Parents Leading Science
Parents Leading Science is not just a leadership program—it is a space for transformation, connection, and courageous self-inquiry that supports participants in navigating the complex intersections of professional ambition, personal identity, and family life.
Created in 2018 as Mothers Leading Science™, the program has expanded to Parents Leading Science™, and serves faculty who are researchers and parents looking to advance their leadership and careers in academic health sciences research.
Two cohorts, one purpose
The program is organized into a unique dual-cohort model, each reflecting the diverse experiences of parenting in academia—one focused on experiences traditionally associated with motherhood and the other on those traditionally associated with fatherhood. This structure acknowledges the different challenges shaped by caregiving roles, identity, and social context, while fostering trust, reflection, and peer support within each cohort.
The fatherhood-associated cohort will run as a six-month pilot and be delivered fully online.
How it works
Most sessions are held separately to allow candid, focused dialogue, with occasional joint sessions to address shared challenges and explore institutional improvements. Applicants may only join one cohort per cycle, though both are open to all eligible faculty. In 2026, the fatherhood associated cohort will run as a six-month pilot to guide future curriculum development and inform a tailored curriculum for subsequent years.
What you'll gain
Program schedule
| Date | Year-Long Research Mom Cohort (hybrid) | Six-Month Research Dad Cohort (fully online) |
|---|---|---|
| January | Half-day orientation and first monthly seminar | |
| February-June | Two meetings monthly, over lunch hour | February: Half-day orientation and first monthly seminar March-June: One meeting monthly, over lunch hour |
| May | Two-day Leadership Retreat | |
| July-December | One meeting monthly, 90 minutes Optional skills building meeting monthly, 60 minutes | July: Final meeting August: Optional retreat |
| December | Annual Retreat | TBD |
Eligibility criteria
- Health sciences research-intensive faculty (must have ⩾50% protected research time OR currently serving as or actively pursuing the role of principal investigator on major research grants (R01, R29 or subproject of a Program Project (P01), Center Grant (P30, P60, U54), or other equivalent research grant awards or career development awards))*
- Parent of school-age and/or younger child(ren), including those who are lifelong caregivers to children with disabilities
- Open to giving and receiving peer support
- Research Mom (RM) Cohort - Must be able to commit to year-long program and attend, at a minimum, the in-person retreat and 75% of meetings (hybrid)
- Research Dad (RD) Cohort - Must be able to commit to six-month pilot program, and attend, at a minimum, 75% of meetings (fully online)
- Strong interest in professional, personal, and leadership development
- Willing to participate in all program evaluation efforts
Priority given to current and former CTSI, LHS, and BIRCWH scholars
* Faculty with appointments at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute and the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health System are also eligible to apply.
** The fatherhood-associated cohort will run as a six-month pilot in 2026 to inform future curriculum development.
Our guiding philosophy
At the heart of Parents Leading Science is a commitment to cultivating whole-person leadership—intentionally aligning work, home, community, and self to foster authenticity, integrity, and wellbeing. Grounded in Stewart Friedman’s Total Leadership and Brené Brown’s research on vulnerability and worthiness, The program empowers faculty to lead with courage and self-awareness. We embrace Krista Tippett’s insight that “we create transformed, resilient new realities by becoming transformed, resilient people,” believing that personal transformation is the foundation for meaningful, sustainable leadership.
Hear from our alumni
Is this the right fit for you?
We dig deeply into vulnerability, and program participants commit to actively engaging in that process. By creating space for honest exploration, the program cultivates resilient, self-aware, and compassionate leaders who lead not only with expertise, but with humanity. This program invites meaningful personal reflection and is best suited for individuals in a relatively stable place in their lives, ready to engage in inner work. It is not recommended for those currently experiencing significant life upheaval.
Megan Bensignor, MD, MSHP
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Elizabeth Boyer, PhD
Clinical Scientist, Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare
Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Christen Ebens, MD, MPH
Associate Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Brittany Hartwell, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Rebekah Hudock, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Sara Koehler-McNicholas, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Hannah MacDougall, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work
Noelle Noyes, DVM, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Veterinary Population Medicine
Kerry Sheets, MD
Assistant Professor
UMN Medical School
Caitlin Ward, PhD
Assistant Professor
Division of Biostatistics & Health Data Science, School of Public Health
Alexa Weingarden, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Medicine, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
April Wilhelm, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Emilyn Alejandro, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology
Alicia Allen, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
College of Medicine
University of Arizona
Sommer Amundsen-Huffmaster, PhD
Assistant professor
UMN Department of Neurology
Alexandra Armstrong, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Assistant Professor of Pathology
College of Veterinary Medicine
Anne Bantle, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Jannell Bazurto, PhD
Assistant Professor
College of Biological Sciences
Joan Beckman, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Bethany Birkelo, DO, MSCI
Assistant Professor of Medicine
University of Minnesota Medical School
Antonella Borgatti, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology), DECVIM-CA
Associate Professor
College of Veterinary Medicine
Kristina Burrack, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Investigator, Division of Infectious Diseases at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI)
Monica Campo Patino, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Ilana Chefetz Menaker, PhD
Assistant Professor
The Hormel Institute
Mimi Choy-Brown, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor
UMN School of Social Work
Colleen Correll, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Brooke Cunningham, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Katherine Diaz Vickery, MD, MSc
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine, Hennepin Healthcare
Sian Durward-Akhurst, BVMS, MS, PhD
Assistant Professor
College of Veterinary Medicine
Ida-Arlaine Fonkoue, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota Medical School
Anne Frosch, MD, MPH
Infectious Diseases
Investigator, Hennepin Healthcare
Allyson Hart, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Investigator, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
Rachel Hawe, PT, DPT, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Kinesiology
Ellen Ingolfsland, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Sandra Japuntich, PhD, LP
Psychiatry
Investigator, Hennepin Healthcare
Forum Kamdar, MD, FACC
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Manda Keller-Ross, PT, DPT, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Jiwoo Lee, PhD, RN
Assistant professor
UMN School of Nursing
Sahar Lotfi-Emran, MD, PhD
Assistant professor
UMN Department of Medicine
Katie Loth, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Kelly Makielski, DVM, MS, DACVIM
Assistant Professor
College of Veterinary Medicine
Alexandra Marquez, MD, MSTR
Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota Medical School
Stephanie Misono, MD, MPH
Associate Professor
Chief, Division of Laryngology
Susan Novotny, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Julie Ostrander, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Megan Paulsen, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Rene Pierpont, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Sasha Prisco, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota Medical School
Radha Rajasingham, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Tonya Rich, PhD, OTR/L
Assistant Professor
Research Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Minnesota
Elizabeth Rogers, MD, MAS
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
Zohar Sachs, MD, PhD
Assistant professor
UMN Department of Medicine
Erica Schorr, PhD, BSBA, RN, FAHA
Associate Professor
School of Nursing
Sabrina Scroggins, PhD
Assistant professor
UMN Department of Biomedical Sciences, Duluth Campus
Rebecca Shlafer, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Lindsey Sloan, MD, PhD
Assistant professor
UMN Department of Radiation Oncology
Gillian Tarr, PhD, CPH
Assistant Professor
School of Public Health
Anna Tischler, PhD
Associate professor
UMN Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Lucie Turcotte, MD, MPH, MS
Associate Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Sonya Wang, MD
Associate Professor
Department of Neurology
Rachel Witt, MD
Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota Medical School
Anna Zilverstand, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences