, McCubbin was elected to a three-year term on the University Staff Senate, currently serving on the president’s advisory committee, which provides her the opportunity to collaborate with employees across the University to find solutions for building a more supportive environment for staff on campus.
Before arriving to UK, she was part of the administrative staff at Central Baptist Hospital for seven years.
She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in biology and later went on to earn her Master of Public Health from Western Kentucky University.