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

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

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

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

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.

2022–23 cohort

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Team presentations, executive summaries, and photos

Team 5 + 1

Group photo of team 5 + 1

 

Executive summary >

Presentation >

Team members (l to r): C. Dorr; K. Sadak; M. Bhargava; J. Wozniak; A. Talkachova; N. Fujioka

Team Mountain Goats

Group photo of team Mountain Goats

 

Executive summary >

Presentation >

Team members (l to r): T. Butterick; A. MacDonald; N. Sherwood; M. Juckett; S. Ramachandran; G. Trikudanathan 

Team SPARK

Group photo of team SPARK

 

Executive summary >

Presentation >

Team members (l to r): L. Vulchanova; S. Subramanian; K. Mansky; R. Nguyen; A. Moheet; not pictured J. Marquard 

Team Water Polishes Stone

Group photo of team Water Polishes Stone

 

Executive summary >

Presentation >

Team members (l to r): P. Drawz; A. Guedes; T. Shippee; M. al'Absi; S. Everson-Rose; S. Sivaramakrishnan 

Team photos courtesy of John Pilla.

2019 cohort

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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

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

judith-albino

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

jayne-fulkerson

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

Contact

[email protected]
612-625-2022