Surgery Grants & Contracts Team Wows at National Council of University Research Administrators Conference

Congratulations are in order for our remarkable Surgery Grants & Contracts team for their well-deserved recognition at the National Council of University Research Administrators Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.

Research Manager Hang McLaughlin, M.Ed., Post-Award Project Manager Mellani Lubuag, and Pre-Award Coordinator Sarah Nelson, PhD, were present at this year's conference. Mellani serves on the Region IV Board, and Hang was recently elected Secretary of the Executive Board.

Many applications were submitted for the conference's travel awards, making it all the more impressive that both Sarah and Mellani were selected. Sarah received the 2026 John Philipps Region IV Travel Award for $1,500 to attend the Spring Meeting in St. Louis. Mellani received $2,000 to attend the National Annual Meeting, which will be held in New York in August.

Additionally, Mellani and Sarah gave a joint talk as part of Sarah's capstone project for completing the 'Mentoring Our Own' program as a mentee that was both well-attended and well-received.

The team was also involved in making the 310-person conference possible, with Mellani serving as Volunteer Coordinator and Hang as the Program Co-Chair.

Beyond this, Hang taught two workshops, presented two talks, and moderated a Q&A panel.

Congratulations again to the team for their accolades and for representing the Department of Surgery in such an exceptional light!