Two new leaders named in research operations

The UNMC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research has announced two new leadership appointments in research operations.

Katie Penas will serve as director of research operations, a shared leadership role between UNMC and Nebraska Medicine.

Ellen Kerns, PhD, will become scientific director for the Research, Education, Administration and Development of Biomedical Informatics Core, also known as the READi Core.

Penas will focus on strengthening research infrastructure, aligning operational practices, identifying shared opportunities and supporting investigators and research teams. The shared appointment is intended to promote collaboration, efficiency and a coordinated approach to high-quality research across both UNMC and Nebraska Medicine.

Penas has more than 12 years of experience in clinical research. She has served as clinical research manager for UNMC’s Clinical Research Center since 2017, and as the interim director of operations for the READi Core since February 2025.

“We are pleased to welcome Katie and look forward to the impact her leadership will have in strengthening research support and operational excellence across both organizations,” said Russell McCulloh, MD, UNMC’s associate vice chancellor for clinical research and Nebraska Medicine’s vice president for research.

Dr. Kerns will lead UNMC’s health informatics core, which is tasked with fulfilling patient and population health data requests to UNMC researchers and across the University of Nebraska System. Her leadership will strengthen READI’s mission — advancing clinical and translational research, supporting public health initiatives, enhancing clinical care and cultivating an exceptional clinical informatics workforce, said Tess Kuenstling, PhD, UNMC’s assistant vice chancellor for research resources.

Dr. Kerns, an associate professor and chief in the division of health systems science within the UNMC Department of Pediatrics, has served as director of research informatics for the Child Health Research Institute and previously was the director of the Biomedical Informatics and Cyberinfrastructure Core through the Great Plains IDeA-CTR. She also serves as a data scientist for Children’s Nebraska and directs the Nebraska site of a trials network focused on expanding research opportunities for rural and underserved children.

“We are pleased to announce the appointment of El Kerns as the scientific director of the READi Core,” Dr. Kuenstling said. “Dr. Kerns brings extraordinary expertise, strategic insight and a forward‑looking vision to this role. We are confident that her leadership will strengthen the core’s impact and advance its mission in meaningful and innovative ways.”