[Julia Miglets-Nelson]

Hi Angela,

We do not have a set curriculum or proficiency expectations for our staff. There are no scientists on staff at the American Brain Foundation, and in fact, nearly everyone is a humanities major. We see this as a positive – our team asks lots of questions of our grantees to understand their work, and staff seek out resources and training on their own. While we don’t have explicit expectations for scientific training/education for staff, there is an expectation to uphold a culture of curiosity. We will also connect our fundraisers and donors to scientific experts on our board and research advisory committee when the need arises.

Staff do not evaluate research, and we use expert reviewers and a research advisory committee to make funding decisions and help “translate” science for our staff. We’re also investing in communications training for our funded researchers to help them share their research and the stakes of their work with non-specialized audiences. We’ve also started interviewing current and past grantees to learn about their research, and we always ask them to explain their research as if they’re talking to a grandparent or child, which often takes a few tries!

Thanks for posing this question – I’m curious about others’ approach!

Julia

JULIA MIGLETS-NELSON, PhD

Director, Research Programs & Partnerships

American Brain Foundation

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