NORDP 2019 Conference Cameo: Ruba S. Deeb

#NORDP2019 starts Monday, April 29 in Providence, RI. Keep checking back here at the blog and on our Twitter feed (@NORDP_official) for conference updates. Register here: https://www.nordp.org/conferences.
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Who: Ruba S. Deeb, Ph.D.
Where: University of Bridgeport
Number of years in research development: 3
Length of NORDP membership: 2
Number of NORDP conferences attended: 4
How do you unwind? Read novels

Over the last 20 years, I have worked with a diverse team of talented investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College on unraveling the pathophysiology of cardio-metabolic, lung, and neurodegenerative diseases. My experience is associated with extensive knowledge in research design that leads to the successful development of manuscripts for scientific journals, conferences, and for federal and non-federal representatives and donors. In addition, I have years of experience as a peer reviewer for leading scientific journals, a lecturer and presenter at national and international conferences and as a teacher and mentor to students (undergraduate, graduate, medical), interns, residents and postdoctoral associates.

In 2015, I was appointed as the Director of Biomedical Research Development by the University of Bridgeport (UB) to help build a scientific environment that enhances research support for faculty and promotes “team science” and collaborative research programs.  Notably, UB is an emerging research institution where faculty time is consumed by heavy teaching loads. This leaves very little time for research that results in long-term meaningful projects that receive grant funding.  As such, resources for biomedical research at UB are very limited. In 2015 and with the support of UB leaders, I established UB’s first Collaborative Biomedical Research Center, outfitted with state-of-the-art research equipment for use by UB faculty and their students as well as collaborators for conducting their biomedical research projects.

In collaboration with the Director of the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs at the UB (Dr. Christine Hempowicz), we received a NIH Biomedical/ Biobehavioral Research Administration Development (BRAD) grant for enhancing research development and administration at the university. Since receiving the NIH BRAD award, I became a NORDP member in 2016. This was advised by research development professionals to help inspire my strategic design of activities that facilitate team building, creating relationships with the community, attracting research funding, and increasing UB’s competitiveness. Choosing a NORDP mentor (Dr. Brooke Gowl) was great as she was able to help me navigate appropriate funding mechanisms, grant writing workshops, and seminars, as well as offer valuable advice to incentivize faculty to attend workshops and seminars.

Attending NORDP conferences and learning from experts how to find funding opportunities during challenging times, how to launch “Grand Challenges” initiatives, or how to “achieve success with limited resources” are just a few examples of inspiring topics that have helped me to define the building blocks for UB faculty. In fact, due to the value of all of the talks at every NORDP conference that I have attended, my wish is that the organizers can find a scheduling solution that minimizes session overlap and allows attendees to maximize the number of talks that they can attend. This year, I am looking forward to attending as many sessions as possible including the round table discussions – an excellent way to network with colleagues. Finally, I am very happy to connect face-to-face with my NORDP mentor, Dr. Brooke Gowl.

Visit the NORDP Store online now through March 15! We hope to see you at the Conference, which will be held April 29 – May 1, 2019, at the Omni Providence Hotel in Providence, RI. 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 #NORDP2019 updates.

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.