Skip to main content

Career Catalysts

Career Catalysts are a monthly workshop series aimed at preparing trainees for continued career success. The series exposes trainees to different career paths in science and also serves as a forum to host a variety of professional development workshops. The series was created by Northwestern University Center for Reproductive Science programmatic leadership in 2017 after trainees indicated they wanted more practical advice, experiences and reflections from professionals in relevant careers.

View all upcoming CRS events 

Previous Speakers

Speaker & Affiliation(s) Topic Date

Craig Wortmann, Clinical Professor of Marketing and Executive Director, Kellogg Sales Institute, Northwestern University

Storytelling for Interviews

November 2024

Malene Hansen, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Professor, The Buck Institute for Research on Aging

 Grant Writing and Review

October 2024

David Pépin, PhD, Associate Director of the Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratories, Massachusetts General Hospital; Co-founder and Scientiftic Advisor, Oviva Therapeutics

Bridging Academia to Industry

February 2024

Romana Nowak, PhD Professor of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Co-Editor in Chief, Biology of Reproduction 

Mary B. Zelinski, PhD, Professor, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Co-Editor in Chief, Biology of Reproduction  

Peer Review in Academic Scholarship

December 2023

Jason Herrick, PhD, Vice President of Conservation and Animal Health, Omaha Zoo

Nucharin Songsasen, PhD, DVM, Head, Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conversation Biology Institute

Christopher Tubbs, PhD, Associate Director, Reproductive Sciences, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Reproductive Scientists in Conservation Biology

November 2023

Ellen Taaffe, Clinical Assistant Professor of Management & Organizations, Director of Women’s Leadership Programs, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

Constructive Feedback

September 2023

Michael A. Thomas, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine & President, American Society for Reproductive Medicine

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Reproductive Medicine

April 2023

Paula Cohen, PhD, Professor of Genetics, Director, Center for Reproductive Genomics, Associate Vice Provost for Life Sciences, Cornell University

Gary Hunnicutt, PhD, Research Scientist, Department of Medicine, Yale University and the Assistant Director for Research Affairs, Yale Cancer Center

Kelly Mayo, PhD, Dean and Associate Provost for Graduate Education, Professor of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University

Reproductive Scientists in Higher Education Administration

February 2023

Stacey Tobin, PhD, Principal, The Tobin Touch

How to Write a Scientific Manuscript

December 2022

Travis Kent, PhD, Program Officer, Fertility and Infertility Branch, NICHD

Candance Tingen, PhD, Program Officer, Gynecologic Health and Disease Branch, NIHCD

Stephen Ward, PhD, Program Officer, Discovery & Translational Sciences, Global Health Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Reproductive Scientists as Grant Program Officers

November 2022

Gail Berger, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor at Kellogg School of Management and Deputy Director of the Kellogg Center for Executive Women

Saying Yes, Saying No: Doing "more" with intentionality and purpose

September 2022

Leah Lebowicz, MS, EdD, CMI, Program Director, Biomedical Visualization, Biomedical and Health Information Sciences & Clinical Assistant Professor, Biomedical and Health Information Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago

Biomedical Visualization 

 April 2022

Emily Copeland, Associate Director, Science Communication Network

Social Media for Scientists

February 2022

Rebecca Willingham, CRS Program Assistant, and MFA Directing Candidate, The Theatre School at DePaul University

Storytelling and Presentation Skills in Science

December 2021 

Sha Norman, Equity Outreach and Education Coordinator, Northwestern Office of Equity

Frameworks and Tools for Identifying and Interrupting Microaggressions

November 2021

Molly Beestrum, MLIS, Education and Curriculum Coordinator, Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

Utilizing Library Resources to Maximize Your Academic Potential

September 2021 

Teru Jellerette-Nolan, PhD, TS (ABB), Associate Director, Medical Science Liaison, Reproductive Medicine/Maternal Health, Ferring Pharmaceuticals

From Lab to Pharma: One Scientist's Career Path

May 2021

Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH, Director of and Alison S. Carlson Endowed Professor for PRHE,  Professor, UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies

A Career of Working at Science and Policy Intersection 

April 2021 

Gail Berger, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor at Kellogg School of Management and Deputy Director of the Kellogg Center for Executive Women

Using Your Time Well: Doing "more" through Intentionality and Purpose 

December 2020

Greg Kopf, PhD, Director of Research and Development and Contraceptive Technology Innovation

The Long and Winding Road: A Career in Academia, Pharma and the Non-Profit Sector 

November 2020 

Molly Beestrum, MLIS, Education and Curriculum Coordinator, Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

Utilizing Library Resources to Maximize Your Academic Potential 

September 2020 

Hugh Clarke, PhD, Co-Editor in Chief, Biology of Reproduction

Academic Writing and Publishing, Part 2 

 May 2020 

Bonnie Rochman

 Science Journalism

 May 2020

Hugh Clarke, PhD, Co-Editor in Chief, Biology of Reproduction

Academic Writing and Publishing, Part 1

March 2020

Travis Kent, PhD, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow

Kristin N Smith, Program Manager for Fertility Preservation, Northwestern Medicine

Advocacy and Policy Work 

January 2020 

Molly Beestrum, MLS, Galter Health Science Library

Utilizing Library Resources to Maximize Your Academic Potential 

October 2019 

Michelle Tack, PhD, McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

Small Business and Patents

May 2019 

 James Rea, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, Stony Brook University

Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science Workshop

March 2019 

Sandeep Pawar, Managing Consultant, Navigant Consulting

Consulting 

February 2019 

Elizabeth Jablonski, Director of Graduate and Postdoctoral Training and Development, The Graduate School at Northwestern University

Postdoctoral Roadmap 

September 2018 

Kelly Mayo, Julie Kim, Monica Laronda, Mary Ellen Pavone

Moderator: Francesca Duncan

Academic Career Panel

May 2018 

Melissa E. Resh, Assistant Principal, Brooks College Prep

Careers in Secondary Education

April 2018

Michelle Melin-Rogovin, Senior Associate Director of Foundation Relations, and Nicole Moore, DSc, Director, Office of Research Development (ORD)

Finding and Securing Funding Opportunities 

March 2018 

Timothy V. Duncan, PhD, Research Scientist, FDA

Careers for Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other Government Agencies

January 2018 

Stacey C. Chapman Tobin, PhD, ELS, The Tobin Touch, Inc.

Preparing Manuscripts for Publication

November 2017

Patricia Smith, Research Librarian, Galter Health Science Library

PubMed and Endnote

October 2017 

AbbVie

Iindustry Careers and Perspectives from AbbVie

September 2017 

Follow CRS on InstagramFacebook