The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) would like to welcome Cathlene Hardy Hansen, Ph.D. (she/her), as IHSI’s new Director of Research and Innovation. In this role, Cathlene will help to lead IHSI’s vision and strategic directions specifically in the areas of development and management of translational research. She will be responsible for developing and maintaining research relationships, new and existing research programs and services, and research goals and policies.
Cathlene is a strategic and collaborative leader in public health, disability policy, and higher education with over 20 years of experience in research development, grant leadership, and inclusive innovation. Before joining IHSI, she was Director and Research Scholar at Indiana University’s Secondary Transition Resource Center, and previously served as Director of Health and Wellness Services and Education at the Indiana University Health Center. Having worked as a consultant in business, government, education, mental health, and law, she is dedicated to implementing positive health strategies, such as appreciative inquiry and community-based participatory action, in her research and practice.
Cathlene received her Ph.D. from Indiana University, School of Public Health; a master’s degree in public affairs from IU, with a focus on conflict resolution and mediation; and a bachelor’s degree in individualized studies, sociology, from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
We asked Cathlene to share a bit about herself as she joins the Illinois community.
What excites you about this new role?
IHSI’s mission and powerful vision for a Translational Research Facility, which will certainly amp up interdisciplinary health research and innovation in addressing personal, public, and planetary health challenges, is what enthusiastically brought me here! Expanding IHSI’s current research support services, education/training programs, and interdisciplinary partnerships across sectors of academics, community, clinical, and industry will have a powerful effect on translating findings into real-life health and wellbeing solutions with individual and collective benefits. I am honored to be part of that mission in action.
What’s one thing you want colleagues and collaborators to know about you?
My personal mission and vision for a better world is evident in my past career trajectory, as I’ve worked across disciplines and traditional silos to form mutually beneficial programs to help all individuals, their families, communities, and the greater society. My career spans from health-related PBS television work, to university public health programs, to disability rights across the lifespan. My experience gathering data and sharing findings in innovative ways that empower participants and illuminate new understanding across diverse groups will support IHSI’s vision.
What do you hope to learn?
I want to make a point of learning from each person I meet, discovering what motivates them and their vision of success from their area of expertise. It is not necessarily what I want to learn, but how and when, from whom, and why. Continually learning from a variety of perspectives, to clarify my own understanding, is key for my role here so I can best support those with whom I work.
Where might we find you outside of work?
I will be outdoors whenever I can. I enjoy live theatre, concerts, and sporting events, but you will often find me working in the yard, running, walking, hiking, biking, and spending time with my son with cerebral palsy—learning to live my life with as much joy as he does.