Postdoctoral Fellows and Research Associates
Below is a list of upcoming office hours, workshops, and courses for postdocs and research associates. An email announcement with detailed information will be sent out prior to each event, with a link to register through Eventbrite. You may also register for most upcoming sessions using this page. You MUST be a Harvard Chan School or Harvard-affiliated postdoctoral fellow or research associate to register.
The following links are training resources provided by the NIH:
Virtual Activities For Trainees Outside the NIH
Videocasts of the Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) Events
DF/HCC PATHFINDER Webtool is first of many tools that the initiative will deploy to support cancer-focused postdocs and clinical fellows in identifying educational resources, funding opportunities, and relevant meetings.
As Harvard University is a member of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA), all postdoctoral fellows can become an affiliate member. Events provided by the NPA can be found here: National Postdoctoral Association Community Calendar.
Additional resources can also be found through Harvard University’s new institutional membership with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), which runs through January 31, 2025.
NOTE: Individuals can activate their membership here and MUST provide their Harvard email address.
Spring 2023 Workshops and Events
January 2023
Postdoc Life Cycle: The Magnificent Mentee - Strategies for Managing Up
presented by the Ombuds Office for HMS/HSDM/HSPH
Wednesday, January 11 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
HMS, Countway Library, Minot Room, 5th Floor, 10 Shattuck Street
Description: Please note: PLC workshops are highly interactive and engaging, please be prepared to participate in the discussions
Want a mentor who will help you to succeed? This highly interactive and relevant workshop is designed to provide you with practical skills in working effectively with your mentors. By considering proactive steps for managing-up and strategies for dealing with conflicts that can arise, you will engage in exercises and case study discussions that will provide opportunities to strengthen the skills needed for your most important career relationships.
NOTE: This workshop is part of the Postdoc Life Cycle Series. Click here for more information on this event and the Postdoc Life Cycle Series.
Bystander Intervention to Promote a Culture of Professional Integrity
Tuesday, January 24 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Online – Zoom link shared upon registration.
Description: This session is designed to teach attendees how to act as prosocial bystanders when witnessing harassment that threaten someone’s health or safety. This includes abusive and intimidating behavior, discrimination and other types of harassment. This session walks through recognizing and interpreting problematic behavior (through the lens of the academic research and teaching environment) and teaches five core bystander intervention techniques, using examples of each technique and applying them to case studies. It also introduces tips for determining which intervention style may be most appropriate, depending on the situation, your identities, and your safety.
PATHFINDER Panel: Key Elements for a Successful K Application
What made the difference for these successful K grant applicants? Hear from successful K08 and K99 grant applicants concerning the elements they believe were most important to their funding success.
Grant Panel:
– Kendell Clement, PhD –MGH (K99)
– Ajit Nirmal, PhD –DFCI, HMS, Broad (K99)
– Julie Miller, MD, PhD –MGH (K08)
– Heather Parsons, MD –DFCI (K08)
Information Session - 2023 Nanocourse Teaching
Friday, January 30 | 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Current postdocs and research associates interested in participating in teaching nanocourses in 2023 or getting more information about the program, this virtual information session will go through the basics and hear from past instructors. The goal of the nanocourse program is first to provide an introductory overview into key public health topics for members of the HSPH and Harvard community with an interest in this topic but little or no prior training in the area and secondly, to provide postdoctoral fellows and research associates an opportunity to engage in teaching and course development.
Since 2013, the HSPH Postdoctoral Association (PDA) has organized a series of “nanocourses” in conjunction with the Harvard Medical School curriculum fellows program. More information can be found here: https://curriculumfellows.hms.harvard.edu/nanocourses.
PATHFINDER Grant Writing Circle at Longwood Campus
Join PATHFINDER and Julie Goldman of HMS Countway Library for our first monthly grant writing session on the Longwood campus.Register
February 2023
Writing Clearly and Concisely (4 Part Course)
Thursdays, February 2 – February 23 | 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Description: This 4-session course will examine core principles for revising drafts so that you can articulate your thoughts clearly and concisely, whether in emails, research manuscripts, grant applications, or anything else. Each session will include lecture, discussion, and exercises.
Part 1: Actors and Action (February 2)
Part 2: Voice and Flow (February 9)
Part 3: Sentence Connectors and Concision (February 16)
Part 4: Combining Sentences (February 23)
Postdoc Life Cycle: Negotiate Your Way to Nirvana
Tuesday, February 28 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
HMS, Countway Library, Minot Room, 5th Floor, 10 Shattuck Street
*Registration opens January 28th*
Description: Please note: PLC workshops are highly interactive and engaging, please be prepared to participate in the discussions.
Workshop Description: Effective negotiation skills will help you to both land the job offer you covet and to be successful once you arrive. This workshop will give you a chance to consider what you bring to informal and formal negotiations that may help or hinder you. We’ll discuss negotiation styles, elements of principled negotiations and how to prepare for a successful job negotiation.
NOTE: This workshop is part of the Postdoc Life Cycle Series. Click here for more information on this event and the Postdoc Life Cycle Series.
March 2023
Postdoc Life Cycle: Exit Strategies That Won't Kill Your Career
Wednesday, March 22 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
HMS, Countway Library, Minot Room, 5th Floor, 10 Shattuck Street
*Registration opens February 22nd*
Description: Please note: PLC workshops are highly interactive and engaging, please be prepared to participate in the discussions.
Don’t get along with your boss in a big way? Know that your lab or clinic wasn’t the best fit for you? This workshop will help you consider best practices for transitioning as gracefully as possible out of a difficult work situation. Topics for discussion include how to maintain a cordial and productive relationship with your mentor while seeking letters of recommendation and help with networking, how to protect your authorship on a not-yet-submitted manuscript and how to leverage the support of other allies in your efforts to move on when you don’t have your mentor’s support.
NOTE: This workshop is part of the Postdoc Life Cycle Series. Click here for more information on this event and the Postdoc Life Cycle Series.
April 2023
May 2023
June 2023
Getting a K Development Award Course (2 Parts)
Thursday, June 1 and Friday, June 2 | 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Description: This two-part course will examine key components of the NIH’s K series of Career Development Awards.
Part 1: Overview of NIH and K structure, scoring, mentors, and funding and success rates (June 1)
Part 2: Peer review of Specific Aims section (June 2)
Writing Academic Job Application Documents Course (2 Parts)
Monday, June 12 and Wednesday, June 14
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Description: This two-part, interactive course will focus on the structures and arguments embedded in academic job application materials.
Part 1: CVs and Cover Letters (June 12)
Part 2: Teaching, Research, and Diversity Statements (June 14)
Coming Spring Workshops
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Designing a Course That Meets Your Goals
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NIH Overview and Peer Review System
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Win-Win Negotiation for Careers Beyond Academia
Coming Fall 2023 Workshops
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Fall NIH Grant Proposal Writing Course (5 Sessions) – *Application required/Limit 4 participants*
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NIH Loan Repayment (LRP) Workshop
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Writing a Resume for Jobs Outside of Academia Workshop
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Writing Public Health Science and Research Course (4 Sessions)
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Specific Aims Workshop
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How to Plan for a Successful Postdoc Experience Workshop