Our lab is growing! In our Three Questions series, we’re profiling each of our members and the amazing work they’re doing.

Today, we’re highlighting Lauren Maggio, a professor of medicine and associate director of scholarly communication at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. In this post, she tells us more about the work she’s doing as a research associate at the ScholCommLab, and offers wise words for maintaining a manageable yet fulfilling academic career. 

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Q#1 What are you working on at the lab? 

I’m excited to be collaborating with the lab on two different projects. I am working with Juan Pablo Alperin and a team of journalists, health communicators, and computer and information scientists to explore the sharing of health research in the changing media landscape (for example, the use of preprints and the dissemination of science via social media). I am also collaborating with Stefanie Haustein on the Metrics Literacies project. We hope to improve the understanding and appropriate use of scholarly metrics in academia, specifically the H-Index.  

Q#2 Tell us about a recent paper, presentation, or project you’re proud of. 

I’ve recently been studying the responsible conduct of research—especially responsible authorship—using surveys and qualitative interviews. I’m proud of this work because it has enabled me to give voice to researchers who feel that they have suffered in the authorship process, for example, by being forced to add authors undeserving of authorship to a paper or being left off articles that they contributed to.) The results have inspired me to advocate for a broader conversation on this important topic. 

I’m proud of this work because it has enabled me to give voice to researchers who feel that they have suffered in the authorship process… The results have inspired me to advocate for a broader conversation on this important topic.

Lauren Maggio

Q#3 What’s the best (or worst) piece of advice you’ve ever received? 

Early in my career, my mentor encouraged me to retain at least a little bandwidth at all times to ensure that I would always have the flexibility to say yes to a project that truly excites me. While this has meant sometimes saying no to opportunities, it has helped me avoid the disappointment of turning down those that really matter to me.

Find Lauren on Twitter at @LaurenMaggio