Scientific Communication

The NIH-funded Scientific Communication Advances Research Excellence (SCOARE) program is the translation into practice of over 10 years of research on the links between scientific communication and trainee research career intention. It consists of a 5-hour in-person or 6-hour virtual workshop for mentors of doctoral and postdoctoral research trainees and a companion research study of workshop participants and their research trainees.

In the workshop, attendees learn best practices and strategies for helping trainees develop their scientific speaking and writing skills. It focuses on practical mentoring techniques that can be implemented immediately and are effective, efficient, and accessible to mentors, including tools to:

• Accommodate trainee linguistic differences
• Set expectations and structure
• Give actionable feedback on SciComm
• Develop strategies to increase trainee SciComm engagement
  

The companion research study investigates the translational effectiveness of the workshop in increasing mentoring skills in SciComm and the degree to which those mentoring skills translate to positive trainee outcomes. Confidential pre- and post-workshop surveys for mentors and up to 5 of their doctoral- or postdoctoral-level trainees are delivered online. Compensation for trainees is offered after completion of both surveys; compensation for mentors is offered after completion of the post-workshop survey only. The study is funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R25 GM125640; Cameron and Chang, MPIs) and has received approval from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Institutional Review Board (Protocol #2018-0206).

The workshop is currently being offered online as two 3-hour sessions and is limited to 20 attendees. In order to participate in the workshop, you must be able to attend both sessions (6 hours total).

To receive more information about upcoming workshops, including the link to register, or to request an online or in-person workshop for your institution, please email the SCOARE Team at SCOARE@mdanderson.org.

Other training workshops we can provide for your team include:

For faculty:

• Facilitating SCOARE (open to former SCOARE workshop participants):
  • A train-the-trainer workshop that prepares attendees to facilitate the SCOARE workshop, including organizing and leading a SCOARE workshop, SCOARE workshop content, and how to implement a SCOARE workshop at your home institution. You must be a former SCOARE workshop participant (faculty or admin) in order to train to facilitate the workshop.
  • Length: 3 days (in-person)
  • Participants: 15 maximum
• Scaffolding a Research Project Narrative:
  • A hands-on workshop for faculty on how to guide trainees through identifying and articulating the core elements of their written or spoken research reports.
  • Length: 2 hours
  • Participants: 20 maximum
• Mentoring Science Communication:
  • A workshop on integrating public communication of science skills into training and mentoring.
  • Length: 2 hours
  • Participants: 20 maximum
    
• Organizing an Elevator Speech Program and Competition:
  • A workshop on how to organize a scientific elevator speech program and competition at your institution.
  • Length: 3 hours
  • Participants: 15 maximum

For trainees

• Scaffolding a Research Project Narrative:
  • A hands-on wokrshop for students and trainees on how to identify and articulate the core elements of their written or spoken research reports.
  • Length: 2 hours
  • Participants: 20 maximum
• Scientific Elevator Speech Workshop:
  • A hands-on workshop for students and trainees on how to create scientific elevator speeches.
  • Length: 3 hours
  • Participants: 30 maximum

For more information about the Scientific Communication Advances Research Excellence workshop, contact us at SCOARE@mdanderson.org. This mailbox is checked several times daily. For more information about other communication training workshops we offer, contact Carrie Cameron, Ph.D., PI/PD, at CCameron@MDAnderson.org.