What inspires you?

For some NICHD trainees, the answer to that question is the excitement of being the first person to know something. For others, the answer involves seeing how research impacts society. For me, I realized it was the wrong question. It’s not what, but instead who, that inspires me.

I want to begin this letter by recalling my thoughts from exactly one year ago:

I think we all hoped that 2021 would include a post-pandemic celebration. Until the youngest in our community are eligible for vaccination, many of us will continue to experience pandemic restrictions—and sometimes pandemic fatigue. But we are getting there. One step, one study, one vaccine at a time. I said it last December, and I’ll say it again now: May next year bring continued progress and abundant hope for a better tomorrow.

When I think of the word retreat , two definitions come to mind. First is the forced military drawback of troops, and second is a break from life’s daily tasks for a defined period of reflection. In both senses of the word, the group or individual is pulling back to assess the situation, which will inform a plan to move forward. This month, NICHD fellows have the opportunity for two retreats: the NICHD Intramural Scientific Retreat on September 20^th and the NICHD Fellows Retreat on September 29^th.

Have you ever wondered how a news agency can run a science story the exact same day the scientific publication is released? No, science writers are not given a complex paper, a lot of coffee, and told to write quickly. Media coverage of a scientific publication requires a bit of behind-the-scenes planning—among the media, press offices, journals, and sometimes even with the scientists themselves. All this to say, to effectively promote your own work, it may help for you to know about the science communication pipeline.

I have an 11-year-old son who frequently approaches me with requests that I deem outlandish. Right now he wants a medieval sword for his birthday. When I say “no” without hesitation to his appeals, I’m promptly met with an exasperated “You’re not listening to me!” And he’s right. Sometimes I respond too quickly and fail to explore his perspective. I cement in my mind that I already know the right answer. But this time, my failure to talk about his birthday wish led to a frustrated, defeated child who felt unheard.

I hope everyone was able to attend at least a few presentations during the multiple NICHD retreats last month. Keep an eye out for the retreat recaps in upcoming issues of this newsletter. If you missed out, you still have an opportunity to hear about 60 years of the institute’s impactful research at the “NICHD 60^th Anniversary Symposium: Healthy Pregnancies. Healthy Children. Healthy and Optimal Lives” on Monday, October 17.

We have our first “Former Fellow Follow-up” of the year! Dr. Zélia Worman, former postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Henry Levin, Section on Eukaryotic Transposable Elements, talks about the path she took to become Director of Researcher Engagement and Education for a private company. In this informative Q&A, fellows can follow how Dr. Worman explored several types of positions outside the lab before finding her perfect fit.

Next up in our multi-part series on how to foster a successful postbac experience, postbac fellow Ashley Pratt writes about the importance of forming a research community. Ms. Pratt joined the laboratory of Dax Hoffman, PhD, Senior Investigator in the Section on Neurophysiology, within the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person restrictions during that time made it challenging to experience the full laboratory dynamic.

I’m not a fan of uncertainty. Some people love it—thrive on it even, but that’s not me. So, you can imagine that when the inevitable imbalance of hormones, called perimenopause, slowly crept into my daily life, I. Didn’t. Like It. Since those first few months of noticeable change, uncertainty has been everywhere. My responses to innocuous things are unpredictable. The health monitor on my watch has displayed some surprising stats. And the best adjective I can use to describe sleep quality during this time is erratic .

Announcing the January issue, an issue full of announcements! So here’s the scoop on 2020:

The Office of Education is starting a new program called “Coffee Fix,” a bimonthly gathering to talk about tough topics for fellows. The aim is to provide a confidential environment for fellows to discuss intimidating issues in a group setting. Check out the announcement for more information.