Strategies for Success: Writing Retreat Guides Junior Faculty Through Grant Application Process
Summary
- The Miller School and the UM Writing Center organized a writing retreat to help junior faculty with grant proposal writing.
- Nearly 40 Miller School faculty members attended the retreat, with goals ranging from polishing manuscripts to discovering strategies to advance their careers.
- UM faculty members discussed research databases, artificial intelligence and scholarly writing.
Writing successful grant proposals and, subsequently, publishing in peer-reviewed journals are benchmarks of success—and discovery—at academic medical centers. But the process can be daunting for junior faculty.
The Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the UM Writing Center clarified what can be a mystifying process with a writing retreat to support and empower faculty to achieve their academic goals.
“As our faculty balance their many priorities, scholarly work tends to be set aside,” said Joan St. Onge, M.D., M.P.H., senior associate dean for faculty affairs and professional development and professor of medicine and medical education at the Miller School. “This retreat offers attendees a break from their everyday activities to gather as a community, set up a writing routine and get started on their respective scholarly work.”
Nearly 40 faculty members joined the two-day event at the Calder Medical Library. Their goals ranged from finding time in their busy schedules to focus on starting or polishing manuscripts, applying for grants, developing successful outlines and discovering strategies to advance their professional careers. The retreat also provided information on grants and awards available through support from the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations.
“We want to ensure our junior research faculty can leverage their expertise to achieve funding from sources where their work might resonate,” Dr. St. Onge said. “The landscape is changing. It’s not just about the innovation and challenge of conducting research but also about identifying new funding opportunities. This adds another layer of complexity for faculty at all career stages.”
Faculty members at the retreat discussed their writing strategies, including changing one’s environment or stepping away from content before reviewing. They also shared their personal roadblocks, such as not knowing where to start, the reality of dealing with rejection and how a step-back approach can often help.
“I truly value the curated space for transparency among the group to discuss barriers and challenges in developing strong, consistent writing skills,” said Tiffani Houston, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Miller School. “I will establish a solid toolbox and writing plan to reach my goals for the year and now have the confidence and a list of resources to ensure I am able to contribute to scientific literature and advance my career.”
Effective Academic Collaborations
The retreat included writing sessions with an emphasis on focused work and peer feedback. Collaboration was a common theme.
“The pressure to write publications or grants can make academia a very isolating field,” said Tatiana Perrino, Psy.D., associate provost for faculty development and a professor in the UM School of Nursing and Health Studies. “Although we are all focused on our respective work, there are productive benefits to working in groups. Collaboration among yourselves and using the resources available to you allows for developing new strategies, mentoring and building a sense of community.”
Layal Hneiny and Manuel Pasos from the UM library system discussed how research databases and the Calder Library can assist in gathering research information. During the final session, April Mann, Ed.D., director of the UM Writing Center, shared information about articifial intelligence and scholarly writing. Dr. St. Onge provided insights from her own writing career, saying revision, self-reflection and keeping an open mind increase the chances of successful publication.
The writing retreat is one of the many ways the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development champions faculty excellence. Emphasis on career development opportunities and mentorship is another key component of the department. Additional programs include workshops on personal branding, helping faculty articulate and promote their academic identities and guidance on promotion and tenure.
“I really enjoyed these sessions. They were interactive and tailored to each participant’s needs,” said Sanjaya Swain, M.D., assistant professor of clinical urology at Desai Sethi Urology Institute. “I learned that the university has a writing department dedicated to helping faculty improve and refine their work. One of the most valuable takeaways for me was the advice to develop a consistent daily writing habit, which I’m now working to incorporate into my routine and manuscript for IRB approval.”
Tags: Department of Faculty Affairs, Dr. Joan St. Onge, Dr. Tiffani Houston, Grant Writing Workshop