Northern LITeS: Leadership for Innovative Team Science

A leadership training experience for faculty and academic leaders aimed at furthering leadership skills and promoting team science.

Northern LITeS is a structured year-long leadership training experience for faculty and academic leaders involved in clinical or translational research or with responsibilities related to academic administration or education and training programs in which clinical or translational research is involved.

In 2024-2025, Northern LITeS launches its third cohort, this time designed for selected Associate Professors in leadership positions and/or with demonstrated leadership potential. The 2024-2025 cohort focuses on Associate Professor "rising star" faculty leaders; we want to facilitate the development of a cadre of future leaders for the University, including research leaders in translational science.

The Northern LITeS program provides executive-level training and is tailored to the needs of experienced academics in biomedical, clinical, and health-related sciences. In addition to enhancing leadership skills, the program:

Fosters team functions and science by creating a network of colleagues who serve as resources for one another across the University
Expands opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration
Ensures that the next generation of clinical and translational scientists receives the highest quality training for science leadership

A cohort of four teams comprised of 6-7 faculty will meet for four, 2-day sessions over the course of the year to work on a team project that addresses a real clinical or translational problem identified by University of Minnesota leadership. Teams are constructed so that new working relationships are created.

The CTSI program, managed in partnership with the University of Minnesota Vice President for Clinical Affairs, is the first sister site of the University of Colorado LITeS model. The Northern LITeS program is further customized to help increase multidisciplinary team science research activity and funding across the health sciences, with a particular focus on stimulating submission of multi-project large grants that include collaborations across multiple University of Minnesota schools.

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Participating Means

Completing a 360-degree evaluation process and developing a plan for using feedback from the evaluation
Choosing a professional development goal and completing a plan for its achievement
Benefitting from individual coaching related to personal development
Participating in extensive assessments and training of skills for leadership, creativity, and team process development in such areas as: conflict management, communication skills, influence strategies, negotiation, change management, building team productivity, and creating environments to support and include diverse ideas and enhance scientific creativity
Participating in team project development and receiving guidance from University leaders in shaping and presenting projects, to include optimizing potential for implementation

Fostering Team Science

Building leadership for the clinical and translational science enterprise of tomorrow
Creating a network of colleagues who share a passion for this work
Expanding opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration
Ensuring that the next generation of clinical and translational scientists in Minnesota receive the highest quality training for working and leading in their fields

Addressing Three Key Leadership Domains

Understanding and enhancing individual leadership behaviors and styles
Developing interpersonal and team skills for leading, managing, and working with others across tasks and settings
Improving process skills for increasing quality and efficiency in creative work and academic leadership

University of Minnesota Participation in University of Colorado LITeS Cohort 2017-2018

A University of Minnesota team participated in the 2017-2018 University of Colorado LITeS cohort. Team members were determined in consultation with AHC leadership, initially with (then) Sr VP for Health Sciences and Medical School Dean Brooks Jackson and then with further joint input and discussion with the Deans of all the AHC Schools. Each AHC School Dean appointed a representative to the team, with David Ingbar and Michelle Lamere representing the UMN CTSI.
Team members were appointed by the Deans of each AHC School and included: Jayne Fulkerson, PhD, School of Nursing; Caroline Gaither, PhD, Associate Dean, College of Pharmacy; David Ingbar, MD, School of Medicine and CTSI; Michelle Lamere, MPA, CTSI; Heather Nelson, PhD, MPH, School of Public Health; Donald Nixdorf, DDS, MS, School of Dentistry; Ned Patterson, PhD, DVM, College of Veterinary Medicine; and Betsy Seaquist, MD, School of Medicine.
The goals of the UMN team project were to 1) recommend ways to increase multidisciplinary team science research activity and funding in the UMN Academic Health Center (AHC), with a particular focus on stimulating submission of multi-project large grants (NIH P & U grants, USDA, NSF for example) that include collaborations across multiple UMN schools; and 2) Assess whether LITeS or a similar program should be brought to the UMN AHC
A final report with findings and recommendations was delivered to Dean Tolar and presentations were made to the AHC Research Deans, Faculty Consultative Committee, and individual colleges.

2024–25 cohort

2022-23 cohort

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Team presentations

A faculty-centric service model to enhance academic excellence in team science

The Future of Translating Research to Practice is Data Science and Artificial Intelligence: Preparing the University of Minnesota Communities

Driven to Discover and Deliver: Advancing Tri-Directional Partnerships at the University of Minnesota

How Do We Create Peak Experiences In Team Science? A Case Study Across the Health Research Continuum

Participants

Mustafa al’Absi, PhD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Professor, Family Medicine & Biobehavioral Health
Director, Duluth Global Health Research Institute (DGHRI)

Maneesh Bhargava, MD, PhD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Associate Professor, Medicine
Co-Director, Sarcoidosis Center of Excellence

Tammy Butterick, MS, PhD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Associate Professor, Neuroscience, Department of Food Science and Nutrition
Health Science Specialist, Research, Mpls VA
Scientific Advisory Committee Co-Chair, Burn Pits 360 Veterans Group
Co-Chair, Subcommittee on Research Safety (SRS), Mpls VA

Casey Dorr, PhD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Assistant Professor, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Hennepin Healthcare
Co-Director, UMN Pathways to Research Program (PReP)
Co-Director, UMN Advanced Pathways to Research Program (A-PReP)

Paul Drawz, MD, MS, MHS

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Associate Professor, Medicine
Associate Chair for Clinical Research (Department of Medicine)

Susan Everson-Rose, MPH, MS, PhD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Professor, Medicine
Associate Director, Program in Health Disparities
Associate Director for Research, GPPC
Director, HELM

Naomi Fujioka, MD

Medical School (Twin Cities); Masonic Cancer Center
Associate Professor, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation
7D Medical Director
University of Minnesota Physicians Board of Directors

Alonzo Guedes, PhD, DVM, MS

College of Veterinary Medicine
Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Sciences
Director, Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

Mark Juckett, MD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Professor, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, Department of Medicine
Medical Director, Bone Marrow Transplant Program and Cell, Gene, Immunotherapy Arm of the MCC Clinical Trial Office
Medical Director, 5C UMMC

Angus MacDonald, PhD

College of Liberal Arts
Professor, Department of Psychology
Director, Clinical Training (Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research)
Director, Translational Research in Cognitive and Affective Mechanisms Laboratory

Kim Mansky, PhD

School of Dentistry
Professor, Developmental and Surgical Science
Director, CTSI K to R01 program
Director of MinnCrest T90/R90

Jenna Marquard, PhD

School of Nursing
Professor, Population Health and Symptoms
Chair, Population Health and Systems Cooperative

Amir Moheet, MD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Associate Professor, Medicine
Director, Inpatient Diabetes Service

Ruby Nguyen, PhD

School of Public Health
Distinguished University Teaching Professor and Associate Professor, Division of Epidemiology & Community Health
Director, School of Public Health Undergraduate Minor

Sabarinathan Ramachandran, PhD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Associate Professor, Surgery
Director, Transplant Tolerance Laboratory Immunology Core

Karim Sadak, MD, MSE

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Associate Professor, Pediatrics
Director, Childhood Cancer Survivor Program
Senior Medical Director, Pediatrics

Nancy Sherwood, PhD

School of Public Health
Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health
Director, CTSI-Ed Pre-K Program

Tetyana Shippee, PhD

School of Public Health
Associate Professor, Health Policy and Management
Associate Director, Research for Center of Healthy Aging and Innovation

Sivaraj Sivaramakrishnan, PhD

College of Biological Sciences
Professor, Genetics Cell Biology and Development
Director, Graduate Studies, MCB&G graduate program

Subree Subramanian, MS, PhD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Professor, Surgery
Director, Resident Research Enrichment Program

Alena Talkachova, PhD

College of Science and Engineering
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Assistant Director, IEM Strategic Research Initiatives

Guru Trikudanathan, MD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Associate Professor, Division of Gastroenterology
Medical Director, TPIAT
Residency Rotation Director, Division of Gastroenterology

Lucy Vulchanova, PhD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
Director of Graduate Studies, Graduate Program in Neuroscience

Jeff Wozniak, PhD

Medical School (Twin Cities)
Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Director, Child and Adolescent Research

2019 cohort

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Team presentations

Advancing Personalized Health

Catalyzing Interactions and Integration of Basic, Patient-Oriented, and Population Health Scientists

Expanding Translational Health Research to Include Rural and Non-Metro Communities

Recommendations to Advance the Academic Mission in an Era of Increasing Demands

Participants

Timothy Beebe, PhD

Mayo Professor and Division Head, Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health

Anja Bielinsky, PhD

Associate Dean, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine

Angela Birnbaum, PhD, FAES

Professor, College of Pharmacy

Anne Blaes, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation division, Medical School

Iris Borowsky, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Medical School

Sonya Brady, PhD

Associate Professor, School of Public Health

Claudia Cohn, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Medical School

Simone French, PhD

Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health

Steven Fu, MD, MSCE

Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Medical School and Director, Center for Care Delivery and Outcomes Research, Minneapolis VA Health Care System

Jayne Fulkerson, PhD

Professor, School of Nursing, Cora Meidl Siehl Endowed Chair in Nursing Research, Director, Center for Child & Family Health Promotion Research, Director, CTSI TRACT TL1 program & Translational Research Development Program

R. Stephanie Huang, PhD

Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy

Sayeed Ikramuddin, MD, MHA

Chair and Professor, Department of Surgery, Medical School

Ajay Israni, MD, MS

Professor of Medicine, Hennepin Healthcare, and Acting President of Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation

Kristen Jacklin, PhD

Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health and Associate Director, Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team, Medical School

Ling Li, PhD

Professor and Associate Department Head, College of Pharmacy

Paul Mermelstein, PhD

Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Medical School

James Miner, MD

Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hennepin Healthcare

Karen Monsen, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAMIA

Associate Professor, School of Nursing

Daniel Mueller, MD

Professor of Medicine, and Director, Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases division, Medical School

Patrick Nachman, MD

Professor of Medicine, Director, Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension division, Medical School

Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, PhD

Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, Medical School

Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH, FACP, FASGE, AGAF, FACG

Professor of Medicine, Medical School

Brian Sick, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, Director, General Internal Medicine division, Medical School

Renee Sieving, PhD, RN, FAAN, FSAHM

Professor and Director, Center for Adolescent Nursing, School of Nursing

David Stenehjem, PharmD, BCOP

Associate Professor and Associate Department Head, University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy Duluth

Stephanie Terezakis, MD

Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical School

Diane Treat-Jacobson, PhD, RN, FAAN

Professor and Associate Dean for Research, School of Nursing

Christine Wendt, MD

Professor of Medicine and Head of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine division, Medical School

Sarah Westberg, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS

Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems and Co-Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, College of Pharmacy

Learn more about the 2019 NLITeS Participants

Program leadership

David Ingbar, MD, University of Minnesota Professor of Medicine,
Director of Northern LITeS program and CTSI-Ed

Judith Albino, PhD
President Emerita, Director of University of Colorado, Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute's LITeS program

Jayne Fulkerson, PhD
University of Minnesota Professor, School of Nursing, Director of Northern LITeS program

Contact

[email protected]
612-625-2022

Northern LITeS: Leadership for Innovative Team Science