Research Skills Courses
Essentials
R-Award Spring Seminar Series
This seminar series is designed for UC Davis faculty who are preparing to write and submit their first NIH R-award. You can take any or all of these courses, depending on your needs.
Session 1: Research Strategy: Significance and Innovation
Presented by Erica Chedin, Ph.D. and Colleen Clancy, Ph.D.
Introduction to writing the Significance and Innovation sections of the NIH R01 Research Strategy, with a focus on clearly articulating key gaps in knowledge, the importance and novelty of the proposed work, and the potential impact of the project, while highlighting scientific rigor.
March 4, 2026 - 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Research Strategy: Data Analyses and Writing the Approach
Presented by Cyndi Schumann, Ph.D. and David Rocke, Ph.D.
Introduction to designing rigorous research plans for the NIH R01 Approach section, with a focus on integrating experimental design, preliminary data, feasibility, data analyses, and alternative strategies in a clear, reviewer-friendly framework.
April 8, 2026 - 10-11:30 a.m.
Session 3: Preparing to Submit Your R01 Proposal
Presented by Heather Hughes, Ph.D., Alyssa Bunn and Cyndi Schumann, Ph.D.
Introduction to proposal submission requirements and internal processes, with a focus on constructing NIH-compliant budgets, developing realistic timelines, and clearly justifying budget requests across the full funding period.
April 29, 2026 - 10-11:30 a.m.
Session 4: Biosketch Revisited
Presented by Dan Starr, Ph.D. and Sheryl Soucy-Lubell, Ph.D.
Introduction to developing a strong NIH Biosketch, with a focus on tailoring content to the specific application, strengthening the Personal Statement, strategically using the Contributions to Science section, and highlighting recent, high-impact publications.
PLUS: Q&A Session: Open forum for questions on NIH R-award proposal development and submission.
May 27, 2026 - 10-11:30 a.m.
Please Note: All sessions are hosted via Zoom, and are not recorded.
Please direct any questions to: ucdhsfacultydevelopment@health.ucdavis.edu
NIH OITE: Tips for Effective Conversations
Offered by the NIH OITE. Discusses best practices for communication with mentees.
Courses for Clinical Researchers
2020 Grant Writing Bootcamp
The highly-interactive GWB is designed to increase participants’ knowledge of (and facility with) the grant writing process, covering everything from finding funding to managing time, writing drafts, and soliciting feedback. Suitable for researchers and creative practitioners of all disciplines and skill levels, participants who complete this series will walk away with a rough draft of the grant proposal of their choice.
Presented by: Faculty Development
Access Archives of Recorded Bootcamp Sessions Download the Grantwriters’ Workbook
Communication with Angry Patients Through Deescalation
Patients in the health care setting sometimes experience anxiety for a variety of reasons. A newly diagnosed illness, separation from loved ones, threat associated with diagnostic tests or surgical procedures, and expectations of life changes are just a few factors that cause anxiety. How successfully a patient copes with anxiety depends, in part, on previous experiences, the presence of other stressors, the significance of the event causing anxiety, and the availability of supportive resources. The nurse can be a support to the patient. The nurse helps to decrease anxiety through effective communication. Communication methods reviewed in this skill will assist the nurse in helping an anxious patient to clarify factors causing anxiety and to cope more effectively. There are four stages of anxiety with corresponding behavioral manifestations: mild, moderate, severe, and panic.
Estimated duration: 30 Minute
Audience: All faculty
Training organization: UC Davis Health Center for Professional Practice of Nursing
Diversity and Inclusion
National Institute of General Medical Sciences: Culturally Aware Mentorship
Sherilynn Black, Ph.D., and Angela Byars-Winston, Ph.D., describe the value of cultural awareness in mentorship. They also review highlights from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report on effective mentorship and discuss resources on culturally aware mentorship for mentors and mentees.
Supporting Students with Disabilities in an Online Environment
Student Disability Center (SDC) faculty forum conducted for the College of Biological Sciences on March 26, 2020.
Presented by: Student Disability Center
Advising Graduate Students Conference: Inclusion, Bias, Allyship, and Upstanding
Speaker: Pablo Reguerín - Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. UC Davis
Session Moderator: Brad Wolf - AGS Steering Committee, Senior Academic Advisor, UC Davis Graduate Studies
Watch the Recording
Graduate Studies
Advising Graduate Students Conference: Inclusion, Bias, Allyship, and Upstanding
Speaker: Pablo Reguerín - Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. UC Davis
Session Moderator: Brad Wolf - AGS Steering Committee, Senior Academic Advisor, UC Davis Graduate Studies
Advising Graduate Students Conference: Remote Advising in Unprecedented Times
Speakers
- Ellen Hartigan-O'Connor, Ph.D. - Associate Dean for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars, UC Davis Graduate Studies
- Slande Erole - Graduate Student Assistant to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Chancellor, Political Science Ph.D. Candidate
Session Moderator: Wallace Woods - AGS Steering Committee, Senior Academic Advisor, UC Davis Graduate Studies
On-Demand Modules
Process Mining: Data Science in Action
Computational thinking is the process of approaching a problem in a systematic manner and creating and expressing a solution such that it can be carried out by a computer. But you don't need to be a computer scientist to think like a computer scientist! In fact, we encourage students from any field of study to take this course. Many quantitative and data-centric problems can be solved using computational thinking and an understanding of computational thinking will give you a foundation for solving problems that have real-world, social impact.
In this course, you will learn about the pillars of computational thinking, how computer scientists develop and analyze algorithms, and how solutions can be realized on a computer using the Python programming language. By the end of the course, you will be able to develop an algorithm and express it to the computer by writing a simple Python program. This course will introduce you to people from diverse professions who use computational thinking to solve problems. You will engage with a unique community of analytical thinkers and be encouraged to consider how you can make a positive social impact through computational thinking.
The course is at an introductory level with various practical assignments.
Computational Thinking for Problem Solving
Process mining is the missing link between model-based process analysis and data-oriented analysis techniques. Through concrete data sets and easy to use software the course provides data science knowledge that can be applied directly to analyze and improve processes in a variety of domains.
Participants will learn various process discovery algorithms. These can be used to automatically learn process models from raw event data. Various other process analysis techniques that use event data will be presented. Moreover, the course will provide easy-to-use software, real-life data sets, and practical skills to directly apply the theory in a variety of application domains. This course starts with an overview of approaches and technologies that use event data to support decision making and business process (re)design. Then the course focuses on process mining as a bridge between data mining and business process modeling.
The course is at an introductory level with various practical assignments.
Maximizing Mentoring Relationships
Led by Sharon Milgram of the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education, this workshop provides best practices in mentorship including topics such as setting expectations, stereotype threat, and imposter syndrome. Focus is on mentorship of undergraduates, however the information is relevant to all mentors.
Presented by: GradPathways Institute