1. What is your current role at CMRI?

My role as a Sr. Research Business Partner is to support principal investigators (PIs) in all administrative and financial aspects of their research funding. I help draft the budget as the PI works to submit a proposal, and then I monitor all financial activity during the project period and communicate that activity with the PI regularly. I also assist with the certification for project personnel, applying appropriate effort and contract submission/execution. The Office of Research Business Management team is the conduit between the PI and all other research administration groups that support their work.

2. What drew you to a career at CMRI?

Initially, I started at Children’s Mercy as an administrative assistant in the Research Business Office and was also an administrative coordinator for Neonatology. I decided to pursue my current role in research because I wanted to support PIs in all things administrative and financial so that they may focus more on the science. I take great pride in doing all that I can to lessen the administrative load for our PIs. I have been lucky enough to learn from some very educated and experienced people, including Kathleen Dumont, Melonie Clifton and Mindy Spano.

3. What are your research/career goals?

Within my current position, my goal is to try and be a sponge and soak up as much knowledge as I can. Guidelines around external funding are always shifting and changing, so I set a goal each week to try and learn about three policies or amendments that may be applicable to awards that our PIs hold.

4. What is your favorite thing about working at CMRI?

Very simple, the people. My job is made easier because of the smart and dedicated people that I get to work with every day. It is very motivating to work with people who are excellent at what they do. I also enjoy knowing that I get to play a small part in supporting some really groundbreaking science.  

5. What is on your bucket list?

I love sports, so my bucket list includes being able to go to the FIFA World Cup or Olympics. Lucky for me, both of those events are happening close to home over the next couple of years. I would also love to travel and see other parts of the world, especially Europe.