Thrive Institute for Professional Development
Thrive Institute for Professional Development
Thrive Institute for Professional Development
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
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
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
Register to Participate in the Faculty Development Accelerator
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.
Register to Participate in the Faculty Development Accelerator
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
Register for the Faculty Development Accelerator
Next Cohort Begins: Fall 2023