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Relationships -�mentors, conferences, and networks, oh my!

March 26, 2025 �MCRB Room 450

STRIDE is supported from funds from the National Cancer Institute Training Navigation Supplement 3P30CA077598-26S1.

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Land Acknowledgement

Towards Recognition and University-Tribal Healing

TRUTH

Office of Native American Affairs�UMN

Očhéthi Šakówiŋ ↗

Wahpekute ↗

We acknowledge that the University of Minnesota is located on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people, the traditional homeland of the Dakota (dah-KO-tah) Nation and other Indigenous Peoples. We acknowledge that this land holds great historical, spiritual, and personal significance for its original stewards, the Native nations and peoples of this region. By offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm tribal sovereignty and will work to hold the University of Minnesota across the state accountable to American Indian peoples and nations. We recognize and continually support and advocate for the sovereignty of the Native nations in this territory and beyond, particularly listening and learning from native health communities. We recognize that land rights are determinants of health outcomes.

Towards Recognition and University-Tribal Healing—TRUTH—project “offers multiple recommendations on how the University of Minnesota community can be in better relation with Indigenous peoples” and is a set of resources and discussions. Please read, listen, and engage with this critical resource and effort.

The University of Minnesota Office of Native American Affairs has resources for students, faculty, staff, and indigenous resources to help ensure respectful relationships with Native communities and people.

The spirit plate is offered in gratitude for the sacrifices and remembrance of ancestors and loved ones who have passed on and share a meal with us.

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Relationships in Partnership

From: Clayton, P. H., Bringle, R. G., Senor, B., Huq, J., & Morrison, M. (2010). Differentiating and assessing relationships in service-learning and civic engagement: Exploitative, transactional, or transformational. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 16(2).

Each benefits, no growth

work within systems

Transactional

Each grows

new systems

Transformational

Lacks fairness

Negative outcomes for one or both parties

Exploitative

Decreasing Levels of Community Participation Increasing

Contractual

Consultative

Collaborative

Collegial

Indigenous

From: Dominique M David-Chavez and Michael C Gavin 2018 Environ. Res. Lett. 13 123005 DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/aaf300

Extractive

Governance

Heidi

As people are getting settled, I’m going to provide a quick overview of one framework that I think helps to illustrate relationships in partnership (of many kinds).

David-Chavez and Gavin’s article about indigenous knowledge systems and inclusion presents a model for climate studies that can also apply to cancer research. In their model, the levels or participation range from:

“Contractual: community members contracted to perform tasks, researchers make all decisions
Consultative: community members asked for opinions and consulted, decisions made by researchers
Collaborative: community members and researchers work together, researchers have primary authority over the process
Collegial: Community members and researchers work together, community members have primary authority over the process
Indigenous: Process is centered in Indigenous value systems and haptoral context, community members have authority over the research process”

Notably, these all align from transactional to transformational (possibly exploitative) in Clayton and all.

Clayton and all in their 2010 article looked at service learning partnerships of community partners to measure if partners saw their collaborations are transactional or transformational, or uneven – as exploitative. I’d like to give you some illustrative examples relevant to cancer research at various scales.

Let’s consider an individual experience hiring a staff person with new expertise to a research group. Exploitative be when either the staff person or the research group has ongoing negative outcomes due the relationship in some way (pay, interactions, recognition or attribution for their work, etc.). Transactional is when the staff person and the research group both benefit, but it’s a straight forward contract and exchange of services or ideas with limited or no change due to the work. Transformational comes about when the staff person and the research group both grow as a result of their interaction and relationships while establishing new systems. Notably, transformational systems often come about when there is an appreciation of difference in culture, skill, or knowledge when there is learning and growth. Transformational systems are inclusion in action – an appreciation of difference that leads to new outcomes.
On an organization-to-organization collaboration. An exploitative relationship is lose-win (overall). Transactional partnerships are those that are generally beneficial for each party – the benefits may vary, but it is largely win-win. Transformational partnerships are when collaborators change the way they work through the partnership and relationship to do this, organizations need to be open to new ways off working. Clayton and all found that most organizations had transactional relationships, but wanted transformational collaborations.

Still, there are times when people just want a transactional service. Apart from exploitative, neither transactional or transformational relationships are necessarily negative.

Next, we will start with introductions

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Practical Stories and Experiences �about Research Relationships

Story � to shed light on an issue

Cautionary Tale

What NOT to do*

* But people still do it anyway

Exemplar

What to do

We want to focus on practical stories and experiences about research relationships of many kinds

- mentorship

- going to conferences and network events

- day to day work of research groups and labs

- partnerships and collaborations

While I started with a framework about the different types of partnerships, we want our panelists and you to have the flexibility to talk about your experience. As you talk, please highlight exemplars of great examples of what to do (“best practices”), feel free use short stories to shed light on an issue or highlight an experience, and include cautionary tales as well. We want to dwell on the exemplars - what to do, but if there’s a story that reveals a common issue that inhibits relationships, please share it.

We will accept questions and comments throughout the panel. To allow sufficient time, please keep comments to a minimum and allow for the exchange of ideas about building strong and mutually beneficial relationships.

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Panelist Introductions

David Largaespada, PhD �Interim Deputy Director, Masonic Cancer Center�Medical School (Pediatrics)�College of Biological Sciences

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Kim Mansky, PhD�K-R01 Program Director, Mentoring Co-Director & several other training programs�School of Dentistry�

Beth Thielen, MD, PhD�2024 Mentoring Pathways Leadership Program Participant�Medical School (Pediatrics)

Dana Carroll, PhD�Director, Tobacco Research Programs, Masonic Cancer Center�School of Public Health (Epidemiology)

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Wyatt Pickner, MPH �Research Manager�American Indian Cancer Foundation�(AICAF)

Biographies are linked to the panelist photo

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What have you learned from partnership(s) with Native communities?

What are some highlights that led up to your R01?

How can an institution like the U of MN be better partners with Native communities and/or organizations?

R01 �Randomized Clinical Trial of a Culturally-Tailored Suite of Smoking Cessation Resources for American Indian Persons

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What have you learned in establishing research relationships and partnerships?

With industry?
With other researchers?

Within MCC?
Within the UMN?
With people at other institutions?

With funding agencies or program officers?

Largaespada Laboratory

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What have you learned about �mentoring relationships�that everyone should know?

What to some of the best mentors do?
What to early career researchers do to make the most of mentoring?
How is advising and mentoring different?

Largaespada Advising

Statement

Thielen

Lab

MINNE-�LOVE

K-R01 Transition to Independence Program

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What do you recommend to initiate new connections at conferences or symposia?

What did someone do with you to initiate an interesting conversation that led to a relationship?
What do you do to prepare for conferences or symposia to help you connect?

2025 MCC Research Symposium April 22

Register by April 11

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Discussion

What questions do you have for each other?
What would you like to see the Masonic Cancer Center do to support building relationships across researchers?

MCC Events (public)

STRIDE events calendar �for cancer researchers

March 31:

Respect in authorship and ownership

April 15:

Time management for busy researchers

Due April 14, 2025

MCC internal grants �for members