The mission of the Early Career Networking Group (ECNG) is to foster the development and advancement of early career professionals in the field of rehabilitation. We work together to tackle many of the common career development challenges. Our supportive network of peers provides the necessary resources and networking opportunities to promote successful career growth for rehabilitation researchers and clinicians.

How to Get Involved

New members are welcome and encouraged to join us no matter what career stage you are! Find a task force you are interested in and contact the task force chair. Also, please see below for executive positions we are seeking to fill.

 

Early Career Development Course Task Force

This task force plans the full-day Early Career Development Course held each fall at the ACRM Annual Conference. With particular focus on career development issues relevant to early career researchers, this full-day pre-conference course comprises didactic presentation, panel discussion, one-on-one networking, and small group discussions.

If you want to get involved with the task force for next year, contact Dr. Monique Pappadis.

 

Early Career Communications Task Force

This task force gathers and disseminates important information relevant to career development in the rehabilitation field, including resources on grants and scientific writing; Jobs, Promotion and Tenure; Mentorship; Leadership; Work life balance; Professional Service membership; and News for Clinicians (see below link on This Quarter’s Career Development Resources).

Resources are mostly identified through the Internet; however, members from our group also volunteer to write original articles offering tips and advice on various early career topics from their own experiences. We disseminate information in our Quarterly ECNG Resources and Information Newsletter and in the ACRM Rehabilitation Outlook. We welcome new members, so please email Dawn Neumann if you are interested in joining our Task Force. We hold conference calls every other month, but many of our members contribute mostly through email exchanges.

 

Mentoring Task Force

The mission of this task force is to facilitate the development of mentoring relationships among rehabilitation professionals at varying stages in their career development through research, educational, and clinical collaborative opportunities.

One of our current projects is to get questions and answers for the Ask the Mentor column, which is published in the ECNG Quarterly E-newsletter. Check out this month’s column! We will be focusing on a variety of common early career issues and concerns. So, if you need some advice, please submit your questions to the task force chair, Dr. Brooks Wingo, and we will get those questions answered! Also, if you are interested in joining our TF or becoming a mentor for the column, please contact Dr. Brooks Wingo.

 

Early Career Physicians Task Force

This task force is currently expanding into a larger ACRM networking group, the Physicians and Clinicians Networking Group. However, this larger networking group will continue to have an Early Career Physician Task Force. The focus of the new networking group as a whole will be to:

1. Promote interdisciplinary and inter-professional research and programmatic development
2. Provide platform for networking and mentoring for clinicians and physicians
3. Provide information on what is happening across ACRM
4. Identify resources important to clinicians and physicians at ACRM. Participation in the group is a great opportunity to network across ACRM. We are looking for new members and individuals to be part of the executive committee to guide the direction of the group. Please send us an email if you would like to be involved in the group, so we can start a listserv.
5. If you are interested in an executive committee role please let us know too. We are looking to fill roles for co-chairs-elect (2 or 3 people), communication officer (1 or 2 people), and early career networking group liaison (1 or 2 people). Happy to discuss roles in more detail with those that are interested. For more information, contact Dr. Brad Kurowski.

 

ECNG EXECUTIVE POSITIONS OPEN!!

Are you looking to get more involved in the field of rehabilitation?
Are you looking to build your CV or fulfill your service requirements for tenure?
Or are you ready to network with some of the top professionals in the field?

The Early Career Networking Group (ECNG) has three positions available that could help you achieve any of these goals!!!

Open Positions Include:

• ECNG Chair-Elect
• ECNG Communications Task Force Chair-Elect
• ECNG Physician’s Task Force Chair-Elect

If you are interested in any of these positions or would like more information on the responsibilities, please contact the ECNG Chair, Megan Mitchell.

Involvement in these positions, especially in the early stages of your career, can provide you with important skills, connections and personal growth. Here are just a few ways in which serving in chair positions has helped individuals in their personal professional growth.

How has serving as Chair of the ECNG and Chair of the ECNG Communications Task Force benefited you most?

• Experience as a leader
• Opportunity to make great professional connections/networking
• Adding to Service for Promotion and Tenure
• Recognition from leaders in the field. My contributions as ECNG Chair and ECNG Communications Task Force Chair helped leaders in the field get to know me and respect my work, which I believe was a factor in being selected as the recipient of the Deborah Wilkerson Early Career Award.
  —Dawn Neumann, PhD, ECNG Past Chair and ECNG Communications Task Force Chair
  

 

How has serving as Chair-Elect for the ECNG benefited you most?

• Getting to know colleagues
• Getting to know the ECNG and its task forces, while also learning about ACRM structure and objectives
  — Nora Johnson, MBA, MS, PsyD, Past ECNG Chair-Elect

 

 

How has serving as Chair for the ECNG Physician Task Force benefited you most?

• Provided opportunities for networking, leading to other career development
  opportunities.
• Working with individuals across ACRM that would not have been possible otherwise
• Access to great peers and more senior mentors
  —Brad Kurowski, MD, MS, ECNG Physician’s Task Force Chair
  

 

How has serving as Chair for the ECNG Mentoring Task Force benefited you most?

• Provided external service for Promotion and Tenure
  —Brooks Wingo, PhD, ECNG Mentoring Task Force Chair
  

 

 

 

What skills did this executive position within the ECNG help strengthen for you?

“Leadership and organizational skills.”
—Dawn Neumann, PhD, ECNG Past Chair and ECNG Communications Task Force Chair

 

 

 

“Time management and taking the initiative to start projects.”
—Brad Kurowski, MD, MS, ECNG Physician’s Task Force Chair

 

 

 

“Being present for all the calls and meetings. Also developing good organization and multitasking skills.”
—Chari Hirshson, PhD, ECNG Secretary

 

 

 

“Time management skills, networking and making personal connections, mentoring. It has also kept me sharp and current in the field as I took time off to stay home with children.”
—Megan Mitchell, PhD, ECNG Chair

 

 

 

What other ACRM communities did you get more involved with because of your role in the ECNG?

• ECNG Early Career Development Course Task Force
• BI-ISIG Program and Awards Officer (elected by peers)
• ACRM Membership Committee
• ACRM Program Committee
  —Dawn Neumann, PhD, ECNG Past Chair and ECNG Communications Task Force Chair
  

 

• ECNG Chair has provided me the opportunity to serve as co-chair in the initiation of a new forming Networking Group focused upon technology in rehabilitation.
• International Networking Group
  —Megan Mitchell, PhD, ECNG Chair

 

• BI-ISIG
• Pediatric Brain Injury Task Force
• Pediatric Networking Group
• Co-Chair in the initiation of a new forming Networking Group focused upon physicians and clinicians
  —Brad Kurowski, MD, MS, ECNG Physician’s Task Force Chair