Yale Department of Psychiatry and Child Study Center Staff Spotlight May 2023

In the fourth of a spotlight series launched in February to feature integrated business operations (IBO) and administration staff at the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) and Department of Psychiatry, meet Mary Kate DeMarco, director of research and finance administration.

The IBO model was implemented in October 2019, when Yale School of Medicine (YSM) leadership asked each of the departmental business managers in Psychiatry and the YCSC to collaborate and find opportunities for business operations staff in both departments to work more closely together. The initial collaboration led to further integration of operations in the areas of Human Resources, Faculty Affairs and Staffing Administration, Research Finance and Administration, and Clinical Finance and Administration. Each of these areas are now run inter-departmentally, and the IBO model has been adopted by nearly all YSM departments.

How long have you been at Yale?

I have been at Yale for 9 years, in a similar role in Psychiatry the whole time with the addition of Child Study in 2019.

What led you to this career?

I started working as a research assistant on an NIH grant when I was in college in Boston. That experience started my now 31-year journey in research administration because I was the only person who had the time to figure out how much money we had left. Since then, I've climbed the ranks of research administration at Harvard School of Public Health, the University of Rhode Island, and the University of Massachusetts before arriving at Yale.

What energizes you outside of work?

My current hobbies are knitting, sewing, learning to play violin.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?

Right now, I want to travel to England and Ireland with my son.

What would you like to share that might surprise your colleagues?

I am a Canadian citizen.