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December Announcements

Thank You to the Scientific Retreat Organizers, Presenters, and Attendees

On Friday, November 5, over 150 NICHD investigators, fellows, and staff gathered virtually for the 2021 NICHD DIR/DIPHR Scientific Retreat. The talks and subsequent online poster presentations exemplify the diversity of research in the NICHD intramural program. Check back next month for a full recap of the event!


Congratulations to the 2021 NICHD Mentor of the Year Awardees

The NICHD Mentor of the Year Award is an opportunity to recognize individuals whose mentoring has made a difference in someone’s life at NIH. Nominations were invited from all trainee groups in the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) and the Division of Population Health Research (DIPHR). Congratulations to the following individuals, who have shown a remarkable commitment to mentorship throughout the year:

Cole Malloy

DIR Fellow:
Cole Malloy, PhD

Nominated by Ashley Pratt

Tom Dever

DIR Investigator:
Tom Dever, PhD

Nominated by Sara Young-Baird, PhD

Tonja Nansel

DIPHR Investigator:
Tonja Nansel, PhD

Nominated by Jenna Cummings, PhD, and Evelyn Liu


Seeking Image Submissions for the 17th Annual Fellows Meeting

We are beginning our search for the feature image of the 17th Annual NICHD Fellows Meeting.

The winning image 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 2022 retreat website. You can always view 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, 2022, with a brief caption for the image.


Interested in Taking an FAES Course for Your Professional Development?

The Office of Education will sponsor several NICHD fellows and graduate students to enroll in a career/professional development FAES course or workshop for the spring 2022 semester. Course information can be found in the FAES 2021–2022 course catalog.

If you are interested, please contact Katherine Lamb (katherine.lamb@nih.gov) at least four weeks before class begins. It is important that you discuss this with your mentor and that he/she is supportive of your participation.


AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Summer Fellowship

Applications due January 2!

From the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship website :

“This highly competitive program strengthens the connections between scientists and journalists by placing advanced undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate level scientists, engineers, and mathematicians at media organizations nationwide. Fellows work as journalists at media organizations such as National Public Radio, Los Angeles Times , WIRED , Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , and NOVA…

…For 10 weeks during the summer, the AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows collaborate with media professionals at radio and television stations, newspapers, and magazines. As part of their job, the scientists and their journalist-hosts strive to make science news easy for the public to understand.”

For additional information about the program visit aaas.org/mmfellowship.


Upcoming Career Planning Webinar Series (December–February)

Led by Lauren Celano, CEO and Co-founder of Propel Careers

Career Opportunities for Graduate Students & Postdocs

Wednesday, December 8, 1–2 p.m.

This comprehensive webinar will provide an overview of career opportunities for graduate trained students with emphasis on the various skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in sectors including academia, industry, government and non-profit. For each sector, the following will be explored:

  • Research and non-research career paths
  • The importance of transferable skills and how to highlight these for specific roles
  • Advice on networking to identify career opportunities
  • Ways to utilize informational interviewing
  • Tips to effectively tailor resumes and cover letters

How to Evaluate, Build, and Highlight Transferrable and Career Relevant Skills

Wednesday, January 12, 1–2 p.m.

Lauren Celano will provide insight on how to evaluate the transferable skills that are valued in various scientific careers, highlighting the essential non-scientific skills you can build while performing research, and demonstrating ways to apply these skills in your desired career to achieve your goals. Advice will be provided for various career paths, including research and non-research roles. Lauren will also provide guidance on how to package scientific and non-scientific skills on resumes, cover letters, and during interviews.

Building a Positive Online Personal Brand using LinkedIn

Wednesday, February 9, 1–2 p.m.

For those of you interested in creating or improving your LinkedIn page, this webinar will provide guidance on leveraging this platform for developing your professional online brand. You will dive deep into which parts of a profile to focus on and how to customize your profile to your career area(s) of interest. Lauren Celano will discuss:

  • Strategies for highlighting your background and experiences as a compliment to your resume
  • How organizations use LinkedIn to identify talent for open positions and which sections are most important
  • How to use the job preference features to inform internal and external recruiters about what you’re looking for

Each webinar is appropriate for trainees at all levels—postbacs, graduate students and postdocs are encouraged to attend. To register, please email Ms. Katherine Lamb (katherine.lamb@nih.gov) and indicate which session(s) you plan to attend. The Zoom link will be circulated a few days prior to each.