Meet RTI's Passionate Team

Being able to travel to several African countries (12 to be exact) to provide onsite project support, auditing assistance and logistics training and seeing firsthand the challenges our international projects face on daily basis. I was also able to see how our work as an organization affects people’s lives and helps them improve their health, education and wellbeing. I am very proud of the work RTI accomplishes around the world and how our team can help be part of such a noble mission of improving the human condition and delivering the promise of science for global good. 

What I cherish most about RTI is the culture. When I joined the RTI team in July 2022, I initially worked remotely from Charlotte, NC. However, I was eager to immerse myself in the RTI experience, so I made the move to the local RTP area in January 2023. Being on the RTI campus has been fantastic; I've had the opportunity to meet colleagues face-to-face, and I must say, our campus is stunning. Attending events and building connections in person has been a game-changer, something I may not would have had the chance to do while working remotely. I genuinely love the culture, the beautiful campus, and the strong sense of community that RTI embodies.

I have the privilege of supporting RTI’s Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) strategic investment. Designing and testing innovative approaches often falls outside of routine programming. The NTD SIF provides an opportunity to stretch, take risks, and experiment with new innovative ideas. We are in the final stages of validating the TT Screener. In collaboration with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, we leveraged machine learning technology to detect trachomatous trichiasis, the painful end stage of the NTD, trachoma. The TT Screener will be incorporated into routine activities within USAID’s Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases | East program this year. It is a notable example of moving an innovation from the incubation stage to routine programming. 

Since my first day working at RTI, I have always felt seen and supported. My managers and peers have always made me feel welcome and heard.  RTI makes an effort to check in with their employees at multiple levels to make sure they are happy and satisfied with their jobs.  What I love most about working at RTI is being given the opportunity to explore different aspects of my field while doing fulfilling work.  I have been given opportunities to further my career in multiple directions and am always given the support and space to do so.  In the brief time that I’ve been working at RTI I have already been able to learn many new skills and have helped lead multiple meetings, teams, and projects. RTI has allowed me to grow and flourish professionally in a comfortable and supportive environment while helping others in a meaningful way. 

What I enjoy most about working at RTI International is the opportunity to explore my research interests while contributing to a variety of impactful projects. I am passionate about chronic disease prevention, healthcare technology, and alleviating health disparities. As an economist within the Health Economics Program, it has been great to work on projects focused on these topics. Two of my favorite recent projects have involved projecting cardiovascular diseases and risk factors over time and estimating the costs of a national PrEP program for HIV prevention. These experiences have helped me grow as a researcher and writer and I am excited to continue learning through my work at RTI.

I had never expected being able to work in research – I was a parole officer with a master’s degree and a knack for data collection. Getting hired by and working for RTI changed my perception of my career potential. In my first year, I developed and contributed to multiple proposals for large federal grants, assisted in developing a novel research methodology, and contributed to projects across a variety of portfolios. Crucially, my more senior colleagues guided and mentored me throughout those processes. With their support and the array of resources embedded in RTI’s training structure, I was able to confidently transition from being a practitioner to a capable researcher. The prospect of holding new, challenging roles on projects at the forefront of my field continues to drive me. I feel privileged to be doing this work, generally, but also alongside subject matter experts under the same mission. I’m here to stay.

My two favorite things about RTI are the people and the culture. I have the privilege of working everyday with curious, kind, understanding, and patient people. And RTI encourages growth and discovery, enabling staff to explore new interests and talents. I feel grateful to work in an environment that provides room to try new things, without the fear of failure.

One thing I've enjoyed about my time with RTI is that I am constantly learning. I've been with RTI just over two years now and I'm still learning new things and being encouraged to grow in my skills and abilities. 

What I think separates RTI from other companies in our field is the balance RTI offers. I get to do work that I care about, find value in, and genuinely helps others while also being supported and encouraged to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

As someone who loves to teach and help others, I get great joy and satisfaction when you see that light bulb come on in someone’s head. It is satisfying that I get to use my teaching skills at work each day. I get to help take confusing concepts and make them understandable for others. I get to help others connect dots in our somewhat complex processes and systems. When I have been able to share a nugget of information which will impact another person’s work for the better that is all I need to keep going. I continue to grow my career at RTI because I get opportunities to teach, help others, solve problems, and interact with wonderful people. RTI really is a great place to work.

My lab studies the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychiatric illnesses. Our goal is to develop pharmacological treatments for substance use disorders, stress disorders, and pain disorders. I have always been curious about the structures of human and animal behavior, and I was thrilled to discover that there were biological rules guiding behavior in the brain. Developing new ideas for grants and projects is one of my favorite parts of my work. When I’m looking for inspiration, I read across multiple fields to spark ideas, explore historical literature for lost insights, dive into available datasets, chat with friends and colleagues, and then disconnect to give myself time to digest the information.

The research spectrum (also known as “bench to bedside”) refers to the process of taking basic science discoveries from the laboratory and population-based studies and translating them into actionable strategies that inform public health and clinical practice. This process is complex, lengthy, and involves many disciplines, and it is core to RTI’s mission of improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. For example, in our studies of genetic conditions, our team is multi-disciplinary with expertise including, but not limited to, molecular and computational biology, genetics, epidemiology, statistics, bioinformatics, psychology, genetic counseling, and bioethics. We deliver solutions to clients that contribute to points along the research spectrum from making genetic discoveries to translating that new knowledge to help affected individuals, families, and the population at large.

RTI’s mentoring program has had a huge impact on my career. Having the perspective of someone outside of your daily work that is there specifically to guide you and give you feedback is a true gift.  I had one mentor that modeled feedback very well and helped me work on giving feedback differently. Every meeting I have had with each mentor contained an “ah-ha” moment. I hit the mentor jackpot because I had the courage to start the conversation and approached it from a place where I genuinely wanted to grow and to put in the hard work. Sometimes they were simple realizations, but other times they were career changers.

Public health is the perfect way to understand societies. I have witnessed firsthand how public health efforts move countries from one level of sophistication to the next. Kenya today is at the threshold of embedding top notch digital health solutions into patient and public health management and administrative workflows at scale.  National deployment and use made possible by sustained digital health interventions which started some 15 years ago. Pursuit of such impact in limited resources settings, has molded me into a social engineer. I set out to plant seeds of change and work with political and technical systems to make incremental changes. I know it takes time and takes strong organizations like RTI International and people to move the needle.

I am most proud of all the HR system implementation projects I have had the privilege of leading and being a part of at RTI. Nothing makes me happier then to be able to provide efficient and effective systems to our Global Talent Acquisition team to enable them to do their work easily and bring the best people to work at RTI. Through these implementations, we have been able to support the Institute’s strategic goal of consistently creating digital transformation with our systems thereby leading to better candidate and employee experiences which are critical for RTI’s success.

The key issues I have sought to address in my career and in our justice work at RTI are how our society and criminal legal systems advance justice. Our justice work at RTI includes understanding the needs of communities as they relate to safety and resilience, examining how public safety and criminal legal systems respond to issues of crime and violence, and then leveraging those foundations to develop an evidence base to promote safety, equity and fairness in how we respond to crime and violence.

I am most proud of the psoriasis projects I’ve worked on at RTI. Early in my career, I inherited a project to develop a cost-effectiveness model for psoriasis. The project spanned into several adaptations, add-ons, and related projects. The study drug received approval for psoriasis and other indications in the U.S. and abroad. I remember being excited when I saw a commercial for “my drug” on TV. I gained a lot of exposure to the therapeutic area, working with clients, and collaborating with my colleagues. I was also afforded the opportunity to travel to present my research at professional conferences and build sincere connections with great people.

My team and I are very passionate about advancing our practices and data systems such that data can be reused beyond its original purpose and ultimately drive better decisions. To do this we work collaboratively across SSES to bring subject matter expertise, data and technologists together to support clients making this transition. This collaborative approach to further data-driven scientific enquiry and to inform our public health decision making is what makes this work so fun and exciting and provides novel value for our clients.

Developing new technology for alternative fuels requires constant innovation to overcome the technical barriers for the new technology to help make it economically competitive with conventional gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels. Not only do you need to know about the technology you are developing but you have to have a deep understanding of the current petroleum fuel technologies. This way you can adapt analytical methods, chemistry, and catalysis from the petroleum industry to biofuels. Innovation is required to creatively take advantage of what is available and minimize the technical risk for integrating biofuels technologies into petroleum infrastructure. At RTI, we are fortunate to have capabilities and facilities that cover the micro-scale to pilot scale. Our goal is to reduce the technical risk to minimize the financial risk of scaleup.

Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are a huge pillar within our organization and represent approximately 30% of RTI employees. Our ERGs truly advance employee’s inclusion and understanding by engaging with them based on their experiences and the identities of their diverse colleagues. This is so important to have, because it creates a strong sense of belonging in the organization which is ultimately what employees are looking for where they work. The creation of internally diverse organizations helps people feel more engaged and welcomed, which leads to higher levels of retention and career growth. As we take intentional steps to support and nurture our ERGs, RTI will continue to flourish and grow into the organization we want to become. 

While in the past, seeing a woman in a lab coat was always something out of the ordinary, in our Herbert Labs, this is all we see. Our biomedical team is made up of nine amazing women creating change in the world by developing diagnostic and therapeutic solutions to combat disease and improve the human condition. While some are working on a Subcutaneous, Long-Acting Implant for sustained drug release, others are working on alternatives to pulmonary drug delivery.

RTI stands out from its competitors globally in its willingness to invest, its willingness to invest internally, and its creative approach to team science. In my years at RTI, I have been able to work across departments and programs and business units to work on much larger problems and programs. I have worked  to facilitate laboratory accreditation programs  for the federal government. I've worked to develop bodies of knowledge for focused areas of industrial hygiene work. The best thing about working at RTI is that it gives you these collaborative opportunities. There are opportunities to use your own skills, but there are opportunities to learn and grow because you're working with just really talented people across RTI.

My biggest area of focus right now is how to support our staff and new leaders and increase engagement as we navigate a shift to more telework. As someone who has never been located at the RTI headquarters, I’ve always been invested in strong connections with people in other locations, but this is an important culture change for many. So far, we are trying to bolster the onboarding experience, increase attentiveness to day-to-day project connections, and plan gatherings regularly and in different locations.

ERGs offer staff a safe and nurturing place to develop and grow. The Black Employee Resource Group (BERG) is where I was afforded opportunities to develop as a leader based on my skills, abilities, and potential, rather than solely on past performance. BERG and other ERGs are where missteps and mistakes are viewed as a rite of passage on the journey of learning.  They are a place where RTI’s future leaders can experiment and learn, benefitting them as individuals, their colleagues, and RTI as a whole.

ERGs also provide members a sense of community where their uniqueness is shared, and challenges are understood. This allows them to have real, in-depth conversations about opportunities for the institute and the support to turn those ideas into reality. This is also why their perspectives are valued and sought on a variety of client projects, practice areas, and initiatives throughout the institute. 

RTI uses the 70/20/10 model for professional development, with the 20% of time focused on exposure, networks and communities of practice. As a relatively large organization, I needed a catalyst to expand and engage with new relationships. I needed perspectives from other parts of RTI to ground my thinking. The Mentoring program at RTI provided me a platform and process to engage in this type of professional development and provide it to others. I believe in the power of these 1:1 connections and relationships and have watched them pay off year-over-year. I genuinely think the mentoring program at RTI is one of the reasons I have felt prepared and supported for leadership roles. I have also learned a ton from my mentees. They have shaped and guided my perspectives on the organization just as much as any leader or manager. Having an advocate, sounding board and confidante can help you gain new perspectives about ideas, paths and situations that you may not have recognized or that may not make sense to you.

At RTI, I have had the privilege to devote time and energy to helping the RTI community critically think about how we carry out our mission “to improve the human condition” in the context of the continued mis- and under-representation of LGBTQIA+ individuals in research settings. As a queer-identifying researcher, this effort is of great personal importance for me, as debates about the legality of my identity permeate society, leaving many intervenable LGBTQIA+ disparities unaddressed. I hope to use this personal drive to improve the human condition by contributing to the development and implementation of inclusive research practices that meaningfully advance LGBTQIA+ equity. I feel fortunate to have been able to conduct this investigation and share these findings with my colleagues at RTI, and I look forward to continuing similar work exploring how we as a research community can strive to meaningfully improve the human condition for all individuals.

A major accomplishment of our ERG that I would like to highlight is how we’ve been able to support our members’ and other colleagues’ well-being through our events. We have hosted well-being experts like Monica Shephard from TRUE at our General Body meeting where our members were able toreceive and share guidance on well-being tips, practices, and resources. We have hosted numerous fun, community-building events like BERG Care Circles and on-campus lunches. We have been intentional about hearing from our members about their social and emotional well-being needs and how the BERG can support them on their well-being journey. We look forward to continuing the emphasis on collective and individual well-being in the new fiscal year as well.

As an ERG, the BERG offers the opportunity for members to connect with each other across the institute, making new connections and opening up new opportunities, both for leadership within the BERG and more broadly, through networking and educational events the BERG and our strategic partners may offer. Additionally, members can contribute to BERG initiatives through committee work and through making their own needs and suggestions for BERG events and activities to make RTI a more supportive workplace for Black employees.

My workplan for my Fellow appointment focuses on creating the JustResearch Scholars program, which will meaningfully enhance RTI’s capacity to conduct culturally relevant, equity-focused, anti-racist research by building a talent pipeline for people who have been incarcerated and who want to pursue research careers. One of the most impactful, immediate ways an organization can actively work against systemic oppression is to intentionally hire, mentor and promote people who have a history of involvement with the criminal legal system. Through the JustResearch Scholars program, RTI will create an innovative model for advancing science by providing meaningful professional opportunities for researchers with deep experience of the systems they study, who will become leaders in transforming science-informed responses to poverty, homelessness, violence, health inequities, injustice, and other forms of oppression.

So many people have helped me succeed at RTI with my dyslexia that I wanted to help others with their disability or help them have the same type of success. The most rewarding aspect is hearing that our work is making a difference. As you may know, the last President’s Forum was the first one to have live captioning or CART. Shortly after the forum, a co-worker reached out to me and said that this was the first time they felt they could fully participate and that meant a lot to them. Something small that went unnoticed for probably 99% of us made all the difference for this person being able to take part in an all-staff event.

Through a clear definition, we will have a shared understanding of what accessibility means and a criterion to measure our actions against. Through building respect, we will have the support we need to advocate for ourselves and others, and through empowerment, employees will have the resources and knowledge we need to bring accessibility to all areas of RTI and our clients’ work.   

One component of the RTI Fellow Program application is a proposed work plan that you would pursue should you become a Fellow. The workplan is an opportunity to think about how to solve big problems. As I contemplated what to focus on, I looked back on my career as a behavioral health services researcher and the state of behavioral health care services in the United States. I was disappointed that although my research had contributed to improving access to treatment, it didn’t seem like outcomes from mental health and substance use disorder treatment were improving. That led me to develop a workplan focused on creating tools and incentives that would hold mental health systems accountable for outcomes, not just inputs. These tools would also help those delivery systems to learn and improve over time.

One aspect of my research focuses on microplastics and the impact of plastic pollution on human health and the environment. One of the questions I am trying to answer is if toxicity of microplastics is driven by the physical particles or the chemicals on or within the particles? I investigate this question utilizing tools in analytical chemistry and toxicology. And because of this work, I get to change my community for the better by working at RTI International. It's very exciting to have the opportunity to be a part of research that is fulfilling and communicate information gained from these findings that's important for the public. RTI has provided a wonderful opportunity to be a part of a team that explores different areas of science in order to improve human health and the environment.

Knowing that RTI had an ERG for LGBTQIA+ employees made me feel more confident in my decision to join RTI. I moved from NYC to work in RTP, NC and I needed to know I could safely be myself at work. I found a community within the Pride ERG early in my tenure and I am grateful for the relationships I have forged through the ERGs.

The Pride ERG does an excellent job in making RTI a safer, more inclusive environment for myself and other LGBTQIA+ staff members. Even outside of ERG specific activities, I have seen the names of many members advancing LGBTQIA+ equity into their work, which is more important than ever before. I am grateful for the outlet and the community that the Pride ERG brings to our workplace.

We have a growing and vibrant culture of veterans at RTI. Our Veterans and Allies Employee Resource Group, VALoR, regularly solicits ideas about how we can be more inclusive of the military, and we see nothing but support of military friendly activities from our leadership. RTI has done a tremendous job in welcoming people with military experience and in helping them translate their skills to the RTI culture.

RTI reminds me in many ways of the military. You have individuals here from many different backgrounds coming together for one purpose, and the work ethic and attention to detail that you develop in the military are valued here. I’ve been able to flourish because RTI appreciates self-motivation and a willingness to get out of your comfort zone. I’ve found RTI to be a great place for veterans.

I came to RTI because the mission of improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice aligned very well with my values and what I did during my time in Service. In addition, RTI has very capable staff along with strong, local academic/industry partners and is close to key military locations such as Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune. It’s a great place to work if you want to help change the world.

I study air pollution and how the air pollution impacts human health. We are using various technology to measure our exposures to air pollution accurately so we can understand the magnitude of the problem and deliver the data to the scientific community and also the community of concern so we can help them understand and help solve the problem.

I'm very passionate about understanding how people are exposed to air pollution and the health impact. Understanding those factors will inform us how to improve, how to mitigate those factors.

My work is to provide solutions to business problems faced across the world in the course of project implementation. This involves understanding the challenges faced by clients and colleagues and designing solutions to address the needs. Most of the solutions have been tech-oriented, but not necessarily always.

I develop software applications, both for web and mobile, that are used in data collection, analysis and reporting. Due to the nature of the places we work in, most solutions are geared towards resource constrained environments (e.g., spotty network connectivity, low end devices and lack of consistent power supply, to name but a few).

Another aspect of my work involves managing cloud environments, mainly in Amazon Web Service (AWS), and being the first line of tech support in case of issues with deployments and availability of the various services and applications run by projects.

My ultimate goal as a research chemist is to make significant progress on one of several problems which seem important to the human condition. One of the most important problems is lowering the cost for CO2 capture so that it can be deployed as fast as possible so that we stay below our 1.5 C emissions inventory limit. Without significant movement addressing CO2 we have only 5-10 years left to begin to reduce industrial CO2 emissions and bridge us to even better solutions in the future.

Another important problem is the advancement of catalysts for the utilization of CO2 to make sustainable products such as polymers, synthetic fuels, commodity chemicals and building materials which would overall consume CO2 in manufacturing processes and provide useful products for human prosperity in which CO2 is permanently sequestered.

A third goal is to develop an advanced sorbent for phosphorous recovery from water resources which have been negatively impacted by runoff. Phosphorous is important for farming and plant growth but its presence in water leads to harmful algae blooms and cascading negative impacts on aquatic life.

RTI offers a challenging environment and endless opportunities for growth and development.  As an analytical chemist you will have the opportunity to learn to operate various instruments used to measure pollutants that impact air quality, water quality, toxicology, and environmental health. RTI promotes curiosity and anyone regardless of your experience level is encouraged and can apply for internal research funding to develop new methods that improve our detection and understanding of various pollutants in the environment.  RTI supports these research efforts by providing funding, investing in state-of-the-art instrumentation, and providing on-site education and training. RTI cares about staff and invests in science and people to improve human condition and address some of the most critical problems that our world faces.

It is a privilege to work with individuals who dedicate their lives to creating positive learning environments for impressionable minds in our schools. Knowing each morning that I have another opportunity to do or say something that could change the mindset of educators in providing a quality, meaningful educational experience for ALL students propels me to do this work even more.I am grateful for leadership at RTI who encourage me to be myself and push me to stretch outside my comfort space.  They and others continue to serve as the stimuli that cause me to grow both professionally and personally. As a result, I have acquired my doctorate and a management position in my first five years at RTI.

Mentoring is a wonderful way to network and add structure to what would otherwise be random, casual friendships at RTI. In taking advantage of the wide range of learning and social offerings, I wanted to formalize connections so that there’s a clear path for me to extend as well as assist along my career path. The RTI Mentor program gives me purpose and direction in pursuing, establishing, and fostering relationships. Your achievements don’t (and will not) happen alone, and you can amplify and improve your work by taking advantage of mentoring. As long as you have enough courage to be your authentic self, you’ll ‘find your flock’ and your career will soar. There’s no rejection in finding a mentor – only a better fit with someone else.

We see equity tangibly in our work in the way we hire people and the way we determine if someone deserves a promotion or not. Both of them are based on whether somebody has the capabilities and skills to be hired or to be promoted.

If I am not using objective competencies upon which to evaluate them if I'm just sort of making it up as I go along with a very subjective set of criteria, then I'm not going to be practicing equity. But if I look at an objective list of the the skills that I need for this hire and I compare all the candidates against those objective competencies and then choose based on who's the most excellent or the best at those, then now I'm making an equitable decision.

In the last three years, RTI has made a dedicated effort to enhance the workplace equity and outcomes of Black staff. In the process the benefits have extended to not only other people of color but all our Employee Resource Groups, and all people of RTI. This work is a long-term commitment the entire institute, and I am thankful that our Executive Leadership Team is in strong support of the work of racial justice and equity. I am excited and inspired to see that the benefits of racial justice work, and equity continue to create benefits for our Black staff, all people of color, and all populations that are represented within our diverse international workforce. Together at RTI we are working toward a better tomorrow, and one in which RTI continues its journey to becoming a truly equitable workplace for all.