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Dear Postdoctoral Community,
I hope you are enjoying the summer season. Please join me in extending a warm welcome to our new 2024-2025 VPA Executive Committee members. Learn more about them below and by visiting the website here.
This month, the Graduate & Postdoc Academic Success office will present 'Effective Mentoring Strategies for Postdocs' on Tuesday, July 16. Lunch and refreshments will be provided with registration. Please RSVP to attend.
Lastly, I am excited about the opportunities that are coming for Fall 2024. National Postdoc Appreciation Week is September 16-20. I look forward to celebrating our postdoc community and hope you will join in many of the planned events. See the save the date below.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if I can be of assistance.
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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| | Save the Date!2024 National Postdoc Appreciation Week
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National Postdoc Appreciation WeekSeptember 16-20, 2024
National Postdoc Appreciation Week is a time to celebrate the successes and accomplishments of the postdoc community. There will be many activities throughout the week including our annual picnic.
Complimentary Professional Headshots for Postdocs
Monday, September 16 | 9:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Location TBD
More details on reserving your time slot to come.
Annual Postdoc Family Picnic
Monday, September 16 | 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Fannie Mae Dees Park
RSVP Required!
Complimentary Professional Headshots for Postdocs
Tuesday, September 17 | 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Location TBD
More details on reserving your time slot to come.
Postdoc Coffee & Catered Breakfast
Wednesday, September 19 | 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | 100 Alumni Lounge
RSVP Here!
VPA 'SpeakEasy' Talk Series
Thursday, September 19 | 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | 100 Alumni Lounge
RSVP Here!
Group Hike at Edwin Warner Park
Friday, September 20 | 3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | Edwin Warner Park
Meeting Point: Warner Park Nature Center
More events are being planned! Keep an eye on our August and September newsletters for more ways to get involved and added events! For up to date information on events, please visit our website.
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| Vanderbilt Postdoc Association Executive Board
Thank you for taking the time to nominate and vote for your Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association Executive Board.
The VPA Executive Board for 2024-2025 is:
President: Tor Nasci
Vice President: Naome Mwesigwa
Community Building Co-Chairs: Ilkin Safa & Alicia Cronin
Postdoc Advocacy & EDI Co-Chairs: Yency Forero & Ismary Blanco
Scholarly Advancement Co-Chairs: Ashima Chopra & Mithun Nag
Career Development Co-Chairs: Taseer Ahmad & Kanchana Devanathan
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| Limited Submission Opportunity
Susan G. Komen Career Transition Award
Vanderbilt University may submit two nominees for this award.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center may submit two nominees for this award.
The Susan G. Komen Career Transition Award aims to help outstanding senior postdoctoral fellows and clinical fellows, working under the guidance of a mentor, launch their competitive, independent breast cancer research careers. Career Transition Awards provide up to five years of funding in two phases: Phase 1 supports the final years of mentored, postdoctoral training; and Phase 2 supports the independent research of the early career, tenure-track investigators.
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The VPA is looking for current Vanderbilt Postdocs to serve as mentors for their new Postdoc BuddyProgram!
The goal of this program is to systematically match new, incoming postdocs with current Vandy postdocs based on multiple factors that the buddies deem fruitful for a match to help build a supportive, welcoming community! As a current postdoc, your insight about Nashville and Vanderbilt will serve as a key resource to those who are transitioning into new positions. Remember that one hour of support/advice from a peer is worth more than 100s of pages of Word documents with lists of resources!
This is an excellent way to gain mentorship and academic leadership experience. We encourage our buddies to meet at least once during the new postdoc’s transition to Vanderbilt (virtually or in-person at one of the VPA sponsored events!). Otherwise, the mentor buddy will serve as a point of contact for incoming postdocs for any informal questions, advice, and support! The VPA will check in with mentor buddies each quarter to give volunteers the opportunity to recommit to an additional semester.
To get started, please complete this quick survey located here.
The VPA team will notify you as soon as possible, when you have been matched with an incoming postdoc!
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Graduate and Postdoc Academic SuccessThe Graduate & Postdoc Academic Success (GPAS) are here to support graduate students and postdocs with anything that keeps them from doing their best academic work. They provide strategies to address concerns around progress and productivity, as well as, navigating academic relationships. They address your needs through 1-on-1 consultations and success planning sessions. Additionally, both of their staff members are Gallup-Certified Strength Coaches and able to give you access to the CliftonStrengths Assessment to help you accomplish your best work utilizing an authentic approach to who you are and how you show up. If you are interested in meeting with one of the staff members, you can schedule an appointment here. If you ever feel like you are “stuck” in your writing and/or research, we hope that you will reach out and connect with them.
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| | Effective Mentoring Strategies for Postdocs
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Career CenterThe Career Center supports VU postdocs with the non-academic career exploration and planning of postdoctoral fellows in STEM, Humanities, and Social Sciences disciplines. At the Career Center, students and postdoctoral fellows learn and explore professional opportunities through internships, career coaching, workshops, career panels, on-campus recruiting, job fairs, and industry-based treks. Currently, Jessica Abner, PhD and Whitney Taylor, PhD serve as the Senior Career Coaches for the postdoctoral population. If you're interested in taking advantage of any of their services, please check out their website for more information and to make an appointment. Additionally, you can attend some of their upcoming events listed on Handshake.
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BRET Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program The BRET Office Career Development ASPIRE Program provides career and professional development services and enrichment activities for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in the biomedical sciences at VU and VUMC.
Upcoming Events Hosted by the BRET Office of Career Development:
CV/Resumé Drop-In Clinics
Tuesday, August 6 | 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Light Hall 340
Tuesday, August 13 | 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Light Hall 340
ASPIRE Workshop on Preparing for a Faculty Career and Job Search
Monday, August 19 | 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Light Hall
Advanced registration is requested. Participants may register for the entire workshop or choose specific sessions to attend. More information on the schedule and session descriptions can be found here.
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| The Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center is an on-campus office and resource to help celebrate and empower women in both their professional and personal aspirations, helping to boast their overall lives as they navigate through their time at Vanderbilt University. You can read more about the Women's Center on their website and by attending some of their upcoming events posted on their website and in their monthly newsletters.
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| Now Leasing: The Broadview at Vanderbilt
The Broadview at Vanderbilt's ideal location on Broadway and 20th Avenue in midtown Nashville puts you just 2 blocks from the Vanderbilt campus and half a mile from VUMC, making your commute a breeze!
The Broadview offers brand-new studio, one- and two-bedroom apartment. Each home is outfitted with upscale features and finishes including a fully equipped kitchen, stainless steel appliances, wood-style flooring, in-unit washer/dryer, and private bedrooms and bathrooms.
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| Connect with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA)
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| Connect with the Vanderbilt Postdoc Association (VPA)
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| Postdoc Spotlight: Suzanne Nolan, Ph.D.
Suzanne Nolan is a postdoc in the Pharmacology department within the School of Medicine working in Dr. Cody Sicliano's lab. In her postdoctoral role, Suzanne works to understand what aspects of adolescent development render an individual susceptible to substance use disorders and in particular how dopaminergic microcircuit mechanisms governing information encoding evolve across the lifespan both in normal and disease states. Read more about her work and her path that led her to this research in our July postdoc feature here.
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SAVE THE DATE!
VPA 2024 Symposium
Mark it in your calendars! This year, the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association's Symposium will be held in the Student Life Center on Monday, October 14.
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The Career Center is proud to present their free, self-service photo booth. Just step inside, pose, and share!
Located in the Student Life Center, this resource is free and available to the entire Vanderbilt community. The photo booth is available for use anytime the Student Life Center is open. Check out this flyer for more details!
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National Postdoc Association
NPA SmartSkills: The Negotiator's Edge - Empowering Communication & Collaboration
In this session, Stevie Eberle, M.Ed., will discuss how to unlock the secrets of negotiation in this dynamic workshop. Explore diverse scenarios from consensus building to conflict resolution, with a strategic, actionable framework. Dispelling misconceptions, the workshop will help empower you to define and intentionally apply your negotiation style and help you understand the perspectives of all parties involved to ensure everyone’s needs are addressed. Register here for the July 23 virtual course.
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| Join VPA Slack Channel!
The VPA is revamping the VandyPostdocs Slack channel to foster a vibrant postdoctoral community, with dedicated channels for all general announcements, calendar events for all postdoc-related activities, job postings, social events (both formal and informal), and discussion about anything and everything!
*Must re-signup even if you have previously signed into the former Slack because this is a brand new channel!
How to sign into VandyPostdocs Slack:
- Visit the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Associatiion website.
- Click the link at the bottom (vandypostdocs.slack.com).
- Sign up with your VU or VUMC email.
- Launch Slack in your browser or download the app.
Then you should be all set! Feel free to post a message in any of the channels or request to start a new channel based on an interest you may have.
Important Note:
Must be signed in with VU/VUMC email to access VandyPostdocs Slack workspace.
Explore the VandyPostdocs Slack Channel today and connect with your fellow postdocs. For any assistance, contact the OPA (opa@vanderbilt.edu) or the VPA Community Building Co-Chairs (jayden.lee@vumc.org or yasmina.mekki@vumc.org). Let's build a stronger, more connected postdoc community together!
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| Employee Affinity Groups
Employee Affinity Groups (EAGs) are open to all Vanderbilt employees, regardless of identity. Staff, faculty, and postdoctoral scholars who identify as part of or have a close affinity to these groups are encouraged to attend. You can learn more about which group you identify most with from our options below:
Association of Vanderbilt Black Faculty and Staff (AVBFS)
Women & Working Moms
To learn more about Employee Affinity Groups or to join, visit the EAG website.
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| Nature Masterclass
Nature Masterclasses are developed by Nature Research and provide professional development training for researchers by drawing on the expertise of Nature Research journal editors and experts. Faculty, staff, postdocs, and students of Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center are free to sign up at https://masterclasses.nature.com/.
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