Team science will — does — play an important role in modern biomedical research. Team science is a key part of our Transforming Research Initiative strategic plan, which is complete and will be disseminated soon. And at IUSM, we’re determined that team science will not be just a buzzword.
That commitment is why we’ve arranged for Michelle Bennett, deputy scientific director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to visit the campus on Monday, Sept. 9, for a full day — a very full day — of presentations and meetings on this important topic.
The implications of team science go well beyond the logistics of putting together a multi-disciplinary group of researchers and telling them to have at it. What makes an effective team, and why do some succeed and others struggle? What are the implications for publishing, promotion and tenure? What sort of support must come from institutions like IUSM if teams are to succeed? What does an emphasis on team science mean for our traditional methods of mentoring and training the next generation of scientists?
Everyone in the IU community is invited to attend Dr. Bennett’s town hall presentation that morning starting at 8 a.m. in Walther Hall — you can register here. I can’t think of a better way to start the week than with one of the co-authors of Collaboration and Team Science: A Field Guide. You can download it here, and I urge you do so.
Also, we’re recommending that people visit the NIH’s team science web site before the presentation.
I hope to see you on the 9th.