The 2026 Translational Teamwork workshop series highlights the power of team science and cross-disciplinary collaboration in advancing research. Drawing from the Behind the Proposal series by UB’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, participants will explore real-world strategies for building effective teams, navigating conflicts, and fostering a culture of shared success. Through personal insights from principal investigators and research team leaders, the series emphasizes practical approaches to overcoming challenges and maximizing the impact of collaborative science.

This workshop focuses on unique challenges of building and managing research teams that are intended to operate in fast-paced environments and include multiple community and healthcare partners. Dr. Sharon Hewner, PhD, RN, FAAN is a nationally recognized leader in research on community-based care coordination models for complex and high-need patients. She incorporates data mining, cognitive work analysis, and natural language processing to support nurse care coordinators in the development of a comprehensive shared care plan that follows the patient throughout the health care system. Based on examples from Dr. Hewner’s work, workshop participants will learn how to manage cross-disciplinary research teams that span different organizations and how to keep team members motivated and actively engaged in research even if they don’t buy in your idea.

Elizabeth Bengert
Email: ebengert@buffalo.edu