1. What is your current role at the CMRI?

As the Senior Manager for Research Contracts, I manage a team of three rockstar contracts analysts and work alongside them to draft, review, negotiate and process all manner of legal agreements touching basic and clinical research and sponsored projects.

In my role, I lead the team as we seek to collaborate with principal investigators and their industry or academic counterparts to identify agreement structures that protect our institution, protect the project, and ultimately, positively impact the lives of study subjects. I also collaborate with other teams and leaders both within CMRI and Children's Mercy Hospital to ensure that research and sponsored projects-related contracting is handled in the most efficient way possible.

2. What drew you to a career in research at the CMRI? 

Children. As an individual impacted by chronic pediatric illnesses myself, and now as a mom, I know first-hand the emotional toll that pediatric illness can take on parents and a whole family. Having viable alternatives, discovered and developed through research, infuses the clinical experience with hope and has real results. That's meaningful to me. And, despite reading the fine print for a living (as I like to joke), I know that putting legal agreements in place in a timely manner is a fundamental way of supporting to our brilliant physician-scientists and researchers to grow the research discovery process and develop those alternative treatments that are so invaluable to the many families facing pediatric illness.

3. What are your research/career goals? 

My career goal is to keep growing within the research administration field, and ultimately, to become part of a leadership team. Many people don't realize the vast amounts of people and effort required to administratively support our researchers and the research process. Countless numbers of talented people who feel as passionate and connected to the studies as those on the front lines put budgets, proposals, agreements, security systems (and much more) in place so that research can happen. Plus, the administrative nature of our roles requires us to connect to the greater purpose, in a highly intentional way. For me, both improving efficiencies within the administrative complex and shining a light on the tremendous work that research administrators handle, is something I hope to continue to impact on a greater scale.

4. What is your favorite thing about working at the CMRI?

The spirit and positive attitude of the people I work with. Through Children's Mercy's Connect to Purpose trainings and spotlights at team huddles, I have seen the dedication of CMRI employees, not only in supporting research but also in patient care and to each other. I also admire that Connect to Purpose initiatives are consistently reinforced across various leadership levels - at meetings, townhalls, and even up to our CEO level. We have a culture of being invested in each other, in the people and communities we serve and knowing the why behind what we do. That makes good work even better and is my most favorite thing about working at CMRI.

5. What is on your bucket list? 

1. Attend a FIFA World Cup

2. See the Amazon Rainforest

3. Attend a silent meditation retreat

4. Publish a book and retire in France