Surgery Grants & Contracts

Hang McLaughlin is the Grants and Contracts Manager for the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota. With over 15 years of research administration experience and through her various roles in the department and central sponsored projects office, she has experience with federal, foundation, and business & industry grants from the proposal stage to award closeout. Other grants experience includes being involved with the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) for over 5 years as a volunteer, presenter, committee member, program track lead, volunteer coordinator, and former Region IV board member.

Sara Donlin joined the SGC pre-award team in late March 2025, and facilitates grant submissions and other proposal requests for her divisions. Prior to Surgery, Sara assisted with research and grant administration at Family Medicine & Community Health, and has previous project management experience in tech marketing. She has a BA in English and is a Critical Language Scholar. 

Mellani Lubuag is a Post Award Project Manager for the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota. Mellani is a certified Project Management Professional with experience supporting sponsored research projects and stakeholders through the post-award lifecycle for federal, foundation, and business and industry awards. She is a National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) member and volunteer, and currently serves as a NCURA Region IV board member.

Sarah Nelson, PhD, is a Pre-Award Coordinator for the Department of Surgery’s Grants and Contracts Team. Sarah completed her PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics at the University of Minnesota and, following completion of a postdoc position, joined the Department of Surgery in 2021. Since joining Surgery, Sarah has continued to build her grant experience through SPA trainings and through participation in the National Training Grant Community of Practice (NTGCOP) and the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA).

Becky Palapala is a Pre-Award Grants and Contracts Specialist for the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota. With over 18 years of experience at the University, she has experience in collegiate development, communications, purchasing, and program and project management.

Skye Reddy is a Grants and Contracts Coordinator providing post-award support within the Department of Surgery. Although she is new to the University of Minnesota, she has previous experience with advancement and individual giving in higher education and has also worked in production management for live theater. In her free time, Skye enjoys reading, taking dance lessons, and following motorsport. 

Kelly Swenson supports the Schulze Diabetes Institute (SDI) for both pre- and post- award grant management. She joined SDI in 2019 and has been working on the grants team since 2021. Kelly feels fortunate to be able to support the work at SDI since she has a personal connection to Type 1 Diabetes and loves working with the researchers who are passionate about finding a cure for diabetes. Her hobbies outside of work include walking her dog, keeping up with her toddlers, and getting outside no matter the Minnesota weather. 

Leo Whitaker (she/they) is a Post-Award Grants and Contracts Professional supporting the Department of Surgery. Leo joined the University with over five years of experience as a social sciences scholar and researcher, leveraging this background in analysis and synthesis to support and facilitate complex research operations. Leo also has a background in project management through her work in community organizing, film production, and live event production, which informs her collaborative and process-driven approach to her work.