Driving Innovation Through Research
Shannon Cocreham, MBA, manager of research programs at The Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (IEEM), may not wear a white coat. But she helps keep the IEEM’s innovative research work on track as she directs administrative operations to provide exceptional service to faculty, staff, students and post-doctoral researchers, research participants and clinical patients.
The IEEM is a joint program between Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center. Founded in 1992, it has grown into the largest center for the study of human physiology (how the body works) in the United States. Housed on the Texas Health Dallas campus, it is Texas Health’s flagship research program. The Institute has 83 active research studies as well as 16 federal and private grants. Researchers publish 50 papers annually and receive more than 2,000 research literature citations each year for their work.
What did you want to be as a child, and how did you ultimately choose your career?
As a kid, I loved dancing and playing pretend “boss,” much to my siblings’ dismay. While I never really knew what I wanted to be, my career path has fused exercise, performing and leadership. I got a wonderful opportunity right out of college to go into clinical trial monitoring for drug trials. I was immersed in learning the history of health care and quickly gained an appreciation for how far we’ve come in research and development. I’ve been fortunate to parlay my experience in research project management at the renowned Pennington Biomedical Research Institute and the business school at Louisiana State University (LSU) into an administrative role that supports research and clinical work daily.
What is a typical workday like for you?
I’ve been told there are similarities in my day to that of the Leslie Knope character on the TV show “Parks and Recreation.” I switch gears from writing reports and justifications to going to the labs to help fix issues and participating in meetings at IEEM and Texas Health Dallas. On any day I’m handling items related to personnel, clinical and research cash flows, contracts, software system issues, IT processes, facility and equipment issues (there’s a massive set of plans on my desk for our building HVAC renovation), quality and process improvement initiatives, strategic growth and networking. I love the variety and I love my job.
How do you do your life’s best work at Texas Health?
I am able to do my best work because I have a leadership team that encourages work/life balance and is genuinely supportive during times of stress. Perhaps even more important, I work with teams of amazing employees who appreciate IEEM’s mission and are driven to carry out our important work. It’s our employees that make the difference every day.
I strive to be a compassionate, understanding, and motivating coach and to lead by example. To accomplish this, I focus on self-care including getting enough sleep and exercise, strengthened by self-help materials and self-reflection. I try to have healthy work/life boundaries. If I do a good job taking care of myself, then I am in a much better mental and physical state to carry out my roles for IEEM, including supporting our employees in whatever way I can.
How does your work contribute to clinical excellence at Texas Health?
At the IEEM we pride ourselves on conducting our research and clinical activities with the highest degree of quality in a safe environment. We take excellence very seriously as our work translates into improving health care across the nation. My role is to work behind the scenes to help ensure that all faculty and staff have what they need to serve our customers, our participants and patients with the highest standards.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
I’m originally from Baton Rouge and am a huge LSU Tiger fan. When we can’t make it down for a home game, my boyfriend Luke and I watch at a Louisiana-themed restaurant, Dodie’s, on Lower Greenville. I really enjoy exploring all the things Dallas has to offer, including Broadway shows, concerts, comedy shows and restaurants.
I love reading. One of my favorite authors is my grandmother, Eleanor “El” Cocreham, who became a romance writer in her 80s. She’s 90 years old now and has published five books. She’s an inspiration that you can accomplish your goals at any age. I also enjoy travel and dancing. Luke and I are learning the progressive double two-step. It’s a blast!
By Andy Wilson • Posted January 7, 2020
