Neurology staffers selected for aspiring leaders program
Sr. Credentialing and Medical Staff Coordinator
Scientific Research Writer
Clinical Research Coordinator
DALLAS – Sept. 29, 2016 – Three Neurology and Neurotherapeutics staff members have been selected to participate in UT Southwestern Aspiring Leaders Program (ASP). The 12-month program, now in its sixth year, is offered to a select number of eligible employees who seek to become leaders in the organization but do not currently have direct reports.
Steve Hopkins, Clinical Research Coordinator, De Ann Marks, Sr. Credentialing & Medical Staff Coordinator, and Samarpita Sengupta, Ph.D., Scientific Research Writer, were among the 20 participants selected for the current cohort, which held its kick-off meeting on September 23.
Participants will benefit from a custom-designed curriculum that includes partnering with a mentor from a different area of the university, individual projects, development assessments and monthly leadership group sessions.
“I hope to improve my leadership skills to help meet some professional development milestones,” said Samarpita Sengupta, Ph.D., Scientific Research Writer. “By furthering my career, I can better serve our department and the university.”
When the year-long program comes to a close, participants will present their findings from their individual projects.
“For my assignment, I’m building a Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) database of approved and open-to-reenrollment Neuromuscular clinical studies,” said Steve Hopkins, Clinical Research Coordinator. “This will be a great place for physicians to log in to see if they have a patient that meets the criteria for a research study that is open and running, and let them know how to get in touch with the coordinator for pre-screening.”
In time, Hopkins wants to expand the database beyond Neuromuscular to include all of Neurology’s clinical trials, hoping to one day make it accessible to patients themselves.
“I would love for this database to be implemented so patients can log in and see if they or a loved one might be able to benefit from a research study,” he said. “Whether you’re a patient or a physician, it can be difficult to locate the right person to find out about enrolling in a clinical trial. I hope this will make it easier for both."
Upon successful completion of the program, participants are credited with one year of supervisory experience.