Most research administrators still enter our profession by chance without a clue as to what we do, much less a clear career pathway for advancement. Having career goals that align with personal goals provides a some semblance of control over your future, even when life deals you a detour.  Whatever your stage of life or career, it is never too late to spend some time thinking about your personal and career aspirations, and identifying the short and long term objectives that will keep you on pace to realize those dreams. Our profession has become specialized making it difficult to progress beyond mastery of a single area of expertise.  Most sucessful research administration leaders have given a thought to their personal and professional goals and some of us have been lucky enough to have participated in a formal goal setting exercise.  This workshop will walk participants through the process of considering your personal and professional goals, committing those to writing and setting some short term objectives toward meeting those goals.  

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Understand how written goals and objective can help you progress as an individual and professional.
2.  Articulate their lifetime goals and set their first set of short term objectives towards achiveing those aspirations.

Track: Professional Development

Speaker(s): Susan Sedwick, Senior Consulting Specialist, Attain Partners

This session will touch on sources of federal funding but will provide more information on understanding and locating non- federal funding. Some tips on encouraging primary investigators to diversify their funding sources will be discussed. Special funding to support young investigators, career development, or those interested in commercial opportunities will be provided. 

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Identity several sources of non-federal funding.
2. Facilitate their investigator in avoiding pitfalls with commercial funding.

Track: Pre-Award

Speaker(s): Martha Stephens, Emeritus Director of Research Services, University of Oklahoma

Speaker(s): Michele Tyrpak, Director, USF Technology Transfer Office, University of South Florida

It is scientifically and ethically imperative for researchers to understand it is a key commitment to our research participants to report the results of the clinical trials, so that we can advance knowledge, make informed medical decisions about health care, and build trust collectively. This session will discuss the most recent federal mandates, requirements, and enforcement of clinical trials disclosure, as well as updates and best practice identified in the research community. The presenter will share the approach that Rutgers’ Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) has taken to establish a robust program, identify key issues and facilitate investigators to maintain compliance with clinical trials registration and results reporting at their institution. 

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Describe why clinical trials disclosure matters; list resources to assist investigators in maintaining compliance.
2. Identify how to establish a system in your organization to facilitate and monitor clinical trials registration and results reporting.

Track: Clinical and Translational Research 

Speaker(s): Niem-Tzu Rebecca Chen, Human Subjects Protection Senior Analyst & Rutgers ClinicalTrials.gov Administrator, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Rani Muthukrishnan, Executive Director of Research, Compliance Texas A&M University- San Antonio, Anita Trupiano, Program Development Analyst, Regulatory Affairs Rutgers Cancer Institute  

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Understand the requirements under Uniform Guidance for sub-recipient monitoring.
2. Gain best practices they can take to their organizations on building strong sub-recipient relationships.

Track: Financial and Cost Accounting

Speaker(s): Carly Pigg, Research Fiscal Analyst, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Betty Morgan, AOR Director, College of Sciences Research Office North Carolina State University

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Understanding the emerging and important Role of the NEXTGENRMAs.
2.  Establishing the Foundations of a Mentoring Action Plan for NEXTGenRMAs​.

Track: Professional Development

Speaker(s): Serena Mancini, EU Support Officer, Institut Max von Laue - Paul Langevin (ILL)

Research administrators routinely manage complex operational workflows—intake processes, tracking requirements, compliance documentation, training records, and internal reporting—often relying on spreadsheets, shared drives, and email-based systems that are difficult to maintain, audit, or scale. While REDCap is widely known as a tool for research data collection, its potential as a secure, flexible platform for administrative and operational workflows is often underutilized.

This session introduces a practical, administrative-focused approach to using REDCap beyond traditional research studies. Participants will learn how to identify operational processes that are well-suited for REDCap, design simple and sustainable REDCap projects to support administrative workflows, and avoid common pitfalls that lead to overcomplicated builds. The session will focus on real-world use cases drawn from research administration contexts, emphasizing low-burden design, governance considerations, and scalability across teams.

Designed for research administrators at all career stages, this session equips participants with concrete strategies to replace ad hoc tracking systems with structured, auditable workflows that support efficiency, transparency, and accountability—without requiring advanced programming or technical expertise.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Identify administrative and operational workflows in research administration that are appropriate for implementation in REDCap.
2. Apply best practices for designing low-burden, scalable REDCap workflows that support tracking, documentation, and reporting.

Track: Pre-Award

Speaker(s): Holly Zink, Director, Career Development & Training Programs, University of Kansas

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Identify and address key legal considerations throughout the AI research lifecycle, from proposal development to deployment.
2. Gain a practical understanding of managing intellectual property (IP) and mitigating potential security risks and misrepresentation risks associated with AI research.

Track: Contracts and Law

Speaker(s): Mike Slocum, President, Slocum & Boddie, PC Commercial

This session is designed to support new research administrators by demonstrating how research compliance can be effectively integrated into everyday research management activities.  The presentation focuses on bridging the gap between understanding compliance requirements and applying them in departmental research operations.

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Understand key elements of an effective compliance program, including policy development, clear communication, risk-based monitoring, and educational programs.
2. Gain confidence in managing compliance tasks with tools like tracking systems, institutional checklists, and proactive approaches to potential issues.

Track: Compliance & Ethics

Speaker(s): Erica Ellington, Deputy Director of Compliance and Research Compliance Officer, Medical University of South Carolina

Coming Soon

Speaker(s): Jason Claes, Senior Associate, Huron

The presenter will provide a brief UG highlight, review cost principles dive deep into the regulation roadmap, discuss best practices for expense review, and the importance of prior approval. 

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Perform expense review as a submitter and/or approver with stronger confidence.
2. Identify knowledge gaps in policy to strengthen expense review process

Track: Financial and Cost Accounting

Speaker(s): Sheleza Mohamed, Senior Administrator, University of Chicago

This presentation is for leaders at every level of the organization. It blends research-based frameworks with real-world scenarios. It demonstrates how to build, sustain, and restore trust. Participants will analyze credibility, communication, and conflict through the lens of trust. They will see how daily actions strengthen or weaken relationships. The session demonstrates the unique role in fostering trust by modeling transparency, ethical decision-making, and accountability. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to strengthen relationships, create a positive workplace culture, resolve conflicts more effectively, and enhance their influence as trusted leaders. reframes trust as a strategic capability that directly influences organizational performance, culture, and employee engagement. In an era marked by rapid change, workforce uncertainty, and declining confidence in leadership, trust has become a critical differentiator—not a soft skill. This session explores the growing trust crisis across organizations and higher education and examines why trust is essential to productivity, retention, collaboration, and well-being.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Trust Drives Results: High-trust environments experience greater engagement, productivity, and resilience, while low-trust environments create friction, burnout, and disengagement. Trust is earned through consistent alignment of integrity, intent, compete.
2. Culture Is Built One Interaction at a time: Every conversation, decision, and response make either a trust deposit or a withdrawal. HR professionals and organizational leaders play a pivotal role in shaping culture by modeling trust-building behaviors and

Track: Professional Development

Speaker(s): Gloria Greene, AVP, Contracts and Grants, Research Compliance, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Laurel Long, Chief Human Resources Officer, The University of Alabama in Huntsville

Most research administrators work with their legal and technology transfer offices to some extent, but understanding how these offices can be leveraged to support research admin goals and when/how to interact with these offices can be challenging! Whether you are new to research administration or looking for ways to improve your relations with these partner offices, you are welcome to join this presentation. Ashley Thomas, Director of the Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer at the University of Denver, will share knowledge gleaned from her work in and with offices of general counsel, tech transfer, and sponsored programs. The session begins with a review of the nature and purpose of legal and tech transfer offices before focusing on some of the key sponsored research-related clauses of concern to these offices, and ways that you can partner more efficiently (and perhaps happily!) with these offices at your own institution.

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Learn some of the “red flags” and key provisions of interest to legal and tech transfer offices so that you can partner with them more effectively.
2. Develop a greater understanding of ways and times to reach out to your institution’s legal and tech transfer offices.

Track: Contracts and Law

Speaker(s): Ashley Thomas, Manager of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, University of Denver

Coming Soon

 Clinical Trial Policy (CTP), National Coverage Determination (NCD 310.1) was signed into law in 2000 and it is imperative for Organizations taking part in industry-sponsored clinical trials to adequately implement the policy. The first step in clinical trial billing compliance is for the Organization to develop an accurate Medicare coverage analysis. This enhances billing accuracy as well as aids the Organization in claims processing further down. After coverage analysis, the clinical trial budget is arrived at. The clinical trial budget reflects the estimated amount of money a site needs to participate in the study. A site uses a budget to project and compare future revenue and expenses. Based on the budget, the site can determine whether conducting a study is feasible or not. 

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Understand the importance of Medicare Coverage Analysis,
2.  Understand how to develop clinical trial budgets

Track: Clinical and Translational Research

Speaker(s): Mani Cheruvu, System Director, Saint Francis Health System

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Define internal controls and why they are necessary.
2. See our role as research administrative professionals with tools for managing for compliance and agility

Track: Financial and Cost Accounting

Speaker(s): Lorrie Robbins, Director, Research Administration, Duke University, Office of Research Support