ASHA’s 10th annual Lessons for Success research workshop brought together 33 emerging scientists and 16 experienced researchers to enhance knowledge and skills in grant preparation, development and management of successful research programs, and advancement of professional research competencies.

Participants in the intensive three-day meeting, held in April at ASHA’s national office in Rockville, Maryland, included PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior-level faculty who have demonstrated promise for a productive research career. A list of participants and faculty, plus additional information about the program, is available at ASHA’s research webpage.

Through roundtable discussions led by conference mentors, participants learned about managing the challenges of balancing research, teaching, service, and life; training and mentoring students and staff; publishing their research; tenure and their institution’s priorities; negotiating for success; and establishing partnerships with colleagues, clinicians, and industry.

In presentations, mentors discussed the major sections of a grant—such as specific aims, abstract, significance, innovation, and approach—to help participants understand how to communicate the most important information in each section.

The mentors conducted several mock reviews of participants’ grant proposals. The participants then had the opportunity to serve as reviewers in mock review sessions after they had observed the mentors’ review. Viewing a grant from a reviewer’s perspective can help grant writers to organize and clarify key elements of a proposal.

Every year, two participants from previous workshops are invited to return and share how they leveraged what they learned from Lessons for Success into funding success. This year, 2010 Lessons for Success participants Emily Plowman, an assistant professor at the University of South Florida, and Audra Sterling, assistant scientist at the Waisman Center of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, described how Lessons for Success helped them to focus their research and communicate its significance more clearly, select a grant mechanism appropriate for their career stage and institution, make the most of their post-doctoral years, and guide their collaborative efforts more effectively.

Funding agency representatives presented information about funding mechanisms available from their respective agencies—National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Institute of Education Sciences, National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research, National Science Foundation, and American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation. Participants also met with the research funding agency representatives during a roundtable session.

Participant Megan Dunn Davison expressed the value of the conference. “Overall, my experience was absolutely amazing,” she said. “I came back feeling incredibly excited and motivated to tackle another grant—and this time with more focus and clarity.”

Lessons for Success is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation supported research travel stipends for seven participants. The workshop is planned and coordinated by the Research and Scientific Affairs Committee, chaired by Holly Storkel of the University of Kansas; the Lessons for Success Planning Committee; and ASHA’s Academic Affairs and Research Education Unit. More information about ASHA’s research education, mentoring, and award programs is available at ASHA’s research webpage.