Nominator 1:
Anna Higbie is an important leader in the IU Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief. Over the past year, she has done a lot to lead her own team as well as filling in as a manager and leader on other teams that were temporarily without a manager. Anna is friendly and very approachable. Her offers to help are sincere, and she generously extends those offers to everyone within the center. I am constantly impressed by her work ethic and her ability to manage so many things at once. Anna continues to grow as a leader and research professional, and I expect to see her do great things in her career.
Nominator 2:
As a manager of two study teams in IUCAR at Regenstrief, Anna juggles several studies with seemingly little to no effort. When challenges arise, Anna demonstrates grace under pressure and tackles them calmly and diligently. She is quick to highlight others’ skill sets and enjoys reaching out and collaborating to complete tasks and achieve goals. Anna likes to learn and grow and is an expert in building REDCap databases. It is always enjoyable to collaborate with her on projects. After the DEI sessions, Anna continued the conversation of DEI and culture within her teams and IUCAR. In each meeting, Anna creates a positive and inclusive environment for all to provide feedback and improve. Additionally, Anna is constantly looking out for her fellow staff members, whether it be helping in reprioritizing and shifting tasks to achieve goals or providing professional development opportunities to grow or encouraging to take time off to recuperate. Anna wants others to succeed.
Nominator 3:
Anna is a research manager who is currently managing several projects. Her work ethic is something to mimic. She displays enthusiastic teamwork, great personality and has a strong sense of urgency when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion. She leads several teams within IUCAR at Regenstrief on best practices relating to microaggressions. I admire her dedication and the sincerity she possesses when discussing such a sensitive subject. She’s a great person to work alongside.
Nominator 4:
Anna has been instrumental in helping the Brain Safety Lab in a time of transition but also has been superb in providing support to IUCAR at Regenstrief in parallel. She’s truly an inspiration in her work ethic along with her drive to promote a better workplace with striving for psychological safety awareness along with providing microaggression training. Anna always provides incredible insight and value to our conversations that better our team insurmountably. I am always wowed when Anna chimes in with deeper thinking that is invaluable for our team but also my professional growth and learning. I truly don’t know what we’d do without Anna and am so happy to have had the opportunity to work alongside her.
Nominator 5:
Anna has had a swift progression to a manager role in IUCAR at Regenstrief, and it is rightfully earned. She has developed expertise in the fields of research, data management and regulatory guidelines. She also seeks opportunities to further develop her innate expertise in communication and team building. In addition to her own research team, she offers management consultation to several other teams in the center. Anna has developed SOPs for onboarding staff, study start-up, and implementing DEI principles in research teams. She has implemented a book study to support staff development and is currently working to implement it center-wide. She is always seeking opportunities for professional development for herself and staff and readily shares information with the IUCAR community. Anna is highly respected by the IUCAR faculty, and her consultation services have been requested for smaller or less-experienced teams. Anna has been invested in the DEI efforts at Regenstrief Institute and has implemented additional training and practices within IUCAR. We are fortunate that she has accepted a post on the DEI Committee starting in January 2023.