Megan Hoffman, MA, has been named Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Program Director of Research Training and Participant Engagement.
In this new role, Megan will provide leadership for two major CTSI programs focusing on enhancing the efficiency, quality, and ethics of research while maintaining a research participant-centered approach.
Specifically, she will lead CTSI’s Translational Workforce Development (TWD) team, which provides training for those involved in health research, and CTSI’s Recruitment Center, which aims to enhance research visibility and help study teams connect with and inspire people to participate in health research at the University of Minnesota.
The position is critical to establishing and enhancing research infrastructure at the University of Minnesota (UMN) and contributing to best practices across the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium and hub partners. Key elements of Megan’s role include:
- Building, developing, and supporting a highly skilled, diverse clinical and translational science workforce.
- Bridging UMN research teams to the community (and vice versa) through enhanced research visibility, engagement, creative recruitment tools, and training to support successful recruitment and retention of research participants in UMN research studies.
- Partnering with key stakeholders within CTSI, UMN, and community partners and across the CTSA consortium to understand gaps and barriers to catalyzing high-impact research and develop solutions through innovation and collaboration.
- Disseminating programs, opportunities, and learnings.
Megan began working in CTSI in 2012 as the Center for Health Equity’s Administrative Director. In that role, Megan developed connections in the community and partnered with community organizations on research projects, developed and led health-equity-focused research training programs for students and community members, and operationalized programs such as seminars, workshops, and a regional conference.
Since becoming CTSI’s Translational Workforce Development Program Manager in 2014, Megan has advanced institutional and national research training in a myriad of ways. Highlights include building a robust training program for UMN research professionals, envisioning and creating the Research Training Roadmap tool, leading and contributing to key advisory boards, and hosting seminars and teaching countless research professionals.
In 2016, Megan was the staff lead on the Advancing Human Research Protections initiatives tasked by former President Kaler for two workgroups: The Engaging Research Participants workgroup and the Community Oversight Board. This important work further fueled Megan’s passion for engaging research participants and connecting with the community in meaningful, genuine ways.
More recently, Megan began leading CTSI’s Recruitment Center where she works to increase research awareness and engagement. A signature project in this role has been the tremendous effort to re-envision StudyFinder and work to bring it to the next level.
Prior to joining CTSI, Megan spent six years as a research professional at the University, where she coordinated R01 research studies in the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine.
Megan has an MA degree in Kinesiology—Exercise Physiology from the University of Minnesota.