To see an inside view of the Research and Coaching Clinic, click here to see more pictures.

Developed in partnership with the Emerging Scholars Interdisciplinary Network (ESIN) at the University of Michigan, the New Connections Research and Coaching Clinic is designed to increase the visibility and enhance the skill sets of early to mid career researchers.

Meeting Highlights and Activities

This year's Research and Coaching Clinic was held during the 2007 American Public Health Association (APHA) conference in Washington, DC. Nearly 80 researchers participated in 3 clinics and gained effective communications strategies, efficient publication writing skills, and advanced methodological training.

New Connections brought together 3 experts who served as clinic coaches. Carolyn Sawyer is a nationally-renowned former network correspondent and anchor who specializes in marketing, advertising, media production, and customized training. Dr. William Waters, Assistant Professor of English at Northwest Missouri State University, co-teaches writing retreats for students working on dissertations, theses, and publications. Lastly, Dr. Tukufu Zuberi is Director of the Center for Africana Studies and Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a highly sought after speaker in the US, Europe and Africa to talk about his work on race and statistics.

The Research and Coaching Clinic evening reception served as a forum for young researchers to network and share best practices with other diverse scholars attending APHA, RWJF program staff, and representatives from other university and governmental research programs. For more information about the New Connections Research and Coaching Clinic or the New Connections Initiative: Bringing Diversity to RWJF Grantmaking and Increasing Secondary Data Analyses, please contact:

Catherine West, Project Director
New Connections Initiative
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Phone: (609) 627-5770
E-mail: rwjf-newconnections@rwjf.org