November 14, 2024: Thank You, CRU!
The Aston Clinical Research Unit (CRU) team has played a crucial role in CMRU's development. Their collaboration has been instrumental in our success, both during our early stages and continuing to the present day. We are deeply appreciative of their support. As part of our annual tradition to celebrate the spirit of gratitude, we come together for a shared meal. This year, as in previous years, we savored delicious Indian cuisine, indulged in cake, and engaged in meaningful discussions. The gathering was filled with warmth and camaraderie, reflecting the strong bonds we've formed over time.
Thank you CRU Team: Hong Li, Mishel Davis, Peter Gales, Luis Madrigal, Macy Fitch, Grace Thompson, Congling Wang, Bernice Matthew, Valeria Natividad and Kobe Romas
June 28, 2024: Multi-Celebration Event
Reflecting the dynamic and evolving nature of our team, we celebrated several key milestones in our members' careers. Katarina Yaros, M.D., graduated from her program with CMRU, having significantly contributed immensely to our lab’s radiological investigation study readings and analysis. Neil Keshvani, M.D., was promoted to Assistant Instructor after completing his Cardiology Fellowship, marking an exciting new chapter in his professional journey. As some members move on to new opportunities and endeavors, this transition showcases their growth and the diverse paths they are pursuing.
We are also thrilled to welcome new members to the CMRU family: We are thrilled that Anand Jain is back full time with us after spending some time as a student intern last year. Alvin Chandra, M.D., has been part of the team but now officially tagged in directing the Research Echo side, and Rashedat ‘Kemi’ Ibrahim joining to strengthen our Big Data, Risk Prediction and Epidemiology activities.
This influx of fresh talent and perspectives will undoubtedly enrich our team and drive our mission forward. We wish those moving on all the very best in their future endeavors, confident they will make a positive impact in their new communities.
Street Tacos
The CMRU crew had a blast at an event packed with street taco showdowns. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Wyatt took an early lead, but Pedro, Zubin and Kazim quickly closed the gap. In the end though, Ambarish surged ahead to claim victory and be crowned the ultimate taco champion!
How do you develop a cohesive, effective team during a period of rapid growth?
“Building a highly efficient, openly collaborative, strategic, and creative team within a short time – in addition to the necessary research infrastructure to support its activities – presented an ideal opportunity for a team-centered exercise to establish a positive, inclusive culture that drives innovation,” says Michael Mitakidis, M.D., an Instructor in the Division of Cardiology who heads the unit’s administration and operations. “So we engaged in a creative art activity using color and texture on canvas. Our CMRU team members were able to freely express themselves and celebrate their own unique style in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.”
Facilitated by Nivedita Patni, M.D., an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and an artist and photographer, the event allowed the participants to put aside their research roles for a brief time and enjoy each other’s company while creating abstract art pieces.
“Our research has the potential to impact large populations, so the work can sometimes be intense,” Dr. Mitakidis says. “Team-building exercises like this one can improve problem solving and fuel innovation and productivity.”
Scheduling a two-hour activity can be a challenge because of having to coordinate multiple calendars, he adds, but the effort was well worth it.
“The event added to our team spirit and underscored the culture of collaboration, inclusion, and desire for everyone to succeed in whatever we undertake to do,” he says. “It was heartwarming to see team members interact in a non-competitive setting laughing together and creating deeper connections. We’re so often focused on projects, tasks, trials, and scientific data that dominate our work, so we welcomed the opportunity to put all that aside for a while to engage in a fun, relaxing activity.”
His advice for other teams is to create opportunities to bring members together.
“A happy team performs better,” Dr. Mitakidis says.
