MaineHealth Institute for Research Community

  CAREERS WORKING LIFE I prioritized my research at the expense of my health—until I crashed 14 APR 2022 BY  MINGDE ZHENG After drawing blood and running a CT scan, the doctor had questions for me. “What is a typical day like for you?” he inquired. “I am a graduate student with a packed schedule that usually keeps me at work late into the night,” I replied. Next, he turned to diet. I paused when this question came, embarrassed by my answer. “I only have coffee for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, I usually grab something from a fast-food vendor on campus.” The doctor seemed aghast. As more questions followed about my stress levels and lifestyle, my unhealthy state began to sink in. It was easier to live a well-rounded life and stay healthy when I was an undergraduate student. I had fewer responsibilities—succeeding in classes was the main priority. I lived in a dorm with resident assistants who advised us about our personal lives, showing us where to eat and exercise. The cafe...

 

  04-21-22 CAREER EVOLUTION Why female employees are seen as ‘uncommitted’ when they are not overqualified Hiring managers must be careful of how they qualify female candidates’ versus male candidates’ levels of dedication. BY ELIZABETH CAMPBELL The   Great Resignation   wasn’t a choice for many women. From historic labor shortages   at childcare centers   to unpredictable school closures, the pandemic reduced already limited options for working mothers, who are   twice as likely   as fathers to scale back their career or leave the workforce due to a lack of childcare. More people are becoming aware of the barriers that women face advancing in their careers. But a looming question is: Will firms help or hinder women’s attempts to recover the momentum lost when they were pushed out of the workforce? Organizational initiatives  focused on increasing awareness of gender inequality are popular—if not entirely effective. But  research  I cond...

  Are you interested in biomedical entrepreneurship or the path to commercializing your research?  Apply today to participate in our intensive summer bootcamp:  Kickoff Meeting June 2 (4-6 PM) |  Bootcamp June 20-24 Registration for the course is free!   Through this course you will learn how to:   1.  Evaluate biomedical invention readiness, 2.  Evaluate the market for biomedical invention, 3.  Increase attraction for investors, 4.  Select an appropriate commercialization path for the biomedical invention to reach the customers (e.g. patients), 5.  Develop a technology roadmap for longer-term growth, 6.  Identify and acquire financial (federal and private) and human resources.   This intensive team-based course will also feature a seminar series with academic founders who have started companies to get their discoveries to patients!   The deadline for application is  May 15.   To App...

  By Tim Huff TLG Senior Consultant Ok, folks. Let’s return to the basics. How many times in the last week have you heard someone say, “we had a communication breakdown”, “no one told me about that”, “I thought he was taking care of that”, or some other well-used phrase to explain why an action was not completed? How often do we point to communication being the cause of failure? As the famous line from Cool Hand Luke goes, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” At all levels of an organization, from the front lines to the boardroom, communication failures can be argued as the single largest obstacle to accomplishing goals.   Back to the Basics Having learned most of what we know as kids, communicating is fairly basic stuff, but as a leader, you need to pay close attention to the basics when communicating. When delivering a message, regardless of the audience or communication method, it is always important to be as clear as possible. The clearer the communication, the...

  In a recent survey by Gallup, 96% of executives believed that remote workers are at a disadvantage compared to their on-site counterparts. This survey is reflecting the growing connection conundrum resulting from a mix of hybrid, remote, and on-site work environments. Remote and hybrid work environments seem to be here to stay with more than half of today’s companies being hybrid or fully remote. Many communication & connection challenges persist, including employee engagement, isolation, onboarding struggles, and more. We decided to ask our experts what some issues they were seeing regarding interpersonal connections, and what we might be able to do to improve those connections moving forward.   Answers From the Experts:   Lyn Turknett, Co-founder and Co-chair, TLG   With the current mix of remote, hybrid, and in person work environments, what barriers and challenges to interpersonal connections are you seeing? There are multiple challenges as we move into a d...

  Happy Monday, MMCRI Hope everyone is remembering to take care of yourselves Some suggested actions  here  * Related pieces  here ,  here ,   here  and   here What Makes a Good Job Good? *These suggestions might not be supportive to you, and that’s ok!! Drop us a line to tell us about what’s been supportive to you.   Self-Reflection Quotes of the Week: “What is empathy? Empathy is the process of learning how to decenter yourself to create the capacity to show up for others suffering from exclusion – while also reminding them that they are not alone. This act of empathy is not about forgetting yourself because it takes a very secure person to set aside being seen for a moment to see others fully.” – Terence Lester   Moments of Inspiration:   Mills signs bill to fix Passamaquoddy water crisis in culmination of years-long campaign   NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins celebrates ‘milestone’ for diversity in space industry ...