Spotlight on Nanc Price, Research Coordinator, CHS Office of Research

How do you describe your work to those who don’t work in your field?

My role is being one part researcher and one part administrator in support of our College of Health Sciences (CHS) research groups. The type of support I provide encompasses a lot of different things, but a main role is facilitating the creation of research hubs that bring together interdisciplinary researchers from different faculties both internal and external to the CHS. These hubs foster the exchange of ideas, resources, and expertise among researchers, academic institutions, community groups, practitioners, and policymakers. It’s really exciting work to support these collaborations.

What led you to your current role?

During my post-doc at the U of A, I noted that my principal investigator (PI) was struggling with the administrative side of being a researcher. Academic research training focuses on developing specific research field techniques and critical thinking skills. But running a research group is like running a business. Project management, financial reporting, navigating through institutional or grant agency policies and other administrative tasks are not part of the science academic training. However, because I grew up in a family business, I had a base admin skill set that I could apply to manage my PI’s research group. In the years that followed, I continued to support other groups, balancing both researcher and administrator roles. When the research coordinator position became available in the CHS Office of Research, I saw an opportunity to go from supporting one or two different research groups to hundreds.

What’s something your co-workers don’t know about you?

I was an ice and ball hockey goalie for 18 years. While I played in various city and provincial leagues, when I was a grad student I would also tend the net at the Clare Drake arena or the Education Gym for intramural hockey games. It was a great mental break from research though my experiments would run during the hockey match and I would head back to the lab to check on them post-game. I bonded with many teammates who were students or trainees outside my research field and I still connect with them to this day. Go BioSci Roaches!

How do you navigate challenges?

Many times challenges feel overwhelming because folks feel that they have to figure things out by themselves. It’s this loneliness that creates frustration, confusion, and extra stress. A key part of my method in navigating challenges involves taking a moment to consider: Where can I ask for help? Who would have insight on this issue? This philosophy comes partly from following the old adage: “If you want to go far, go together.”

What’s your favourite distraction?

Edmonton has an incredible arts theatre community! You’ll always find me at an auditorium, playhouse, event hall, or festival.

If you were enrolling in one course, program, or degree within the College of Health Sciences right now, what would it be?

I am a big fan of the School of Public Health as they offer student programs that connect health to multidisciplinary subjects like environmental (i.e., climate change, water reuse) and social (i.e., legal policies, inequities) aspects that can really open one’s eyes to the interconnected world we live in.