• Faculty Development Accelerator

    Next Start Date: January 17, 2022 | Duration: 6 Weeks

    Program Overview

    Designed for early career researchers and guided by principles of entrepreneurship, the Faculty Development Accelerator was developed based on data collected from award-winning scientists who have achieved success and impact in alignment with their passions and goals. The ultimate goal is to provide early career academics with the information, skills, and resources needed to win more grants, publish more papers, and have greater impact in their fields through their research while having enough time left in the day to attend to their wellbeing.

    Didactic Lessons & Workshops

    The Faculty Development Accelerator is an 6 week virtual intensive experience through which participants receive weekly didactic training workshops coupled with Mastermind career coaching sessions. Each weekly 60-minute module offers key insights on designated topic areas (see below). To improve knowledge acquisition, skill building, and outcomes, participants are expected to complete weekly homework assignments designed to strategically increase productivity.

    Mastermind Sessions

    Supplemental to the didactic training modules, Mastermind Sessions occur once every week and offer participants expert support, accountability, and space for brainstorming strategies needed to advance their productivity and overall success. Facilitated by award winning scientists with expertise in coaching early career faculty, these sessions occur in small groups and are driven by participant needs.

  • Thrive changed my life. I learned valuable tools on how to delegate and manage teams. The course taught me to think about my future goals and how to align my purpose with my current work. I learned the importance of disseminating my research outside of academia and also how to effectively brand myself.

    Ijeoma Opara, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Yale University

    The Faculty Development Accelerator gave me the tools to rapidly push forth my career development. It opened my eyes on the steps and value of working towards "explosive productivity" through self-reflection and evaluation, project and team management skills, and how to get the most out of collaboration. I feel that this course was the boost I needed to focus on the most important things at this moment in my career.

    Tyler Myroniuk, PhD
    Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Missouri

    This program was liberating and provides really critical insights to helping me move my career (and life) forward in a positive direction. I took it at the right time.

     

    Nkiru Nnawulezi, PhD

    Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

     

    Incredibly positive experience with Faculty Development Accelerator, beyond eye-opening for me. I found Dr. Abrams' expertise in academia helpful in understanding how to be impactful and thoughtful as I progress in my own career and life. This program not only teaches practical skills for success, it also asks the participant to look within as to how they want to pave their own way in academia. Ranging from program management to growing your reputation, this program hits every element an academic should consider as they develop their academic career.

    Megan Hoberg, JD

    Wayne State University

    I would describe my experience with the Faculty Development Accelerator program as enlightening and engaging. I learned several new skills and concepts, and was challenged to employ these new skills in the context of the program. Most importantly, I appreciated how the program contributes to my professional self-reflection and awareness.

    Martinque Jones, PhD

    Assistant Professor, University of North Texas

    I felt empowered throughout the entire program. I particularly enjoyed the information provided and then applying it right after learning it. For me, the best part of the program was the session on leading effective teams and reframing the idea of managing a team. Equally as important, the common thread of making sure my goals were aligned with what I am doing. Those two pieces combined truly solidified my belief that I am well-suited for success in academia and that I can and will do it without sacrificing my well-being and life.

    Kirsis Allennys Dipre

    Syracuse University

  • Faculty Development Accelerator Testimonials

  • Accelerator Course Curriculum

    * Indicates sessions with accompanying Mastermind sessions.

    Cultivating a Growth Mindset for

    Career Success

    This module sets the foundation for participants to visualize the career and life they desire and identify complimentary personal and professional goals, metrics for success, and key performance indicators.

    Strategic Planning: Moving Goals from Paper to Reality

    Many people struggle with taking their plans from paper to reality. With an emphasis on passion-goal-value alignment, this module assists participants with developing plans for success and productivity by identifying strategies and timelines to pursue their goals.

    Improving Your Relationship with Time & Focus Management

    This module reviews strategies for managing competing scientific demands while employing a laser focus to stay on track with goal achievement, avoid over-committing, and accomplish more in less time.

    Establishing Collaborative Partnerships for Publications & Grants

    This module reviews characteristics of productive collaborators, key questions to ask before embarking on a collaboration, and guidelines to optimize interactions and efforts.

    Building & Leading a Productive Research Team

    This module reviews the processes, skills, and competencies involved in assembling, leading, and managing high performing teams in academia.

    Becoming a Principal Investigator Versus a Project Manager

    This module covers strategies for allocating, using, and tracking tangible and intangible resources to accomplish project related goals in desired timeframes.

    Establishing a National Reputation via Scholarly and Lay Media Visibility

    Drawing from marketing research, this module focuses on science informed “visibility building” activities that have the potential to increase citations, invited talks, scholarly leadership roles, and media appearances.

    Collecting & Using Data to Accelerate Your Progress

    The importance of evaluation is emphasized throughout the program. We provide data collection strategies and tools for assessing self-awareness, team effectiveness, project progress, and impact.

    Radical Self-Care in Research Careers

    Though not an individual module, "radical self care" is  discussed and promoted throughout the Accelerator with the goal of inspiring reflection and challenging participants to live full and meaningful lives.

  • Meet the Masterminds

    Tiffany Carson, PhD, MPH

    Dr. Carson is an applied Epidemiologist and an Associate Professor in UAB's Division of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Carson has nearly a decade of experience mentoring scientists at varying career stages. She is the former Co-Director of the UAB Department of Medicine Early Career Mentoring Group. She has also led regional and national workshops focused on trainee and faculty development.

    Roland J. Thorpe, Jr., MS, PhD

    Dr. Thorpe is an Associate Professor of Health, Behavior, and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Thorpe has been at the forefront of developing and leading professional development, mentoring, and coaching initiatives for underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities in academia.

    Tamara Yakaboski, PhD

    Dr. Yakaboski is a tenured full Professor and Department Chair at the University of Northern Colorado. She also has a coaching and consulting business to work with individuals who want to create greater freedom and recreate their relationship with higher education.

  • Enrolling Scholars Around the World

    Participants in the Faculty Development Accelerator come from university institutions all over the world, including Harvard, NYU School of Medicine, Universidad Carlos Albizu - Recinto de San Juan, Mount Sinai, and more!

  • Program Outcomes and Deliverables

      Upon completion of the program, you will have the following:

      Diagnostic of strengths and opportunities for growth

      Personalized plan for career development

      Academic time and attention management skills

      Strategic temporal and project-based plans

      Leadership practices to establish high performing teams

      Frameworks and strategies to manage multiple projects

      Skills and resources to assist in building equitable collaborations

      Toolkits for team building, project management, collaborations, and national reputation

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