Getachew Kassa, PhD, RN, is a successful nurse researcher, scholar, teacher, and mentor. He’s got over a decade of experience working as a lecturer and assistant professor and has authored 88 peer-reviewed publications and counting.
Yet Kassa (image inset in graphic) felt he still had much to learn to maximize his research, which focuses on designing and scaling behavioral health interventions for families of young children from low-income backgrounds; leveraging digital health tools to support children’s social and behavioral health outcomes; and advancing maternal and child health, psychiatry and mental health, and global health.
He registered for Fundamentals of Research Coordination, an Executive Education course at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON), looking to cement his knowledge of building and implementing a successful research study, and doing so in the U.S. after substantial global experience.
(Others who have thrived in the course include working professionals and entry-level associates—research program coordinators, senior research nurses, research program assistants, and registered nurses.)
Kassa left the course impressed at how much there was to learn, how the information was presented, and how quickly he was able to use the knowledge to further his research career.
“What surprised me most was how practical the program was and how much of it I could use right away,” explains Kassa, a research associate at JHSON. “I also learned something new about myself: being meticulous with documentation is one of the most powerful ways I can manage a project effectively. I had not fully appreciated that before. I was also struck by how much responsibility a research coordinator carries, serving as the link that holds the scientific, regulatory, and day-to-day pieces of a study together.”
It is exactly that level of responsibility that makes Fundamentals of Research Coordination so useful and even necessary in a position that offers little opportunity for learning on the job. Even for someone like Kassa, who completed a postdoctoral fellowship in maternal and child health at the Harvard School of Public Health and a postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatry and mental health nursing at JHSON. This was after completing a PhD in reproductive health and earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing.
Fundamentals of Research Coordination is for those who handle the essential, detailed work of implementing a research study: managing grants and budgets, preparing regulatory submissions, writing study protocols, creating data collection forms, managing databases, developing recruiting plans, and supervising others.
Those who complete the course—a blend of online modules, in-person or virtual programming, and research webinars—will have honed the skills and confidence to become indispensable members of any research team.
Fundamentals of Research Coordination also offers an overview of topics needed to sit for the Association of Clinical Research Professional exam, enabling certification. (Already certified? This course also keeps you current in research topics.)
For Kassa, who completed the course in 2023, it presented an ideal opportunity to “bridge the gap between international standards and the U.S. regulatory landscape,” he explains “The delivery was hands-on and clear, covering study budgets, recruitment, informed consent, regulatory submissions, and documentation, and I left with a practical roadmap to manage daily research coordination tasks.”
“The training strengthened the operational skills I use every day, from structuring project timelines and site communications to maintaining clean regulatory files.”
Sign up today for the next Fundamentals of Research Coordination course, scheduled for September 15-17, 2026. For questions, contact the Office of Executive Education at [email protected].
“The training gave me a clear framework for organizing study operations and anticipating recruitment hurdles,” Kassa says. “Sessions on roles and responsibilities, budgeting and finance, and recruitment and retention helped me structure tasks, timelines, and bottlenecks more systematically. As a project manager, I used this to build clear task lists, timelines, and communication plans, which was essential for coordinating the scientific and administrative pieces of the research. Now, as a research associate, I apply these skills to manage a clinical trial and to design grants that align with research coordination standards.”
Full-time Johns Hopkins University faculty and staff and their spouses and dependent children qualify for Tuition Remission after the employee completes 120 days of full-time employment at the university. Retirees, their spouses and dependent children are also eligible for Tuition Remission. Please visit the Benefits website at https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/ for information and requirements.