Trained as a molecular oncologist with a focus on genetic susceptibility to cancer, I discovered during my PhD training that my passions were not at the laboratory bench. Yet, my experience in collaboratively pursuing of the localization of and characterizing the human BRCA1 gene, set the stage for my future. It was true then, and I believe it is even more true today, we can accomplish more together than any one of us can accomplish alone.
I spent two years as an independent researcher before heading to the National Cancer Institute to support a newly formed organization that brought basic scientists together with clinical researchers into a single organization. The goal of this novel merger was to facilitate translational research. It was there that my interest in what was contributing to successful team functioning was sparked. What led teams to flourish or fail? What were they doing differently? How could those secrets be shared?
Over the course of my journey, two experiences further fueled my interest in helping people – especially researcher and those working in research organizations – attain their personal and professional goals. The first was becoming a Certified Executive Coach and the second was understand the essential role mindset plays in both our relationships and the work we do together.
These are the major milestones that have brought me to where I am today and may provide some insight into my interest in helping others achieve their goals.
Select Publications
Contributions to Collaborative Team Research:
1. Bennett L. A framework for developing team science expertise using a reflective-reflexive design method (R2DM). Humanities
and Social Science Communications. 2023 November 10; 10:810. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-
023-02298-2#citeas DOI: 10.1057/s41599-023-02298-2
2. Schwarz RM, Bennett LM. Team effectiveness model for science (TEMS): Using a mutual learning shared mindset to design,
develop, and sustain science teams. J Clin Transl Sci. 2021;5(1):e157. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8427543.
3. Bennett L. and W. Wilkinsky. The Sacred Cow of Transferability: Why Training in One-on-One Coaching is Not Sufficient for the Team Setting. Philosophy of Coaching: An International Journal. 2025 November; 10(2):127. Available from:
https://philosophyofcoaching.org/ DOI: 10.22316
4. Bennett L. How to Succeed at Collaborative Research Great Britain: Bristol University Press; 2025. 292p.
Available from: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/how-to-succeed-at-collaborative-research ISBN: 978-1529252699
5. Collaboration and Team Science: A Field Guide, Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health; 2018. 142p.
Contributions to Science:
1. Miller GW. Integrating exposomics into biomedicine. Science. 2025 Apr 25;388(6745):356-358. PubMed Central PMCID:
PMC12930644.
2. Miki Y, Swensen J, Shattuck-Eidens D, Futreal PA, Harshman K, Tavtigian S, Liu Q, Cochran C, Bennett LM, Ding W. A, et. al. A
strong candidate for the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1. Science. 1994 Oct 7;266(5182):66-71. PubMed
PMID: 7545954.
3. Bennett LM, Brownlee HA, Hagavik S, Wiseman RW. Sequence analysis of the rat Brca1 homolog and its promoter region.
Mamm Genome. 1999 Jan;10(1):19-25. PubMed PMID: 9892727.
4. Bennett LM, Haugen-Strano A, Cochran C, Brownlee HA, Fiedorek FT Jr, Wiseman RW. Isolation of the mouse homologue of
BRCA1 and genetic mapping to mouse chromosome 11. Genomics. 1995 Oct 10;29(3):576-81. PubMed PMID: 8575748.
Bennett L. Maximizing Collaborative Creativity: Learning and Practices for Instilling an Intentional Team Culture. 1 ed. In:
5. Barrett, J.C, Davis, B.J., Bennett, L.M. Pregnancy and Protection from Hormonally Associated Tumor Development. Epidemiology 14:139-140, 2003
Kalamazoo College, BA in Biology and French
Upjohn Company, Research Assistant
French Governmental Internship, Lyon France
University of Wisconsin - Madison, PhD in Oncology
National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, Postdoctoral Fellow
2000-2002 | Independent Investigator, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
2002 - 2010 | Deputy Director, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute
2008 | Certified Executive Coach, Hudson Institute of Coaching, Santa Barbara
2010 - 2015 | Deputy Scientific Director, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, NIH
2015 - 2021 | Director, Center for Research Strategy, National Cancer Institute
2020 - 2021 | Chief Innovation Officer, Acting, National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH
2022-2024 | Sr. Vice President, Roger Schwarz and Associates, Chapel Hill, NC
2021-Present | Owner and Chief Executive Officer, L.M. Bennett Consulting, Potomac MD
