While graduate, postdoctoral, and pre-graduate study are exciting and intellectually stimulating times in a trainee’s career, occasionally problems arise. There are many people to whom trainees can turn for advice when facing problems: faculty advisor(s), committee members, graduate program director, department chair, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. However, sometimes trainees may feel unable to approach any of these people for help, and this is when a trainee should turn to the Ombudsperson.

There are three ombudspersons available:

Bob Freeman, Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology
Medical Center room 4-6718
Phone: 585-273-4893
Email: robert_freeman@urmc.rochester.edu

Krystel Huxlin, Professor of Ophthalmology
Medical Center room G-3186
Phone: 585-275-5495
Email: khuxlin@ur.rochester.edu

Chris Seplaki, Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences
Saunders Research Building Room 3.238
Phone: 585-273-1549
Email: christopher_seplaki@urmc.rochester.edu

Each of these ombudspersons is a faculty member who can provide confidential, neutral, independent, and informal advice to help trainees address their concerns.

The Ombudspersons provide a resource for and information about institutional policies, act as facilitators to help trainees resolve their problems and connecting trainees with those who can help, accompany the trainee in discussions of problems or issues with faculty or administrators, and act as an informal mediator between the trainee and faculty or administrators. The Ombudspersons can also help to effect positive change by providing feedback on patterns of problems and complaints to appropriate administrators.

Trainees can contact any of the three Ombudspersons for general questions. Discussions with the Ombudspersons can be through phone or in-person.