​Photo: Jerry Tyus (left), Rebecca Ochayon (right)

The Office of Research Services (ORS) is comprised of a diverse portfolio of services that support the NIH mission. In this section - I AM ORS, we showcase the exceptional employees behind these vital programs.

Rebecca Ochayon, Program Analyst

Rebecca is a program analyst with the Management Analysis Review Branch in the Office of Administrative Management. Her daily tasks support organizational oversight of Office of Research Services (ORS) and Office of Research Facilities (ORF); tasks that include assisting with organizational changes, serving as records liaison for ORF and meeting with risk owners to discuss methods of risk management. In her role, Rebecca spends a lot of time meeting and collaborating with colleagues on overarching management initiatives, which she enjoys. "When you have a meeting, different minds come together to figure out how to do something effectively," she said. Rebecca also likes participating in initiatives that create great, positive organizational shifts. She participated in the electronic content management initiative, an initiative that involved converting office documents from analog to digital. Rebecca also supports the Management Analyst Working Group and the Management Analyst Steering Committee, responsible for presenting information to the management analyst audience. Overall, her goal is to help in making work-life easier from an administration perspective.

Rebecca joined the NIH in 2013 as a Pathways intern for ORF and transferred to ORS in 2015. Since working in the office, she has gained an interest in customer experience, customer engagement, and work processes. Rebecca is currently working towards a Master's in Business Administration and is learning about a wide range of topics related to organizational behavior, critical thinking, finance, and even project management. Rebecca was born in New York but raised in Washington, D.C. In her spare time, she likes hiking and drawing free-hand as a creative outlet.

Jerry Tyus, DSEIS Acting Director

Jerry Tyus was named Acting Director for the Division of Scientific Equipment and Instrumentation in December 2019. Jerry applies a similar work ethic and dedication for success as Acting Director as in his previous role as Branch Chief for Laboratory Equipment Maintenance. "[I] try to continue to work hard and hope they recognize [my] performance," Jerry said. "And see potential in me. I'm hoping that's what it was that got me this position," he laughs. Now in this position, Jerry hopes to better improve services DSEIS provides to its customers through more training for service technicians. He believes more training will offer a better variety of services for customers, such as researchers. Overall, Jerry sees his work, in scientific equipment maintenance, as a small part of how research is impacted. "We are kind of behind-the-scenes but when [researchers] use the equipment they expect for it to work properly so they can get the proper result that may improve healthcare," he said. From day-to-day, Jerry communicates with customers, assigns jobs, handles scheduling and tracks job statuses.

Jerry began working at the NIH as a technician in March 2007, upon leaving the military. He says his background in leadership with the military helps him in his role today. From a small town in Arkansas, population of 300 people, Jerry attended a local college for a short time before joining the military. He enjoys visiting his hometown and playing basketball.