Faculty Professional Development

We offer a series of three management labs for scientists. These sessions provide updated information on recruiting and hiring staff, practical tips for managing and leading people and perspectives from seasoned researchers on mentoring and being mentored.

This workshop participants will use one of the teams they lead to learn and apply some of the latest research on what makes a team extraordinary. 

Extraordinary teams go beyond getting the job done.  They also provide opportunity for personal transformation for all members.  This means that while your team is creating Great Results, you are growing teaming capacity among team members therefore strengthening the future success of Fred Hutch and of team members’ careers. 

Leaders are neither able nor expected to do everything themselves. Attempting to do so can have severe consequences. How can you delegate effectively – giving authority and responsibilities to individuals or a team while also providing the resources, directions, and support needed to achieve expected results?

This interactive workshop designed by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) provides tools and skills to make it easier to delegate effectively. You’ll learn to engage and empower people to resolve their problems and implement spontaneous delegation to protect your discretionary time.

Crucial Conversations teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement by fostering open dialogue around high-stakes, emotional, or risky topics. By learning how to speak and be heard (and encouraging others to do the same), you’ll surface the best ideas, make the highest-quality decisions, and then act on your decisions with unity and commitment.

Two courses are offered for faculty related to giving presentations, both to scientific colleagues and lay audiences. The two-hour course covers fundamentals. The two-day course offers extensive practice and development of materials. 

The focus of this fundamental’s session is the funding of sponsored research projects: identifying Fred Hutch's main funders and what types of research they fund. The class briefly touches upon the legal framework of sponsored projects administration and compliance issues that affect pre-award preparation.

Topics include:

• Types of sponsors and funding mechanisms
• Cost category types
• Project impacts
• Introduction to post award management and closeout 

Primarily funded by the NIH requires Fred Hutch administrators be familiar with the structure, policy, funding mechanisms, basic rules, and guidelines of the NIH.

Topics include:

• Information about the NIH
• The NIH team
• The NIH grants process
• NIH funding timeline
• NIH funding and management
• NIH Reporting and management

Focusing on a fundamental understanding of training and career-development awards, both federal and non-federal, including K awards, T awards and fellowships.

The eRA Commons is an online interface where applicants, grantee, and federal staff can access and share administrative information relating to research grants.

Topics include:

• Common's features
• Commons functionality 
• Preparing Just-In-Time (JIT)
• Management of information
• Reporting requirements

Non-competing progress reports and their related forms are discussed.

Subagreements under sponsored research programs involve the use of a third party to perform part of the approved, programmatic work. Class emphasis will be on materials needed for review and submission, the subagreement process and required Fred Hutch documentation.

Topics include:

• Planning for a subaward
• Subawards in proposals: documentation needed from subrecipients; listing the subaward in Fred Hutch's budget, and representing Facilities and Administrative costs
• Issuing and monitoring subawards
• Processing a Subcontract Acquisition Form (SAF)

Preparing an appropriate and relevant budget is a critical step in submitting a successful proposal. How budgets are prepared for research projects, Fred Hutch's sponsored project costing and pricing policies, common issues and problems that arise when preparing budgets are included.

Topics include:

• Identifying Funding Opportunities
• Why Prepare a Budget
• Budget Elements
• Budget Justification
• Compliance
• Submitting your Proposal
  

Before accepting the award, it is vital to consider all aspects of the award including sponsor and Fred Hutch requirements, account setup issues and the Notice of Award (NOA). Here an examination of sample NOA's occurs to ensure the RA understands potential terms and conditions.

Topics include:

• Completing the Application Process
• Agency “Just-in-Time” information
• Notice of Award (NOA) components
• Review of Terms and Conditions
• Negotiating your Award
• Award Set-up
  

The project director/principal investigator, or PD/PI, is ultimately responsible for conducting the sponsored program in accordance with Fred Hutch and sponsor regulations. This responsibility requires expert knowledge of the issues related to the management of sponsored programs.

Topics include:

• Collaboration, roles and responsibilities, and best practices
• Budget concerns
• Project and/or programmatic changes
• Standard terms and conditions
• Prior approvals
• Cost Transfers and Effort Certification
  

Managing a sponsored project requires detailed attention to cost allocation, direct charging as well as ongoing budget management. This session provides a more in-depth look at allocation of costs and managing a budget over the life of a project.

Topics include:

• Cost principles
• Understanding allocability
• Methods of cost allocation
• Guidelines for allocation
• Direct charging
• Budget management
  

The closeout is the final stage in the life cycle of a sponsored-research award. During this phase, the Office of Sponsored Research ensures all applicable administrative actions and required project work have been completed by the grantee. The course also examines the process OSR undertakes to make any final fiscal adjustments to a grantee's account.

Limited applicant opportunities are external sponsored research grants that limit the number of applications that can be submitted by Fred Hutch. Limiting the number of applicants minimizes the number of applications reviewed by the funding agency and gives Fred Hutch the advantage of selecting the best candidate(s) for the award program. Applications are reviewed by an internal committee prior to the agency deadline. Each research division contributes members who serve on the committee. The committee evaluates the pre-proposals and selects the candidate(s) most likely to receive funding. This maximizes opportunities for junior faculty to compete successfully for prestigious national career awards and prizes.

Fred Hutch is a partner institution of the Institute for Translational Health Studies (ITHS). The ITHS Education Program supports investigators, graduate students, scholars, and research support staff through the development and maintenance of curriculum and career development education. Course offerings include topics like collaboration, mentoring, and leadership.