Jessica S. Merlin
My mission is to improve the lives of mid-career and senior academic scientists by a unique approach of pairing career coaching with consulting. I provide strategic support for scientists who want more – and deserve it.
My passion for career coaching and consulting comes from my own experiences. I am a senior academic scientist, and like so many of us, I want to make my impact through moving the scientific needle in my field. I learned early that academia is often built in ways that make this basic goal difficult. In my own work building research programs and centers, and by helping mentees, colleagues, and now clients, I discovered my passion for working with other academics. I pair training and skills in coaching (and in communication as a palliative care and addiction medicine physician!) with consulting that draws on my MBA and 15+ years of academic experience.
It is hard to accomplish any of this without having to negotiate. I have developed a particular love of negotiation, and for doing negotiation-focused coaching and consulting.
My ideal clients are individuals who are figuring out what comes next in their careers. Through coaching, I can help you reflect on your values and goals; through a combination of coaching and consulting, I can help you make your goals a reality.
My background: I am a physician-scientist and Endowed Chair / Professor with Tenure at a major US academic medical center. My training includes
MD, University of Pennsylvania
MBA, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
PhD, Health Behavior, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham
Residency in internal medicine (Penn), clinical fellowship training in infectious diseases (Penn), palliative care (the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine)
Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) fellowship program
My scientific accomplishments:
PI or contact MPI on $20+ million in NIH and foundation grants
including an NIH center grant and T32 post-doctoral fellowship
Mentor to dozens of individuals, including mid-career and senior scientists