scholarly journals Randomized Controlled Study to Test the Effectiveness of Developmental Network Coaching in the Career Advancement of Diverse Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs): Implementation Challenges and Lessons Learned

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 12003
Author(s):  
Mohamed Mubasher ◽  
Kimberly Lawson ◽  
Priscilla Pemu ◽  
Thomas Pearson ◽  
Jeffrey Engler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Grant Writing ◽  
Developmental Networks ◽  
Innovative Strategies ◽  
Intervention Delivery ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Study Implementation ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazard Models

Introduction: Adding developmental networks (DN) to grant-writing coaching can significantly enhance ESIs’ research careers. Herein, we present study design, ESIs’ characteristics and encountered challenges/lessons learned and their resolutions when deploying/implementing (a) NCR algorithm(s), (b) recruitment/retention and (c) implementing DN intervention. Methods: Nested Cluster Randomization (NCR) design governs this study implementation. The sample size is 220 ESIs intending to submit an NIH K, R, U, and/or Minority Supplement application(s). Primary outcome: intensity/sustainability of grant submission(s)/funding(s), measured by time to/between application(s). Outcome(s) analyses modes: summaries, Kaplan Meir and Cox proportional hazard models as a function of randomization groups and other predictors of outcomes. Results: In the present study, we recruited two cohorts of ESIs (N = 85): 39% African Americans, 18% Latinx, 18% Whites, 20% Asians and 6% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/other ethnicities; 65% are women; 73% are assistant professors, 4% are Associate Professors and 23% are instructors/scientists/post-doctoral. Participants’ disciplines: 32% basic/biomedical, 36% clinical/translational and 32% social/behavioral. Proposal(s) mechanisms: 61% research grants (R series), 31% career development (K series), 7% support of competitive research (SCORE) and 1% National Science Foundation applications. NCR did produce balance in the distribution of ESIs’ demographics, sex at birth, ethnicity, professional appointments, background disciplines, and mechanism of sought funding. Lessons learned/challenges: NCR implementation was methodologically challenged during implementation by added constraints (e.g., assigning coaches to the same randomization arm of their participants as well as blinding them to ESIs’ randomization group). Recruitment and retention were hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic and more progressive and innovative strategies were needed to heighten the visibility and outreach of this program. DN delivery was also affected by the pandemic and monitoring of ESIs’ engagement and facilitation of communications interventions were needed. Resolution of these challenges effectively reconfigured NCR algorithms, recruitment/retention plans, and DN intervention delivery. We intend to recruit an additional 135 ESIs focusing on underrepresented scholars from RCMIs, CTSAs, and other programs. COVID-19 rendered this program 100% virtual, with recruitment/retention challenges and substantial disruption of ESIs’ research. We may extend the grant writing period, coaching, and Mock Study Section support.

Experience With Grant Writing: Where Do I Even Begin?

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-24
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Mancini
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Economic Situation ◽  
Grant Writing ◽  
Personal Journey ◽  
Know How ◽  
Daunting Task

Abstract At first, grant writing may look like a daunting task. You may ask yourself, “Is it really worth the time and effort?” With today's economic situation, teachers and therapists need ways to supplement their programs and grants provide such an opportunity. However, many of us do not know how to get started. After a few experiences and many lessons learned, I have come to enjoy researching and writing grants to supplement my students' learning. It is well worth the time and effort. This article provides information about a personal journey, lessons learned, and resources to get you started.

scholarly journals Cross-Center Virtual Education Fellowship Program for Early-Career Researchers in Atrial Fibrillation

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinuola B. Ajayi ◽  
Christy D. Remein ◽  
Randall S. Stafford ◽  
Angela Fagerlin ◽  
Mina K. Chung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Grant Writing ◽  
Career Stage ◽  
Fellowship Program ◽  
Pedagogical Model ◽  
Grant Applications

Background: It is estimated that over 46 million individuals have atrial fibrillation (AF) worldwide, and the incidence and prevalence of AF are increasing globally. There is an urgent need to accelerate the academic development of scientists possessing the skills to conduct innovative, collaborative AF research. Methods: We designed and implemented a virtual AF Strategically Focused Research Network Cross-Center Fellowship program to enhance the competencies of early-stage AF basic, clinical, and population health researchers through experiential education and mentorship. The pedagogical model involves significant cross-center collaboration to produce a curriculum focused on enhancing AF scientific competencies, fostering career/professional development, and cultivating grant writing skills. Outcomes for success involve clear expectations for fellows to produce manuscripts, presentations, and—for those at the appropriate career stage–grant applications. We evaluated the effectiveness of the fellowship model via mixed methods formative and summative surveys. Results: In 2 years of the fellowship, fellows generally achieved the productivity metrics sought by our pedagogical model, with outcomes for the 12 fellows including 50 AF-related manuscripts, 7 publications, 28 presentations, and 3 grant awards applications. Participant evaluations reported that the fellowship effectively met its educational objectives. All fellows reported medium to high satisfaction with the overall fellowship, webinar content and facilitation, staff communication and support, and program organization. Conclusions: The fellowship model represents an innovative educational strategy by providing a virtual AF training and mentoring curriculum for early-career basic, clinical, and population health scientists working across multiple institutions, which is particularly valuable in the pandemic era.

scholarly journals Challenges and Strategies of Successful Mentoring: The Perspective of LEADS Scholars and Mentors from Minority Serving Institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6155
Author(s):  
Patricia Y. Talbert ◽  
George Perry ◽  
Luisel Ricks-Santi ◽  
Lourdes E. Soto de Laurido ◽  
Magda Shaheen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Junior Faculty ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Grant Writing ◽  
Senior Faculty ◽  
Additional Insight ◽  
Professional Goals ◽  
Funding Opportunities ◽  
Faculty And Administrators ◽  
Minority Serving Institutions

Mentoring continues to be a salient conversation in academia among junior and senior faculty and administrators. Mentors provide guidance and structure to junior faculty so that they can meet their academic and professional goals. Mentors also convey skills in balancing life and academic pursuits. Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive study was to provide additional insight from a training program called Leading Emerging and Diverse Scientists to Success (LEADS) regarding successful strategies and challenges of mentoring relating to lessons learned from the scholars and mentees’ perspective. The LEADS program provided multiple training platforms to increase skills and knowledge regarding research to promote expertise in grant writing and submission for funding opportunities among diverse scientists. These findings reinforce the knowledge about the value of a mentor in helping define the research pathway of their mentee and underscoring the importance of mentoring.

Securing the future of statistics in Africa through National Strategies for the Development of Statistic

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 15-25
Author(s):  
Ben Kiregyera
Keyword(s):  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Global Level ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Statistical Systems ◽  
Development Agendas ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Statistical Development

Adoption of development agendas at different levels – national, regional, continental, and global level – has led to an unprecedented increase in demand for official statistics. This increase has not only brought to the fore a litany of challenges facing National Statistical Systems (NSSs) in Africa but also it has created opportunities for strengthening statistical production and development. This paper underscores the need for countries to take full advantage of these opportunities and increase investments in statistics, undertake data innovation, and expand and diversify data ecosystems, leveraging on the foundations of the data revolution for sustainable development and in line with current international statistical frameworks. The paper posits that these improvements will not happen coincidentally nor through ad hoc, piecemeal and uncoordinated approaches. Rather they will happen through more systematic, coordinated and multi-sectoral approaches to statistical development. The National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) is presented as a comprehensive and robust framework for building statistical capacity and turning around NSSs in African countries. The paper unpacks the NSDS; elaborates the NSDS processes including; mainstreaming sectors into the NSDS, the stages of the NSDS lifecycle and the role of leadership in the NSDS proces; highlights NSDS extension; presents the design and implementation challenges, and the key lessons learned from the NSDS processes in Africa in the last 15 years or so.

scholarly journals Conceptualization and Realization of a National Trail in a Small Island-Nation: The Commonwealth of Dominica’s Experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-94
Author(s):  
Colmore S. Christian
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Socioeconomic Benefits

The island-nation of Dominica, 790 km2 in area, is located approximately 1126.5 km Southeast of Florida, USA. In the mid-1990s, Dominica embarked on developing the 183.5 km Waitukubuli National Trail (WNT), the first and only national trail model in the Eastern Caribbean. The 14-segment WNT, officially opened in May 2013, passes through some of the island’s most diverse landscapes. WNT was designed to link as many rural communities as possible and promote ecotourism and community socioeconomic development. Rehabilitation work continues on the WNT and the rest of Dominica, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria of 2017. This article, based primarily on a limited questionnaire survey, selected interviews, and literature review, explored the research question ‘What were the challenges faced by a small-island nation in the development of a National Trail? Five specific research objectives focused on the conceptualization, implementation challenges, partnerships fostered, national and sub-regional significance, and future outlook of the Trail were considered. Questionnaire respondents identified the island’s topography and negotiations with private landowners as significant trail construction challenges. A 100% of survey respondents anticipate that reliable funding to support timely maintenance would likely be a critical future issue. Some respondents identified marketing, public engagement, and visitor safety as potential issues. Face-to-face interviews found strong support for the WNT. The interviewees were confident that Dominica would realize sustainable socioeconomic benefits from the Trail. The article concludes with lessons learned and proposes strategies and research themes to ensure the Trail’s sustainability.

Grant writing: Moving from generating ideas to applying to grants that matter

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 236-244
Author(s):  
David Nelson ◽  
Leslie Ruffalo
Keyword(s):  
Health Disparities ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Behavioral Science ◽  
The United States ◽  
Grant Writing ◽  
Psychosocial Issues ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Innovative Strategies ◽  
Fund Research

There is an extraordinary burden placed upon the healthcare system and people as a result of health disparities that exist within the United States. If there is going to be a concerted effort to develop innovative strategies to reduce health disparities, input from the community and behavioral scientists can and should be included in this approach and narrative. Grant writing provides one vehicle to express the narrative and to provide a means to fund research and programs within clinic-based and community settings. This paper describes a four-step inquiry process to guide healthcare professionals with varying degrees of clinical and scholarship interests through the grant writing process. They include: (1) Why write grants (motivations), (2) what is the area of focus? (Interests), (3) whom should be on the project? (partnerships), and (4) what needs to happen next to move the idea forward? (actions) The complexity of psychosocial issues means that behavioral science is well suited to develop both hypotheses-driven and phenomenological research to understand bio-psycho-social health issues. Grant writing does not need to be mysterious or daunting. It can provide a means to an end, not only to fund research but also as a means to an end of health disparities.

A Blueprint for the Conduct of Large, Multi-Site Trials in Telemedicine (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Commiskey ◽  
April W Armstrong ◽  
Tumaini Rucker Coker ◽  
Earl Ray Dorsey ◽  
John Fortney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skin Diseases ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Stroke Care ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Family Based ◽  
Key Aspects

BACKGROUND Recent literature supports the efficacy and efficiency of telemedicine in improving various health outcomes, despite the wide variability in results. OBJECTIVE Understanding site-specific issues in the implementation of telemedicine trials for broader replication and generalizability of results is needed. Lessons can be learned from existing trials, and a blueprint can guide researchers to conduct these challenging studies using telemedicine more efficiently and effectively. METHODS This viewpoint presents relevant challenges and solutions for conducting multi-site telemedicine trials using seven ongoing and completed studies funded by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) portfolio of large multi-site trials to highlight the challenges in implementing telemedicine trials. RESULTS Implementation challenges related to clinical, informatics, regulatory, legal, quality and billing were identified and described. CONCLUSIONS Lessons learned from these studies were used to create a blueprint of key aspects to consider for the design and implementation of multi-site telemedicine trials. CLINICALTRIAL NCT02358135: Improving Specialty-Care Delivery in Chronic Skin Diseases (PI: AWArmstrong) NCT02396576: Using Telehealth to Deliver Developmental, Behavioral, and Mental Health Services in Primary Care Settings for Children in Underserved Areas (PI: TRCoker) NCT02038959: Connect.Parkinson (PI: RDorsey) NCT04000971: C3FIT (Coordinated, Collaborative, Comprehensive, Family-based, Integrated, Technology-enabled Care) Stroke Care Trial (PI: KGaines) NCT03694431: Noninferiority Comparative Effectiveness Trial of Home-Based Palliative Care (HomePal) Trial (PI: HNguyen, KMularski) NCT04153864: SUMMIT (Scaling Up Maternal Mental healthcare by Increasing access to Treatments) Trial (PI: DRSingla) NCT03985800: Specialty Medical Homes to Improve Outcomes for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Behavioral Health Conditions Trial (PI: ESzigethy)

Implementation of a Service Management Office Into a World Food Company in Latin America

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-135
Author(s):  
Teresa Lucio-Nieto ◽  
Dora Luz Gonzalez-Bañales
Keyword(s):  
Portfolio Management ◽  
Service Management ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
It Services ◽  
Service Model ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Technology Service ◽  
Information Technology Service

Research on service management office (SMO) related with its implementation, challenges, relevance, and outcomes is scarce. The purpose of this case study research is to contribute with the lessons learned from the implementation of an SMO into a big sized company. The lessons include the experience of the company designing and implementing an SMO. A general roadmap and main challenges for the creation of an SMO are presented through the lessons learned of three perspectives: people, processes, and technology. The results in the SMO implementation reveal that it could become a strategic complement for IT services in order to ensure quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement for information technology service management (ITSM). The main changes derived from the SMO implementation were migrate from a function model to a service model, go from management of cost by function to management by service, from an order taker to a focus on business transformation initiatives, from a portfolio management based on applications to a process based on flexible governance.

Benefits and challenges to applying IPD: experiences from a Norwegian mega-project

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique Rieger Rodrigues ◽  
Søren Munch Lindhard
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Main Concept ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Collaboration And Communication ◽  
Traditional Construction ◽  
Supporting Element ◽  
Early Phases

Purpose The traditional construction delivery method is challenged by low trust and collaboration issues, resulting in increased project costs. The integrated project delivery (IPD) method is developed, through a contractual agreement, to overcome these challenges by creating a common set of terms, expectations and project goals. Design/methodology/approach A singular construction case was followed during a four-month period. Data collection consisted of contract documents and a series of semi-structured interviews with representatives from the owner, design-group and contractors. Findings The IPD contract was found to have a number of positive effects; it improved project behavior (e.g. trust, collaboration and communication), increased ownership among project participants and improved buildability of the design, leading to fewer surprises and interruptions in the construction phase. The study also revealed a number of challenges including contractual and legal challenges and involving too many participants in the early phases. Moreover, co-location was identified as a particular important supporting element, to build relations and improve collaboration. Originality/value This research identified lessons learned from the application, as well as initial barriers and persistent barriers for implementing IPD. To improve IPD application the top three lessons were as follows: 1) the contractual documents should be adapted and signed at an early stage as this increases financial transparency, 2) cost estimates should be carried as an iterative process and project main concept be freezed at an early stage to increase understanding and minimize risks, 3) only the most important project developers should be involved in the early phases, to avoid going into detailed design issues before the main concept is completed.

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