Collegial Work

For 24 hours, I had in-person time for working with my colleague from Seattle. Our focus was on the KRISP grant, which is clearly at at developmental milestone. And, as milestones go, this one requires careful coordination of activities to make it successfully to the next milestone. Working via distance with only hour long monthly meetings was clearly not getting to the level of detailed planning that we now need.

I need to mention that as we sat in the restaurant, I toasted to our productivity and having fun. So, there was a fair amount of deeper getting to know each other, as happens when the intellectual task ahead requires an unshakable friendship foundation.

We spent time focused on planning what to do about our research assistants, the interested doctoral student, the budget and future manuscript preparation. But mostly, we came to the realization that the health departments were in need of training and support. I had envisioned that the health departments would, by now, be deeply engaged in quality improvement efforts. But, they are are struggling with how to transition the public health nurses from individual and family care to population-focused practice. Not an easy transition by any reckoning. This was not the intent of the grant, but must be addressed in the spirit of the grant  in order to maintain the trust and cooperation of the health departments.  We both become reluctantly resigned to what the next year would likely be like; travel to the local health departments and trainings.

Oh, new blazing new trails is such hard work on so many levels. I just pray I can make a path that is passable to those behind me and of use to those who have not yet ventured out.