Workshops
Each workshop is tailored for your audience – whether held in a community center, workplace, college lecture hall, K-12 classroom, or virtually in your own living room. Most workshops are also available as one-on-one consultations.
Contact Dr. Healan if you have additional workshop requests or to schedule.
Science Workshops
Is This Drug Safe?
Promote STEM careers in the classroom
Born out of a collaboration with Adventure Science Center in Nashville, Tennessee, this workshop introduces students to the many careers involved in drug development. Dr. Healan applies her experience as a clinical researcher to take students through a mock clinical trial…and all the unexpected events that happen along the way! Students work in groups (Drug Company, Hospital Staff, and Safety Committee) to face common challenges that arise during clinical trials and make recommendations.
Participants: 6+
Duration: 1 hour
Best for: middle school students, high school students
20-Minute Science
Quickfire sessions that ignite
Looking to generate excitement about biology? Nature centers, parents, educators and community leaders will appreciate Dr. Healan’s ability to connect with audiences. A series of customizable, interactive sessions allow her to share science with clarity and enthusiasm. These sessions are a perfect team-building activity or complement to a community event. Past sessions include: Nature Detectives, Choosing Science Jobs, Microbiology Matters, Tennessee Backyard, What’s Inside A Cell?
Participants: 6+
Duration: 20-minutes (3+ sessions recommended)
Best for: community groups, businesses, students of all ages, general public
So You Want to Write a Grant?
Jump-start your next project
Effective grant writing can be a great way to earn funds for new or existing projects, but it is complex! Dr. Healan works with community activists, academic researchers, and non-profits to align needs with common funding agency priorities. This one-hour workshop will take you – or your group – through each element of a successful grant application with your project in mind. You’ll learn how to convert ideas into concrete plans, leaving with grant-ready Specific Aims ready to slip into your next application.
Participants: 1+
Duration: 1 hour
Best for: artists, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, graduate students, community leaders
Demystifying a Scientific Paper
Learn the mechanics and save time
Keeping up on the current research is no easy task. Scientific papers can be dense and tedious – whether reading or writing one. Yet most students and junior staff never receive guidance in how to tackle a scientific article. This one-hour workshop focuses on demystifying peer-reviewed journal articles (primary literature). Participants learn effective strategies to quickly assess scientific merit and interpret conclusions. They also learn efficient approaches to writing up their own projects, including how to manage the peer-review process.
Participants: 1+
Duration: 1 hour
Best for: first-time journal submitters, college students, graduate students, research teams, junior faculty
Music Workshops
Bass-ics
Gain confidence to grab that upright bass sitting in the corner at your local jam and join in! Non-bassists and very beginners will benefit most from this workshop exploring the fundamentals. We’ll cover using your body, effective right- and left-hand technique, and share practice roadmaps so you can start playing immediately. Participants will also receive an illustrated quick-start booklet.
Participants: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Best for: adults of all ages, non-bassists, new musicians
Performance Beyond Play
Notes are important, but stage presence is critical to get gigs and keep them. Together we’ll explore strategies that promote confidence to connect with any crowd. We’ll identify and learn ways to bring out your own unique “X factor” to elevate your performances. Even the most seasoned performers can benefit from a few extra tweaks.
Participants: 1-6
Duration: 1 hour
Best for: new and established ensembles, individual performers