Provost Eli Capilouto, D.M.D., and Richard Margison, vice president for financial affairs and administration, have commissioned a panel of staff and faculty to assess the university’s expense-reimbursement process and recommend improvements where appropriate.

The panel, chaired by Allen Bolton, associate dean for administration and finance in the School of Medicine, is part of a new initiative to identify and address key areas in which opportunities may exist to improve the speed and efficiency of expense reimbursements for UAB employees and students.

The review will focus on areas that include travel, UAB-sponsored events, food and approval workflows. The task force will examine current policies and processes for expense reimbursements, analyze the ability of those processes to best serve customer needs while limiting financial compliance risk and recommend improvements. The group also will assess processes at similar institutions to identify best practices.

“We are committed to advancing our reputation as an entrepreneurial, service-oriented research institution.  To do this well, you have to continually evaluate and upgrade your support systems for faculty, staff and students alike.  That is our goal here,” Capilouto said.

Task force members include Patricia Raczynski, associate vice president for financial affairs; Harlan Sands, associate provost, administration and finance; Sabrina Hearn, director of internal audit; Brett Scullen, director of administration and fiscal affairs, Immunology/Rheumatology; Doreen Harper, Ph.D., dean, School of Nursing; Carl McFarland, Ph.D., chair of psychology; Terry Allen, business officer, School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics; and Sharon Malone, associate director of purchasing.

The group is set to report its initial findings and recommendations to Capilouto and Margison by March 15.