DU is pleased to host the nationally recognized, five-part Resilient Scientist Series, developed and facilitated by Dr. Sharon Milgram, the former director of the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education.
Mondays, 1 – 2:30 pm MST, starting March 30, 2026 (a weekly series)
Register for one or more sessions in the series:
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The Resilient Scientist Series
The Resilient Scientist: Tools for Thriving in Academic and Research Environments
Science and healthcare careers are filled with challenges, failed projects, critical feedback, disappointing outcomes, difficult relationships, and uncertainty about the future. Because we care so much, these experiences can lead to stress, persistent self-doubt, and burn-out turning our dream career into a nightmare.
Science is hard. You don’t have to figure it alone.
This series is designed to address these realities by focusing on building resilience, adopting healthy mindsets, supporting well-being, and fostering professional growth. Participants will learn evidence-based tools to respond effectively to stress, uncertainty, and change, with the goal of developing a productive and fulfilling career. The content is tailored for modern research and academic environments and provides practical strategies that can be applied immediately and over the long term.
The series is suitable for senior undergraduate students, postbaccalaureate students, graduate students, professional school students, and postdoctoral fellows. While focused on school and work, the realities of current events and applying these skills to our lives, will be also be addressed.
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Resilience Lab Series Units
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Unit I: Resilience and Well-being: The Real Survival Skills
Setback and disappointments are inevitable in school, work and life. While what happens matters – how we respond matters more. In this webinar we will explore key elements of our response to stress, setback and disappointment, with a focus on resilience and professional well-being. We will explore practical habits that can support well-being and promote healthier ways to respond to challenges in educational and workplace environments.
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Unit II: Mind Games: Imposter Fears and Other Unhelpful Stories We Tell
The narratives we create about ourselves, and our situations, shape our self-perception, confidence, and resilience. In this webinar we will define cognitive distortions and imposter fears and explore how they can undermine our confidence and success. We will explore reframing and other helpful strategies for finding meaning and for telling more helpful stories that drive persistence and resilience as we work through setback to achieve important goals.
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Unit III: Assertiveness 2.0: Speaking Up, Even When Power Dynamics Make It Hard
Developing assertiveness is a crucial skill, even more so in hierarchical environments where there may be concerns about damaging relationships or missing out on opportunities. In this webinar we will explore how our views of assertiveness are set and ask whether our approaches are helpful or unhelpful in various situations. We will also discuss practical tools for setting boundaries, articulating expectations, requesting feedback, and navigating difficult conversations with colleagues, mentors, and supervisors. The realities of speaking truth to power will be addressed with the goal of helping you decide when and how to address issues that are important to you.
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Unit IV: Feedback: We Need It, Even (Especially?) When We Don’t Like It
While feedback is required for us grow, it can trigger defensiveness, hurt feelings, and toxic stories that undermine our ability to respond and learn. In this webinar, we will explore how our views of feedback are shaped and why it is hard to hear, (or give) especially in some circumstances and from some individuals. We will discuss feedback models with a focus on staying calm, grounded, open, and engaged throughout and beyond the experience.
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Unit V: You Can’t Sing a Duet Alone: Mentoring Relationships for Long-Term Success
Without mentors you may miss out on receiving critical support, especially when it matters most; however, strong mentoring relationships do not happen by chance. In this webinar we will explore the benefits of professional and personal benefits of mentoring networks and the principles of managing up. We will also explore ways to improve communication with principal investigators and other mentors, ensuring you receive support to thrive academically and professionally. Finally, we will talk about options when important mentors let you down with a framework for addressing concerns as needed.
