Originally published on Cornerstone, the CHOP Research Blog.

I composed this profile based on an interview with the fellow.

Excerpt:

The latest translational research project for Rajarshi Sengupta, PhD, just might be his own career. He was inspired to look beyond his current work as a staff scientist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute to get a better perspective of how administrators support clinical research. He will have the opportunity to do so because leaders of the Research Institute’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs selected Dr. Sengupta as a Research Administration Fellow.

“I’ve always done research that’s kind of translational, kind of close to clinical work,” said Dr. Sengupta, who works in the lab of Robert Heuckeroth, MD, PhD, at CHOP studying the development and disorders of the enteric nervous system. “Taking things from bench to bedside takes a long time, though. People who facilitate clinical and translational research as administrators can see the impact of that work on a much shorter time frame than I can with what I’m doing in the lab. That is satisfying, being part of a team that makes things happen for patients.”

Dr. Sengupta begins the part-time, unpaid, six-month research administration fellowship Feb. 8, taking on this role concurrently with his research and other duties as a lab manager. The overall goal of the fellowship program, run by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, is to provide fellows with a broad overview of leadership in CHOP Research Administration with administrative directors in the fellows’ areas of interest.