CCOS is pleased to continue our hub spotlight series featuring the innovative clinical and translational science coming out of the CTSA Program. Here we feature Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s work to build both capacity and confidence in scientific writing among its staff.
The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is leading a transformative effort to enable staff development through scientific writing. By offering structured training and peer-mentorship, the CTSI is building institutional capacity and fostering a culture where staff are equipped to contribute meaningfully to scholarly communication and dissemination.
A Vision Rooted in Capacity Building
This initiative began in December 2023 with the Manuscript Writing Team Management Workshop, hosted by Duke CTSI and led by Cinthia Sanchez, Ph.D., Stephanie Freel, Ph.D., P.M.P, and Amanda McMillan, M.P.H, M.A. The event brought together 15 staff members to explore the fundamentals of collaborative manuscript development and team-based writing strategies.
Aptly titled “Herding the Cats: The Art of Managing a Writing Project Team,” the workshop introduced 15 staff members to the complexities of collaborative manuscript development.
The session covered essential topics such as:
- Understanding the scientific literature and the publication process
- Authorship criteria and ethical considerations
- Defining roles within a writing team (e.g., first author, writing project manager, senior author)
Participants learned practical strategies for managing multi-author publications, determining author order, resolving authorship disputes, and maintaining momentum throughout the manuscript lifecycle. The workshop emphasized the importance of clarity, collaboration, and accountability—skills that are especially valuable for staff contributing to programmatic, operational, or translational science publications.
Building on the momentum of that workshop, Duke CTSI partnered with Duke AI Health to launch the Foundations of Scientific Writing for Staff Members course, led by Shelley Rusincovitch, MMCi, FAMIA. This course was designed to provide a foundational introduction to scholarly writing in biomedical research settings. Developed through the Duke AI Health Community of Practice in collaboration with the CTSI, the course equips staff with the knowledge, mentorship, and tools needed to actively participate in developing, authoring, and publishing scholarly works—including posters, abstracts, and peer-reviewed manuscripts.
Course Structure and Philosophy
The course is structured around a culminating class project in which participants select a topic of interest—ranging from formal research to educational or operational innovations—and develop it into a formal poster. These posters are then presented in a showcase event, giving staff the opportunity to share their work with peers and leadership.
Instructional content is delivered through 4–5 virtual sessions that blend lectures with interactive discussions. Each session was designed to reinforce learning through hands-on application and peer feedback. Topics include:
- Introduction to scholarly writing and peer review
- Organizing and structuring scientific content
- Writing abstracts and IMRaD-style papers
- Visual design and scientific graphics
- Publication practices and authorship ethics
Impact and Outcomes
Since its launch, the course has been offered twice, with a third session planned for fall 2025. Participation has grown to include staff from across Duke’s research enterprise.
The results speak for themselves. Evaluation surveys show that participants consistently report increased understanding of key scientific writing concepts. In the winter 2023–2024 course, 100% of respondents reported improvement in at least one area, with 79% noting gains in six or more. In fall 2024, 75% of respondents reported improvement in five or more areas.
Participants shared that the course helped them feel more confident in presenting their work and better equipped to contribute to scholarly projects. One participant noted, “I feel much more equipped and less afraid to present in the future.” Another shared, “It helped me develop a concrete communications tool for sharing programmatic achievements and also lessons learned during a five-year program pilot phase.”
These publications reflect the meaningful contributions staff are making to the scholarly landscape, transforming training into tangible research outputs.
From Training to Publication
The initiative has already led to a growing body of peer-reviewed publications authored or co-authored by staff. Below are just a few examples:
- Sperling, J., Quenstedt, S., Leiro, A., Muhigaba, P. B., & McClernon, F. J. (2024). Development of TRACER: A Translational Research Accomplishments Cataloguer for Clinical and Translational Science Award hub activity tracking, evaluation, and decision-making. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 8(1), e114.https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2024.545
- Efird-Green, L., Marion, E., Willis, D., Gierisch, J. M., & Corsino, L. (2024). Designing and implementing a community-engaged research e-library: A case study for adapting academic library information infrastructure to respond to stakeholder needs. College & Research Libraries, 85(7), 994–1005. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.85.7.994
- Sperling, J., Quenstedt, S., Glauber, K., Muhigaba, P. B., Ghanem, E., Saxena, T., Rodriguez, V., Sanchez, C., & McClernon, F. J. (2025). The Translational Science Promotion and Research Capacity (T-SPARC) framework: Developing institutional capacity for translational science. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2024.563
- Muhigaba, P. B., Sperling, J., Taylor, S., et al. A qualitative evaluation of the community engagement research support voucher program. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. (in press).
Looking Ahead
Duke CTSI’s investment in staff development is more than a training program—it’s a cultural shift. By creating space for staff to grow as scholars, the institute is strengthening both individual careers and the broader translational research ecosystem. This is what capacity building looks like in action: collaborative, intentional, and impactful.
