Christina Papke is one of three NORDP members to receive the 2018 Rising Star Award for outstanding volunteer contributions to NORDP. We honor Christina in the cameo below.
Who: Christina Papke, Research Development Officer
Where: Texas A&M University
Number of years in research development: 3
Length of NORDP membership: 3
What recommendations do you have for members to get more involved with NORDP?
One great way to start getting involved is to find small ways to jump in and contribute. Join a committee, begin attending the committee’s meetings/calls, listen, and be willing to share your ideas or begin volunteering for some smaller tasks. Contact your regional representative for ways to get involved with your regional group. Volunteering at the conference itself, including hosting a networking dinner, is also a great way to get involved and meet other NORDP members. Watch the Listserv for ways to get involved with various working groups or conference planning committees.
Additionally, consider joining the Mentoring Program as a mentor or mentee. Your unique skill set can be an asset even if you have only been in RD for a short time. We believe that peer mentoring is a valuable experience where both parties gain from the experience. Please contact me at cpapke@tamu.edu or send an email to mentorprogram@nordp.org to learn more.
How has your service to NORDP enhanced your career?
One of the biggest ways serving within NORDP has enhanced my career is that it has provided opportunities to meet others from across the country doing RD. I have been able to hear a variety of perspectives and ideas, and I feel comfortable picking up the phone to ask questions of my NORDP colleagues. I have also had the chance to be mentored and serve as a mentor for others. Through serving within NORDP, I have had opportunities to build my leadership, communication, and organizational skills, and currently serve as the co-chair of the Mentoring Committee.
How did you hear about NORDP and what made you join initially?
I learned about RD as a career option and about NORDP from a workshop presenter at a medical writing conference. I joined NORDP after starting in my current position because I wanted to meet others in RD, take advantage of the available resources, and learn as much as I could in my new field.
What relationships have you built as a result of NORDP (new colleagues, connections to institutions where you previously had no point of contact)?
NORDP has given me the chance to meet RD colleagues from across the country that I would not have been able to meet otherwise. These interactions both in person and on the phone have been valuable networking opportunities that have helped me with advice on projects and challenges in my career.
I have also built a number of relationships through my involvement with the mentoring program. These relationships both as a mentor and a mentee have represented a reciprocal sharing of ideas that I would not have had access to without NORDP.
Compiled by Daniel Campbell, Member Services Committee
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.
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