Dear Scholars,
Thank you for engaging with the Global Connections community, a newly formed network of former Vanderbilt postdoctoral scholars. This newsletter contains information on the many exciting events that have taken place on and off campus to support postdoctoral training at Vanderbilt and beyond.
April 16 is Giving Day at Vanderbilt. Please consider the impact that even a small donation can have on the Vanderbilt postdoctoral community. Additional details about Giving Day are included later in this message.
I hope you will stay connected with us. Visit our social accounts below, including our Office of Postdoctoral Affairs LinkedIn page or join our LinkedIn Vanderbilt Postdoc Group.
Best,
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C. André Christie-Mizell
Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Dean of the Graduate School
Centennial Professor of Sociology
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What is the Global Connections Network? |
The Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Network – Global Connections is the Vanderbilt Office of Postdoctoral Affairs innovative response to your desire to stay engaged and give back to the community you helped shape. Few institutions are taking such a bold step to maintain meaningful relationships with their former postdocs. Through this network, you will have opportunities to stay connected with Vanderbilt’s academic community, participate in mentorship programs, and continue to be a part of our intellectual ecosystem. Whether you are now leading research at another institution, working in industry, or pursuing a different path, we want to honor the formative years you spent developing your scholarly identity with us. This is more than a network of former Vanderbilt postdocs – it’s a global community of accomplished scholars who will continue to inspire, support, and learn from each other.
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Anchored in Discovery. Powered by Community. |
Giving Day and I ⚓VU Week are coming, and momentum is building across Vanderbilt.
At the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, we’re Anchored in Discovery – and Giving Day on April 16 is our moment to show what that foundation makes possible.
Mark your calendar for April 16 and follow along as our community comes together to Give. Go. Help. Share.
You don’t have to wait to make an impact—you can make your gift early and get Giving Day started now.
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Do you want to stay involved? Complete the below link with your new or updated information. This will help connect you to current Vanderbilt postdocs and make sure that the OPA has the best contact and your latest position.
Our goal is to create a database of Vanderbilt postdocs past and present to support each other. Opt-in to have your information included.
Finally, we will be sending regular emails to stay engaged and keep you updated with the latest postdoc news and initiatives at Vanderbilt.
You can find out more information on the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Network - Global Connections on our website.
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Know another former Vandy Postdoc? |
Forward this email to them! This is a grassroots initiative, and we want to connect with all former postdocs.
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Meet four former Vanderbilt postdocs to learn about their pathways following their time at Vanderbilt. Interested in being a future feature? Reach out to Faith Bishop, Associate Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
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Lab of Seth Bordenstein
Biological Sciences
2019-2022
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| Prasobh Padmanabhan, Ph.D. |
Lab of Audrey Bowden
Biomedical Engineering
2022-2023
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Lab of Eric R. Tkaczyk
Dermatology
2017-2021
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| Lab of Bhuminder Singh
Medicine
2022-2023
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Postdoctoral fellows recognized at the Graduate Education Honors Banquet |
The Graduate Education Honors Banquet took place on March 19. This year, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs introduced an expanded and redesigned award structure to elevate postdoctoral recognition, combining the annual postdoc awards with the Graduate School Honors Banquet.
The 2026 Honors Banquet recognized previous award categories, but also included a new category, the Postdoctoral Excellence in Innovation Award. Besides awardees, the banquet honored postdocs that are in elected positions in the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association (VPA), the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Symposium research award winners, and postdocs that are recipients of external fellowship and funding awards.
Postdoctoral Fellow of the Year
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- Kyle David, Department of Biological Sciences
- Julia Garon-Bissonette, Department of Special Education
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Postdoctoral Mentorship & Teaching Award
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- Chelsea Mann, Department of Biochemistry
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Postdoctoral Leadership Award
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HyunBin (Binnie) You, School of Nursing
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Postdoctoral Excellence in Innovation
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Fan Feng, Department of Medicine
- Tin Nguyen, Department of Special Education
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Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring
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Laurie Cutting, Patricia & Rodes Hart Professor of Neuroscience; Department of Special Education
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OPA & VPA represent Vanderbilt at the National Postdoctoral Association Annual Conference |
National Postdoctoral Association |
In March, Faith Bishop, Associate Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Annie Evans, Program and Communication Manager, Ron McMillan, President of the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association, and Heather Hartmann, Vice President of the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association, represented Vanderbilt at the National Postdoctoral Association Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA.
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Faith co-presented with Ivonne Pizarro-Vidal, Assistant Dean of Postdoctoral Affairs at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, on “Initiating or Reinvigorating Your Postdoc Office.” She also presented a poster titled “Why Your Institution Needs a Postdoctoral Handbook—and How to Create One.” Both sessions emphasized the critical role of administrative structures in supporting and advocating for postdoctoral scholars across institutions in the United States.
Kanchana Devanathan, a postdoctoral fellow in the Biophotonics Center, won the design contest for the NPA Annual Conference. The logo was featured throughout conference materials and merchandise.
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Leping Wang is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Sociology and the Center for Research on Inequality and Health. Read how Leping's early-life experiences shaped the way she approaches social phenomenon and the research questions she asked over time.
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About the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs |
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA), established in 2017, is responsible for planning and managing programs and services for Vanderbilt's postdoctoral community. OPA supports Vanderbilt-affiliated postdocs as well as faculty and staff administrators who work with the postdoctoral population. OPA is the central resource for postdoctoral services and serves as a liaison among postdocs and central university and medical center administrative offices. OPA also works closely with the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association (VPA) to address the interests and concerns of postdocs.
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C. André Christie-Mizell
Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Dean of the Graduate School
Centennial Professor of Sociology
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| Faith Bishop
Associate Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Special Project Director for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Training
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| Annie Evans
Program and Communications Manager
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We look forward to staying in touch! Visit our social accounts below, including our Office of Postdoctoral Affairs LinkedIn page or join our LinkedIn Vanderbilt Postdoc Group.
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Vanderbilt University Office of Postdoctoral Affairs | 615.343.1990
117 Alumni Hall | 2205 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37240
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