Why Smart Teams Stay Stuck (and how to fix it)
Discover the real reason your team isn’t making progress.
HELLO!
I’m Dr. Maritza Salazar Campo
Whether you’re leading a research lab, running a small project team, or stepping into leadership for the first time, the hardest part isn’t expertise—it’s alignment. You’re managing smart, driven people across disciplines, departments, and expectations. My work helps professionals at every stage turn that complexity into shared understanding, operational clarity, and measurable progress.
I’ve spent more than a decade researching what distinguishes high-performing leaders and teams. I put all of the insights I’ve gained into the curriculum and coaching that I offer so that leaders can clarify their vision, build teams that drive outcomes, and coordinate the chaos that comes along the way.
Research investigators, clinicians, and Fortune 500 professionals who have worked with me see the impact immediately - whether in the form of grant funding exceeding 45M collectively or in project success that keeps them at the cutting edge of transformation and change.
While I draw on theory and data obsessively, I seek to make learning easy and applicable for everyone. No jargon, no hard-to-interpret frameworks, no endless guessing about what to do or say next. Plus, there is always the option to join other members of my learning community to learn together.
A SAMPLE OF TRUSTED CORPORATE CLIENTS:
Most leaders in science know how to solve problems with precision. Few are trained to design and lead complex systems.
As projects scale, grants multiply, and collaborations stretch across departments and sites, the friction shows up in predictable places:
unclear ownership
stalled decisions
fragmented narratives
team misalignment under pressure
The issue isn’t expertise.
It’s structure.
I work with research leaders to build operating systems that match the ambition of their science.
Using research-backed frameworks, we focus on:
protecting your time through disciplined boundaries
realigning teams around strategic questions
translating ideas into coherent research narratives
designing collaboration systems that hold up under pressure
You don’t need to prove expertise; you already have it.
What you need is structure, authority, and durable confidence to lead without depletion.
Selected institutional partners include:
Strategic Science Commons
An accountability-based institute for advancing cures, treatments, and impact-driven science.
PATHWAYS
The Commons operates through three integrated pathways.
Each produces defined accountability outputs and runs on a fixed annual rhythm.
RESEARCH DIRECTION
Clarify and position your line of research for long-term funding strength.
GRANT COMMUNICATION
Translate complex science into compelling, fundable narratives.
LAB PERFORMANCE
Build operating systems that reduce friction and increase scientific throughput.
Proposal Prep Challenge
For submissions requiring refinement.
Accountability Outputs:
Responsiveness Map
Team Management Narrative Alignment
Multi-site Plan Architecture
Submission Checklist Discipline
Live Intensives: January & July
Cohort size capped
Tier 1 – On-Demand (UCLA CTSI-& UCI ICTS Supported)
Self-paced video curriculum + templates and workbooks + rubrics. Over 50 brief lessons.
Tier 2–Group Office Hours (UCLA CTSI-& UCI ICTS Supported)
Monthly live group implementation sessions. Accountability through reporting of deliverables.
Tier 3 – Group Cohort Sprint (Fee for Service)
6-week implementation sprint with mandatory deliverables and accountability support.
Tier 4 – Executive Review (Fee for Service)
Scoped written review with defined turnaround. High-refinement for investigators.
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Protect Your Energy. Align the Work. Lead with Presence.
Protect Your Energy. Align the Work. Lead with Presence.
Research on Integrative & Interdisciplinary Teamwork
Interdisciplinary teamwork stands as a cornerstone of high performance in today’s most innovative organizations. Dr. Maritza Salazar Campo, a leading authority in team science, has demonstrated how bringing together diverse expertise from across disciplines is essential for tackling the complex challenges faced by professional services firms, healthcare organizations, and beyond. Her research delves into the intricate dynamics of teams, identifying factors that drive collaborative excellence, psychological safety, and inclusion—key ingredients for overcoming job strain, task complexity, and cultural distance.
Supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Salazar Campo’s research program has yielded groundbreaking insights into how interdisciplinary teamwork enhances team performance and organizational effectiveness. As a longtime partner of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), she has influenced the creation of activities sponsored by the Community Engagement and Research Program (CERP), advancing education, training, and dissemination purposes that benefit teams and organizations across various industries.
Dr. Salazar Campo’s invaluable contributions have been recognized with numerous civic awards and by the OC Business Journal, which named her among the OC 50 shaping the future of healthcare in Orange County. At the Paul Merage School of Business, where she is an esteemed Assistant Professor of Teaching in Organization and Management, she leads research and teaching initiatives that inform science and practice, enhancing community engagement, public health, and environmental research.
Her evidence-based training interventions and curricula have improved collaboration and performance in medicine, data science, and professional services, supporting leaders and teams as they navigate the demands of job strain, task complexity, and cultural distance. As a sought-after consultant and advisor, Dr. Salazar Campo empowers organizations to foster collaborative excellence and psychological safety, enabling teams to thrive even under the most challenging circumstances.
Dr. Salazar Campo’s research has been published in prestigious outlets such as the Oxford Handbook and featured in international journals, underscoring the global relevance of interdisciplinary teamwork in driving innovation and progress. Through her leadership of the Latinx Initiative at the Paul Merage School of Business, she champions diversity and inclusion, promoting academic and professional advancement for Latinos in both for-profit and non-profit organizations.
Looking ahead, the future of team science and interdisciplinary teamwork is bright.
Dr. Salazar Campo’s ongoing work continues to pave the way for new discoveries and innovations, enhancing our understanding of how teams and organizations across various industries can achieve collaborative excellence and lasting impact.
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