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How do you build structure in a setting where project management has never formally existed?
In this engaging session, Christina Nicassio will share her real-world experience developing a small but impactful project management team within a large academic research environment. Through relatable stories, practical tools, and hard-learned lessons, Christina will explore how project management principles can streamline operations, reduce chaos, improve communication, and elevate outcomes — even in highly decentralized, traditionally non-PM settings.

Attendees will gain actionable insights, do’s and don’ts, and a roadmap for introducing project management practices in any organization seeking stronger alignment, clearer workflows, and more predictable results.

Christina Nicassio is an accomplished project management leader with nearly two decades of experience building structure, systems, and operational excellence in complex research and healthcare environments. As a Program Director at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), she has helped shape research operations, strengthen cross-functional collaboration, and implement project management practices in divisions where formal PM frameworks did not previously exist. She has led the development of scalable workflows, resource and effort-tracking systems, stakeholder communication frameworks, and operational infrastructure supporting clinical, translational, and computational research teams.

With a background that includes an MS in Biology, an MBA, and PMP certification, Christina brings both analytical depth and practical execution to her work. She is known for translating ambiguity into structure, building trust across diverse teams, and introducing right-sized PM practices in environments often resistant to formal process. Beyond her professional role, Christina is an active member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Project Management Institute and is passionate about helping organizations adopt people-centered project management approaches.

Christina’s work reflects her core philosophy: project management is not about enforcing process — it is about creating clarity, enabling collaboration, and empowering people to do their best work.