- Industry Contracts: What PIs Need to Know
You might have noticed that industry funding has become a much more desirable part of a PI's funding portfolio in 2025 than it has been in the past. VUMC's Office of Sponsored Programs - Contracts Management department is here to help.
While each industry contract is unique, i...
- Making the Rounds In Palliative Care, One Collaboration at a Time
Making the Rounds in Palliative Care, One Collaboration at a Time
Before it became the norm for trauma units and palliative care physicians to work together, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Dr. Mohana Karlekar and her colleague, Dr. John Morris, t...
- Predicting Whether a Collaboration Will Work
We know collaborating on common goals with outside groups is a good thing, but how can you know going in that a collaboration will be successful? Despite all the best intentions, cultural and historical factors don’t always align to support a good collaboration. It’d be nice to k...
- The Power of Strong Collaborations
Biomedical science is no longer primarily conducted by brilliant individuals running their own labs and writing paper after paper using the same methodology that they have perfected over the course of their training and career. Even the seemingly simplest of projects likely requi...
- Perfection is a Productivity Blocker
I recently attended the Edge for Scholars Retreat: Building Collaborations, Creating Connections and learned so much about connecting with others throughout an academic career. Meeting new people at a similar career stage and getting advice from those who have gone before us made...
- Pro Tips for Networking and Collaborating
One recently promoted PI and another more senior who both started leading large multi-site studies early in their careers shared their best advice on networking and collaborating at a recent Vanderbilt event for early career researchers.
Digna Velez Edwards, PhD
Professor, Ob...
- Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected
If you’re like your correspondent, the very word “networking” sends a trickle of terror down your spine. Even the thought of mingling at a conference fills you with dread. But take heart! “Networking” doesn’t have to be a four-letter word. As Devora Zack admits, while it migh...
- Connecting Through Poster Sessions
Imagine you’re at a poster session. As you walk by the posters, you instantly understand the key points and ‘get’ the research. You find yourself stopping, reading, engaging with the presenter, and you’re inspired to think more broadly about your own work. Posters designed with t...
- Flight Tracker: Streamlined Career Development Tracking & Analysis
Career development programs, no matter what stage of the academic career they cater to, face similar challenges. A wide range of information about scholars is available, from demographics, publications, and grant submissions to pilot funding, composition of mentor panel, training...
- Not that Kind of Attendee: Tales of Conference Attendance by Trainees
In my last post, I talked about some of the considerations I make when considering which conferences to attend. In this post, I will outline how we pick conference to attend for trainees. As always these days, n=me, and this time, my trainees.
The disclaimer: I am in my third ye...
