Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Messenger
September 2019
Michael Oakes IRL Director
Associate VP for Research and Professor of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota
Here's a secret: The Interdisciplinary Research Leader (IRL) program doesn't have a formal definition of what, or who, a research leader is. We talk about it, and people tend to nod their heads as if they're in agreement, but there's little clarity, much less consensus. For some time now I've been struggling to articulate a formal definition of research leader. This is to share some of my progress.
Leadership is the process of social influence to achieve a goal. Leadership is typically described in terms of actions, a position, or both. Scholarship that addresses leadership is typically focused on the business, military, or political sectors. This matters since details about the qualities or desired attributes of leaders tend to be focused on achievements in such contexts: profit, service, or victory. It astounds me that the vast health science literature -- a body of work that fills great libraries -- is totally silent on the topic of research leadership.
The motivation to lead is as important as a definition of leadership since motivation appears to drive success. The best leaders are people who need to share something with the world; they need to do something for the clinic, the classroom, the community, or the collective conscious. Successful leaders may use bureaucratic authority to move persons toward goals, but such authority often obtains as a result of their inner drive to share, to teach, to achieve desired goals.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Leadership for Better Health program, of which IRL is one part, defines a Culture of Health Leader as
...a person who envisions and declares a future where everyone has a just and fair opportunity for health and well-being; is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion; and creates space for collective action with others to realize this future.
Seems right, and relevant, but what of research leadership?
When considering who or what a research leader is, do you imagine someone like Einstein or Salk? Or do you think of a person less famous for their own insights but recognized for their service to others? Perhaps a department chair with a strong record of elevating the work of marginalized voices? I am often asked if a research leader is someone with many peer-reviewed publications, or someone with hundreds of million's of dollars in external grant awards? Not to me; not always. Given flaws in peer-review, such achievement too often reflects work that merely tracks with current scientific fads. I think research leadership is something more.
Here's my working definition of an IRL research leader:
A person who conceives, articulates, and enacts a vision of how scientific research is co-produced by community partners and professional researchers in order to drive measurable improvements in health and health equity.
I'll leave for another day the discussion of what characteristics an IRL research leader should probably master in order to be successful. Same goes for how to best instill or enhance such characteristics in a person interested in being an IRL research leader. Suffice it to say that IRL program is structured to address these two issues.
A Special Message for the Cohort 4
Reva Hines, PhD
Cohort 1 Alumna Team Baton Rouge
"Congratulations Cohort 4. Your life is about to change in ways that you are totally unaware of. You are about to embrace the IRL way. You are about to belong to a group of resourceful individuals. Enjoy your time at IRL, for soon you will be where I am…wishing I could rewind those three precious years. Three years……. What a difference three years make!"
Cohort Webinars + Deadlines
Cohort specific calendars, updated regularly to keep track of IRL webinars, milestones, meeting dates and curriculum deadlines. Email IRL staff at researchleaders@umn.edu with questions.
Cohort 2- Webinars and Deadlines
Cohort 3- Webinars and Deadlines
Cohort 4- Webinars and Deadlines
- Check out the IRL social space regularly to see announcements, questions and discussions posted by IRL fellows and special opportunities posted by the IRL NPC.
- To log in visit irl.novoed.com. Your account is linked to your primary email address and you can reset the password yourself at any time.
It’s been four years since the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), along with the RAND Corporation, began using a set of national measures to help track our journey toward a culture where every person has a fair and just opportunity to live the healthiest life possible—regardless of where they live, how much they earn, or the color of their skin.
Our goals were to offer some catalytic signals of change with a focus on broader social and economic drivers of health, well-being, and equity. The initial set of measures were used to track how diverse stakeholders, including those outside the traditional health sector, were advancing health and well-being—and if and how health equity was improving.
Developing a clearer picture of what is changing via the Culture of Health measures can guide those who are working collaboratively to accelerate improvements. We offer a few highlights from recent updates to the measures (see also rwjf.org/cultureofhealth) and share some data on our progress to date.
Continue Reading on the COH Blog
Homelessness in Utah, like in many other states, is a highly politicized policy area. In fiscally conservative states, resource scarcity and extensive need have led to contention among community members, advocates, service providers, and different levels of government. Utah’s economic boom and rapidly growing population have pushed more and more Utahans into homelessness. Local and regional approaches to managing local homelessness have ranged from largely absent to forceful removal and relocation.
Continue Reading on the IRL Blog
Webinar Announcement!
On November 21, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. ET, join our next Reimagined in America Webinar: Solutions for Social Isolation to learn:
Why social isolation is a serious threat to our health and well-being.
How tackling social isolation can help children and families thrive.
How enhancing public life in cities can offer an antidote to loneliness.
NEW DATE: November 21, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Social connections can help us thrive.
We often think of social isolation as something people experience as they get older. Yet people at all ages and stages of life including school children, teens, new mothers, immigrants, LGBT people, individuals living in remote areas-and even people with thousands of Facebook friends-can feel cut off or like they don't belong.
From Iceland to Norway and beyond, communities across the globe are piloting creative solutions to social isolation. How can yours do the same?
To register, click here!
Research Leaders Publications, Media and News
Kudos!
- Congratulations to Team San Antonio, Phillip Schnarrs, Amy Stone, and Robert Salcido Jr., on the acceptance of their paper to the Journal of Psychiatric Research!
Articles
Abby Hunt- C2- Team Indiana
Alton Burton- C3- Team Hearne Texas
Briana Woods-Jaegar- C2- Team Kansas City
Britney Brinkman- C2- Team Allegheny County
Emily Rothman- C3- Team Vermont
Jannette Berkley-Patton- C2- Team Kansas City
Kelli Caseman- C3- Team West Virginia
WVAHC host roundtable discussion about opioid drug epidemic
Child care experts talk need for policy change at roundtable discussion
Kristine Madisen- C2- Team Oakland
Marguerita Lightfoot- C2- Team SF
Melissa Walls- C2- Team Great Lakes
Sara Goodkind- C2- Team Allegheny County
*Alumni* Research Leaders Publications, Media and News
Cristina Palacios- C1- Puerto Rico
Derek Hyra- C1- DC/NJ
Rachel Hardeman and Katy Kozhimannil- C1- Minneapolis
Send updates for the next Messenger
If you have work being published or posted, send word to Manyi Ayuk (ayukx004@umn.edu), IRL Research and Communications Intern. Doing so will allow us to post the news to IRL social media and the next Messenger to raise the visibility your great work!
@IRLeaders on Social Media
A few moments captured on @IRLeaders social media this month.
Connect with the rest of your @RWJF change leadership network on social media: Clinical Scholars = teams of clinicians addressing complex health problems in their communities; Health Policy Research Scholars = investing in scholars from all disciplines as future leaders in shaping policy to support health and equity; and Culture of Health Leaders = supporting individuals from all sectors with good ideas to move communities toward a Culture of Health.
Interdisciplinary Research Leaders is a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation administered by the University of Minnesota
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Minneapolis, Minnesota