Professional Development

Time: 9:00am to 12:30pm

Content level: Basic

Stress does not discriminate – research management professionals worldwide are feeling its effects. Do you ever feel that there are just not enough minutes in the day or days in the week? Is your work life integration in need of some adjustment or does it not exist at all? This interactive workshop will examine issues that adversely affect the stress level of research professionals, explore the core principles of anger management, and discover ways to de-stress daily - right from the comfort of your own home, office, or anywhere at all.

Learning objectives:

1. To recognize the situations that cause stress and the warning signs our bodies give us.
2. To explore and adapt proven methods of meditation and relaxation to ensure a healthier professional outlook to improve work life integration.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Debra Schaller-Demers, MSOM, Director, Research Outreach and Compliance Tri-I RCR Course Director Administrative Member, Tri-SCI ESCRO IACUC, IBC, and Export Control Administration, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Time: 1:30pm to 5:00pm

Content level: Basic

When clarifying career goals, it is important to start with a personal inventory, however, many are unsure of how to even begin. This half-day workshop will lead participants through the process of a personal inventory and will provide tangible take-aways to help define and achieve their career goals.

Learning objectives:

1. Participants in the Workshop will learn the importance of taking a personal inventory to determine their true career goals, and will learn the difference between a dream and a goal.
2. Participants in the Workshop will perform a personal inventory using such tools as a personal SWOT analysis and a personal mission statement, and will learn how to analyze their results.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Tammy Good, MSM, CRA, CPRA, Consultant, Eli Lilly; Sikirat Tijani, MRA, CRA, Associate Director, Grants and Contracts, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Time: 9:30am to 10:45am

Content level: Intermediate

During the accreditation process, the Council for Higher Education Initiatives (CHEA) asks colleges and universities “Is the institution fulfilling its mission and achieving its goals?” The answer to this question lies within both academic and administrative units campus-wide. Goals must be related to the institution’s overall strategic plan and must be measurable. Sponsored Programs offices are no exception to this process and many research administrators are now being asked to present their yearly objectives in a strictly quantifiable manner. This is a change for many, and impacts everything from staff evaluations to application and award projections. This interactive session, for those who have and will go through this process, will provide useful tips for successfully meeting institutional needs.

Learning objectives:

1. Create realistic and measurable goals as you relate to the institutional strategic plan.
2. Create “unit level” strategic plans for sponsored programs offices that relate to the institutional mission.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Dominic Esposito, CRA, Director of Corporate, Government and Foundation Relations, The College of New Rochelle

Time: 11:00am to 12:15pm

Content level: Basic

A mentor-mentee relationship can be a highly rewarding experience for both the mentor and mentee. It can be the key to reaching your professional and personal goals. The presenters will share their personal story of how they started, developed, and maintain their mentor-mentee relationship. This session will be highly interactive, in order for the audience members to get a close up view of the inner workings of a positive and healthy mentor-mentee relationship.

Learning objectives:

1. Learn how to identify and approach an individual to develop a mentor-mentee relationship.
2. Learn how to maintain a rewarding mentor-mentee relationship.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Domenica Pappas, CRA, Director, Office of Sponsored Research and Programs, Illinois Institute of Technology; Sikirat Tijani, MRA, CRA, Associate Director, Grants and Contracts, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Time: 2:15pm to 3:30pm

Content level: Intermediate

We (hopefully) learn from our mistakes so come and learn from my mistakes (and a few successes) in order to avoid the pitfalls in your own leadership journey. This session will cover a wide variety of leadership lessons to help managers at all levels. We’ll use real-life vignettes and case studies that you can apply to your own professional and personal life. The session will include dealing with issues such as: employee turnover, low morale, financial challenges, mergers and acquisitions, employee layoffs, employee terminations, communications, legal challenges, embezzlement, disasters and much more. Come learn from an established leader with more than 30 years of executive management experience at a variety of levels ranging from head french fry cook to CEO.

Learning objectives:

1. Enhance awareness, reflective thinking and commitment towards effective leadership.
2. Gain knowledge and understanding of good leadership behaviors and models.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Kevin Titus, MBA, Business Director, Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Time: 3:45pm to 5:00pm

Content level: Advanced

Each of us will at some stage be in a position where we must deal with a difficult person in our office, in our institution, or from an external partner. These interactions, if not dealt with well, can become a source of anxiety, and decreased satisfaction and job productivity. This session will examine how to recognize when we and/or others create difficult situations, strategies for dealing with difficult people and situations, dealing with aggression, and shifting the balance of power.

Learning objectives:

1. To recognize the roles, we play as leaders, in contributing to and/or escalating office conflict situations.
2. To develop essential communication skills to deal effectively with complex personalities and situations so that we can mitigate circumstances that have a potentially detrimental impact on the research office.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Debra Schaller-Demers, MSOM, Director, Research Outreach and Compliance Tri-I RCR Course Director Administrative Member, Tri-SCI ESCRO IACUC, IBC, and Export Control Administration, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center This document has been edited with the instant web content composer. The online instant HTML converter make a great resource that will help you a lot in your work. Save this link or add it to your bookmarks.

Time: 9:15am to 10:30am

Content level: Basic

There are many times through our communications when we wonder if the PI doesn't understand our role as Research Administrators and vice-versa. This session will provide insight on how to communicate effectively to a PI as well as how we can train our PI's to communicate so that we can support them.

Learning objectives:

1. Decode the science language and how to effectively communicate to their PIs.
2. Provide a basis of support to effectively work with each other.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Jason Claes, MBA, MSM, GRCRA, Assistant Director, Research Accounting, University of Cincinnati

Time: 10:45am to 12:00pm

Content level: Intermediate

Positive delegation skills are one of the most effective ways for research management leaders to enhance their organizational position. However, leaders frequently find themselves at odds when it comes to delegating; after all, what made them a leader was their ability to get the job done and giving their strength away seems counter-intuitive to success. This session will teach you some of the important aspects of effective delegation that will make your office more successful and effective in the research management workplace.

Learning objectives:

1. To recognize when it is appropriate to delegate tasks to others.
2. To explore, assess, and adapt various methods of delegation to meet your research office needs.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Debra Schaller-Demers, MSOM, Director, Research Outreach and Compliance Tri-I RCR Course Director Administrative Member, Tri-SCI ESCRO IACUC, IBC, and Export Control Administration, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Time: 1:45pm to 3:00pm

Content level: Basic

This session will discuss real life scenarios the speakers have encountered to illustrate that confidence is a learned skill. The session will also talk about how to use storytelling techniques to develop engaging presentations.

Learning objectives:

1. Learn that confidence is a learned skill.
2. Learn storytelling techniques and how they can be applied to presentations.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s):

Anita Mills, MA, CRA, Senior Solution Consultant, Cayuse

Time: 1:45pm to 3:00pm

Content level: Intermediate

Sharing information effectively is a critical skill in the research administration field. We all need to be pushed to think more critically and creatively about communication and presentation as it is necessary to be able to share ideas clearly to grow as leaders. Yet communication and presentation skills and resources are not necessarily top-of-mind when we think about our work. This discussion session will provide a forum for interested and like-minded data enthusiasts at all levels to share a variety of innovative ways to communicate and disseminate data and information to different internal and external stakeholders, curated from leaders in the field.

Learning objectives:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of best practices in data communication and presentation techniques.
2. Access resources and inspiration for effective communication and presentation of data and results.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Kimberly Pratt, MA, CRA, Sponsored Projects Officer, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital

Time: 3:15pm to 4:30pm

Content level: Intermediate

Change initiatives struggle to get traction. Collaboration is elusive and lack of support or resistance to change is common. in this 75 minutes session you will be introduced to John Kotter's powerful proven 8-Step model to lead change in your department and some of the core skills build buy-in.

Learning objectives:

1. Utilize Kotter's 8-Step Model to lead change in your Department.
2. Identify core skills to build buy-in and collaboration: art of explanation to inspire others to act.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Stan Sack, PhD, Psychologist Consultant, Persona

Time: 9:15am to 10:30am

Content level: Basic

Based upon principles laid out in the NIH’s “Collaboration and Team Science: A Field Guide,” this session is designed for research administrators who work in teams to support research efforts – and that’s all of us! This session will enable participants to identify their strengths profile in the areas of reacting, thinking, and relating, and begin to extend that understanding to other members of the team. Through active participation, we will explore how understanding our own and others’ strengths can help to increase our personal effectiveness and ability to collaborate and strengthen team dynamics in order to meet our ultimate goals.

Learning objectives:

1. Learn how your personal strengths impact approaches to problem-solving, communication, and personal interactions.
2. Learn how to create stronger, more inclusive teams by seeking to understand the perspective of all team members.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Kimberly Pratt, MA, CRA, Sponsored Projects Officer, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital

Time: 10:45am to 12:00pm

Content level: Basic

Accepting a job in a research lab or center can be considered a risky move for most Research Administrators. These positions are often supported by “soft money” and generally report directly to faculty, making them more challenging than traditional departmental positions. However these jobs can be extremely rewarding and are often a unique opportunity to grow your skills as an administrator and become more immersed in the research development process. In this session two senior research administrators will talk about their experiences working in a research development focused environment, including the pros and cons, how they have adapted as administrators over time and why they find these environments highly rewarding. Attendees will leave with an understanding of the different roles Research Administrators often play in these environments and how this alternative service model for structuring research programs could work for them.

Learning objectives:

1. Understanding the administrator’s role in a research focused, faculty led environment, along with overall pros and cons of this model.
2. Describe how the model can translate and be successful in a traditional departmental administrative environment.

Prerequisites: None

Speaker(s): Nicholas Prieur, BS, Research Process Senior Manager, Regents of the University of Michigan; Corey Turner, Research Process Manager, University of Michigan You can find the best online HTML, CSS and JS tools at html-css-js.com: editors, code optimizers and more.