NORDP 2018 Conference Cameo: Maria D. Garcia

#NORDP2018 starts Monday, May 7 in Arlington, VA. Keep checking back here at the blog and on our Twitter feed (@NORDP_official) for live conference updates. Register here: http://www.nordp.org/conferences.
_______________________________________________________

Who: Maria D. Garcia, MS, MBA, Sr. Manager of Research Operations
Where: University of Texas Medical Branch, Center for Addiction Research
Number of years in research development: 4
Length of NORDP membership: 2
Number of NORDP conferences attended: 1
What is the most interesting place you’ve visited? The giant Redwoods of California, the most magical of places.

I assumed my current role in RD as a serendipitous development stemming from need and availability. I’ve been involved in research management, compliance, and financial oversight for over a decade. Arriving to this position with a wide breath of knowledge and experience allowed me the opportunity to develop depth in addiction research RD projects. Coming from a scientific background in pharmacology provided me with a natural inclination to delve deeper into these proposals and follow the science in a much more intimate manner than I had in previous roles. My current role includes the support and development of multi translational teams. This provides me with an exciting opportunity to work with a very diverse group of individuals ranging from bench scientists and physicians to technology companies and industry representatives. The diversity of the proposals composed by these individuals is as varied as the group, and presents constant new growth opportunities for our Center. Under the tutelage of my RD mentor, Dr. Marcy Jordan, I have begun building on personal and departmental strengths to provide our faculty with superior RD support.

I first learned about NORDP from my co-worker and mentor who recommended I join. I signed up in 2017 and attended my first conference in Colorado that same year. My favorite thing about the NORDP conference is the absolute wealth of knowledge provided during the sessions (including the pre-conference workshops). This conference presents an opportunity to access quality learning as well as networking opportunities that can lead to fruitful professional relationships. To this end, I recommend that new attendees plan to meet with their regional groups, as well as join dinner groups during the conference period.

As addiction research reaches new levels in funding opportunities, my goal is to learn new strategies to expedite the processing of proposals while increasing the quality of the final product. I would like to augment my current skills set in areas including multi-project proposals, NSF funding mechanisms (I manage predominantly NIH funds at the moment), and multi-site clinical trial proposals.

_______________________________________________________

We hope to see you at the Conference, which will be held May 7-9, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA.  For more information about the conference program or to register, visit http://www.nordp.org/conferences. Follow @NORDP_official on Twitter for all the latest #NORDP2018updates.

NORDP fosters a culture of inclusive excellence by actively promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity in all its forms to expand our worldview, enrich our work, and elevate our profession.