January Announcements

Seeking Image Submissions for the 16^th Annual Fellows Meeting

We are beginning our search for the feature image of the 16^th Annual NICHD Fellows Meeting.

The winning image, chosen by the Fellows Advisory Committee, will be showcased on the fellows’ retreat website, on posters, and used as the front cover of the event program. Also, to highlight everyone’s imagery, all submissions we receive will be used to produce a collage posted on the 2021 retreat website. You can always take a look at the image submissions from previous years at http://retreat.nichd.nih.gov.

In addition to image resolution and quality, selection criteria include the relevance to our institute’s mission and artistic view of the image. All submissions (at the highest possible resolution) should be sent to Nicki Swan (jonasnic@mail.nih.gov) by January 31, 2021 with a brief caption for the image.

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NICHD Annual Postbac Course: Professional Development and Career Exploration

Our Annual Postbac Course launches on Wednesday, January 13!

Currently there are over 100 postbacs conducting clinical and basic science research in our intramural laboratories. During your one or two years of training here at the NICHD, we want you to have an enriched research experience, while at the same time growing more prepared and excited about your chosen career path.

The year’s course will be entirely virtual and will be held on Wednesdays, from 1 to 2 p.m. The intent is to create a comfortable environment within a small group of peers to help postbacs improve their analytical skills as scientists, while expanding their knowledge of biomedical research and its relevance to human health. This course also focuses on professional development: learning how to present your science, exploring different career trajectories, meeting physicians and scientists from various clinical or research settings, and preparing for the medical or graduate school application cycle (including interviews!).

You’ll hear from a senior NICHD postdoc; a panel of physicians will share their personal and professional experiences in practicing as a pediatrician; and there will be a “Meet the Scientist” series where scientist in clinical, basic science, and industry laboratories will share their career journeys.

Schedule of Topics (All sessions take place from 1 to 2 p.m. unless otherwise indicated)

January 13	Career Planning Step One: Knowing the End of Your Rainbow
January 27	The Medical School Search and Application Process
February 10	Meet the Scientist: Basic Science Research
February 17 (Begins at 12 Noon)	Meet the Physician (Panel)
March 10	The Medical School Personal Statement
To Be Announced	Meet the Scientist: Industry Career Panel
To Be Announced	Postbac Poster Day: Organizing and Presenting Your Work
To Be Announced	Meet the Scientist: Clinical Research
To Be Announced	Journal Club Session: Cloning a Gene—How to, and Practical Applications
To Be Announced	The Graduate School Search and Application Process
To Be Announced
To Be Announced	The Graduate School Personal Statement

Stay-tuned for the final schedule, which will be announced by email soon. Enrollment in this course will be limited to 25 students to allow maximum participation and interaction with the instructors. We ask that all participants attend at least seven sessions. At the end of the course, we will offer a certificate in recognition of your participation.

If you are interested in joining the class, please email Monica Cooper (cooperm@mail.nih.gov) to register, and let her know which sessions you plan to attend.

2021 TmT Program Timeline and Details

Monday, February 8	Deadline to Enter To enter, complete the 2021 Submission Form. The submission form, competition rules and judging criteria are available at the NICHD TmT Webpage
Thursday, February 11	“Speaking About Science” Workshop Tips on scientific storytelling with only one slide Speaking in plain language while addressing the human health relevance for your research Creating effective visual aids
March & April, Dates TBD	Individual Coaching/Practice Session Meet one-on-one with public speaking coach Scott Morgan Practice your talk and obtain feedback on oral presentation skills and speech development
June, Date TBD	NICHD TmT Competition Finalist(s) will be chosen to advance to the next round Finalist(s) will each be awarded $500 for approved training/travel
June, Date TBD	NIH TmT Competition (With NICHD, NHGRI, NIDCR, NIDCD, NIAMS, NEI, & NINR fellows)