The Goods - newsletter of Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

 

January 31, 2022 | Volume 5, Issue 18

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Dear GSBS Community, Mentoring is the lifeblood of graduate training, allowing scientists to pass along the gifts we have been privileged to receive. When leading a mentoring session for our first-year course on Scientific Ethics, I start by asking the audience to close their eyes, think of one of their own mentors, and remember an example of a difference they made. I always enjoy seeing the smiles across the room. I am pleased that many of our GSBS faculty have participated in mentor training by the NIH-sponsored Center for the Improvement of Mentoring in Research (CIMER), and even prouder that some of those faculty continued with a training on Culturally Aware Mentoring. Below, I have provided some resources recommended by CIMER; while these are aimed at faculty, they may also benefit students and postdoctoral scholars. These resources address relevant topics such as remote mentorship, culturally aware mentorship, and career development. Mentorship in the time of COVID Reassess–Realign–Reimagine: A Guide for Mentors Pivoting to Remote Research Mentoring  Six mentoring tips as we enter year two of COVID PODCAST- How the pandemic widened scientists' mentoring networks  Mentoring in crisis does not need to put mentorship in crisis: Realigning expectations Culturally Aware Mentoring Measuring Research Mentors’ Cultural Diversity Awareness for Race/Ethnicity in STEM: Validity Evidence for a New Scale  Culturally aware mentorship: Lasting impacts of a novel intervention on academic administrators and faculty Career Development Pause, Breathe, Reflect and Reset  Value, Support, and Advancement: An Organization's Role in Faculty Career Intentions in Academic Medicine  KL2 mentored career development programs at clinical and translational science award hubs: Practices and outcomes  Training PhD Students to Successfully Navigate Research Mentoring Relationships” Letter in the Chronicle of Higher Education  Dan Jay

HIGHLIGHTS

Boston Graduate Health Sciences Career Fair and Employer Expo March 1 | 1 - 5pm Register here. This year’s Graduate Health Sciences Career Fair - hosted by GSBS, Public Health and Professional Degree Programs, and the Friedman School of Nutrition - will take place virtually, via the Gather platform. This event provides the opportunity to meet with a variety of employers from the private sector, governmental agencies and non-profit organizations. For more information, see the website. To help make the most of the Career Fair, students are also able to attend a Career Fair preparatory session on February 2 via Zoom. The preparatory session will include a Gather walkthrough; a presentation on tips for networking with employers; and mock Q&As where students can practice their talking points and questions. For more information about the preparatory session, see the flyer.

Early-career collaboration: Calibrating your own PhD trajectory Linda Xu, PhD Candidate in Immunology, was highlighted by CellMentor for her literature review on therapies for the treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia.

Nominate an Alum for the Notable GSBS Alumni Project Deadline: March 31, 2022 Notable GSBS Alumni is a new initiative created by and for the GSBS community to honor our own, and share their accomplishments with the world. In June 2022, our first slate of honorees will be invited to participate in a panel discussion to talk about their training, work, and hopes for the future of biomedical science. Notable GSBS Alumni will be nominated by alumni and friends, and selected by a committee of GSBS alumni, faculty and students. The deadline to nominate a GSBS alum is March 31, 2022, with honorees announced in Spring 2022. Self-nominations are welcome. To learn more or to nominate an alum, visit the website.

Reminder: Masks Required Indoors at All Times We have received reports of students and others not following the masking requirements. People are unmasked for extended periods of time. Please note that masking is required indoors at all times except for brief periods when eating and drinking. Cloth masks no longer conform to University guidelines: a surgical mask, KN95, N95, or other high-quality mask is required. All Boston campus security desks have a supply of surgical masks.

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 1 Dissertation Seminar - Mike Thorsen 12pm Jaharis 508 | Zoom link: https://tufts.zoom.us/j/91911477735?pwd=bzZIQjNJUHE4cEFKQ2tjc2YvMHRXZz09 The graduate program in Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology invites you to Mike Thorsen's defense of his dissertation, “To be(nd) or not to be(nd): the membrane-bending mechanism  of the herpesvirus nuclear egress complex." For more information, see the flyer. NIH UNITE Listening Session for Administrators and Faculty 1 - 2:30pm Register here. The NIH's UNITE Initiative is holding a series of virtual listening sessions over the next month to engage in conversations about equity, diversity, inclusion, and structural racism in the biomedical, social and behavioral sciences enterprise. This session is for University deans, department heads, administrators, and faculty. Sessions for trainees and technical staff will be held on earlier dates: see above for information on those sessions, and see the website for more information. February 3 Q&A Session with Dan Jay and Linden Hu 3pm Zoom link: https://tufts.zoom.us/j/92031470106?pwd=dkZtZ0dzalp2V2ZIUWdZbEVrL1BYUT09 Join Dean Dan Jay and Vice Provost for Research Linden Hu to discuss the University's recent COVID policy changes. Recurring Events Associate Dean Dan Volchok's Office Hours Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday MedEd 813 Associate Dean Dan Volchok will be in the office most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Students are welcome to make an appointment in advance by emailing Daniel.Volchok@tufts.edu, or just stop by! VIEW THE FULL CALENDAR

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tauber Fitness Center Reopening - Tuesday, February 1 With the University's updated COVID restrictions, University Fitness Centers are allowed to re-open on February 1, 2022. The Tauber Fitness Center in the basement of the Med Ed building will reopen at 6:00AM on Tuesday, Feb 1st. GSBS Anti-racist Working Group - Open Meetings and Suggestions Document The GSBS Anti-racist Working Group will be opening up its meetings to any member of the community who wishes to attend. Students, faculty, staff, and postdocs are invited to stop by and share their suggestions, comments, and feedback. Watch this space for meeting details.  If you can't attend a meeting, or would prefer to make suggestions in a different format, the group has a Google Doc of proposed topics, initiatives, and action items. Members of the GSBS community members are free to look at the doc and add their own suggestions. Announcing Global Tufts Month, March 1 – 31, 2022! The Office of the Provost and the Senior International Officer invite the entire Tufts community to host and attend events related to this year’s Global Tufts Month theme: A Call to Action: Global Perspectives on Climate Change. These events will showcase Tufts’ breadth and depth of global engagement and can range from lectures, film showings, cultural events, social programs, and more! Mini-grants up to $500 are available for event funding - submit by February 1! More details can be found here: https://global.tufts.edu/global-tufts-month. Now Hiring! Postdoctoral Training Program: Tufts IRACDA Applications Due February 1, 2022 Tufts IRACDA (Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards Program), is funded by NIH-NIGMS. The program prepares talented young scientists for the multiple demands of an academic career in biomedical research. Scholars spend on average 75% of their time conducting bench research and 25% of their time in career development activities. For additional information on the Tufts IRACDA Program and application procedures, please visit our website, see the flyer, or contact us with your questions at iracda@tufts.edu. Yale Ciencia Academy for Professional Development Applications Due March 31, 2022 The Yale Ciencia Academy (YCA) is a FREE year-long program that equips biomedical or health sciences doctoral students from underrepresented backgrounds in the final 1-2 years of their programs with the knowledge, skills, and networks they need to find great postdoctoral positions that will further their academic interests and career goals. Over the course of one year, fellows will become part of a supportive peer community; develop important career planning, mentoring, and scientific and interpersonal communication skills and products; and connect with role models from diverse backgrounds. For more information or to apply, see the website. Reminder: Medical Education Building is Nut Free We want to remind you that we have a number of students in the medical school with very severe peanut and tree nut allergies with reactions that include anaphylaxis. We have worked to eliminate peanuts and tree nuts from all of our catered meals and snacks but need your assistance and awareness to make things as safe as possible. We are asking that all community members avoid bringing nut products into the Med Ed Building. When you bring in outside food, please be cognizant that there are students with allergies to nuts and nut products and plan accordingly.  We know that this adjustment may be difficult for some of you but hope to keep things as safe as possible for everyone on campus! Wang YMCA Information 2021-22 Tufts University has partnered with the Wang YMCA to offer Dental, Medical, Nutrition, Public Health, Physician Assistant and Biomedical Sciences students discounted membership rates. Please see the 2021-2022 rate flyer for details. The Wang YMCA staff created a plan to ensure the health and safety of all members, please make sure to review the new procedures prior to attending the Wang Y. New Membership Process Student Verification Forms are required for Boston Health Sciences students that are not currently a member at the Wang Y. Student Verification Forms can be obtained by emailing saha-admin@tufts.edu. New members must set up an online account at https://yweb.ymcaboston.org/SpiritWeb/Login. Once your account is created, please call 617-426-2237 or go into the YMCA to speak with someone so your discount can be applied. Your Wang YMCA Metro membership entitles you to use any of the 13 branches listed on the rate flyer. More information can be found at http://ymcaboston.org/. As of Monday, December 6th, the YMCA is open on following days and times: • Monday thru Friday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. • Saturday: 7am to 2pm • Closed on Sunday

HIRSH LIBRARY NEWS

Open Workshops Check out this blog post on upcoming Open Workshops in February! From tips on how to approach literature reviews to resources beyond PubMed, join Hirsh on Tuesdays at 12pm via Zoom to learn more!

CAREER NEWS

Career Coaching Meetings with Sarah Cardozo Duncan One component of our Career Services is the opportunity to meet with our career strategist for both career and job search advice. Sarah Cardozo Duncan is a career strategist with a concentration in STEM careers and is the career coach in residence for GSBS and the Tufts Postdoc community. She has been instrumental in aiding in careers and job searches for Tufts trainees since 2017. Sarah is available for the 2021-22 academic year. She will be offering a career development workshop on Monday, January 10th as well as one-on-one career coaching sessions throughout the term. Priority for one-on-one meetings will be given to those who have attended a career workshop in the past or register for the January workshop. All meetings will be via Zoom. Spring one-on-one sessions will take place on February 28, March 28, April 25, May 2, May 23 and June 6. Email miriam@careerstrategist.com to set up a one-on-one session.

Postdocs SCORE: Scientific Career Opportunities for Research at Einstein February 3, 2022 | 1 - 3pm Register here. You're invited to attend a virtual presentations to learn about postdoctoral training opportunities at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. For more information, see the flyer.

Worldwide Medical PhD Fellowship at Biogen - Information Session February 16 | 4 - 5:30pm Register here. Biogen’s 2-year Worldwide Medical (WWM) PhD Fellowship provides PhD graduates a hands-on opportunity to learn the ins and outs of Medical Affairs and the pharmaceutical industry within the walls of a cutting edge biotech. Please join us for an informational session on the WWM PhD Fellowship and navigating a transition to industry. The event will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams, and the event link will be shared via email with those who have RSVP-ed. For more information, see the flyer.

UIC Bridge to Faculty Position Applications close February 20, 2022 A couple of years ago, UIC initiated a new program called the Bridge to Faculty (B2F). B2F is a recruitment program designed to attract underrepresented postdoctoral scholars with the goal of a direct transition to a tenure-track junior faculty position after two years. This recruitment initiative aims to attract and retain promising scholars to UIC as well as diversify our faculty, with particular emphasis on departments with low or no presence of faculty who are underrepresented in their field. B2F uses a cohort model, where postdoctoral scholars participate together in meetings and tailored workshops to prepare them to teach, establish a research program and support their ability to pursue grants, and create productive mentor relationships. The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences is seeking candidates for this position (see the flyer and the website). The starting postdoctoral salary is $75,000, and the close date is February 20, 2022. We have had one past B2F scholar, and he is joining the faculty as an assistant professor in the Fall once his postdoc is complete, so this is a great way for a scholar to transition to a faculty position. Questions regarding this opportunity should be addressed to Dr. Terry Moore at twmoore@uic.edu.

Postdoctoral Opportunity - Andrew Greenberg Lab A postdoctoral opportunity is available in the laboratory of Andrew Greenberg, M.D., Director of Obesity and Metabolism at the Nutrition Center at Tufts University, Boston, MA. The Obesity and Metabolism focuses on pathogenesis of obesity and associated metabolic complications Dr. Greenberg’s laboratory utilizes cells, transgenic and knockout mice and human studies to elucidate molecular mechanisms that affect cellular and systemic metabolism. For more information, email andrew.greenberg@tufts.edu.

STUDENT HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Wellness Advising Office Mon | 9:30am - 5:00pm Tue | 11:00am - 7:00pm Wed/Thurs/Fri | 9:30am - 5:00pm   Email Sharon.Snaggs@tufts.edu to set up a meeting.

Check out the Week in Wellness Newsletter! This week's issue includes information about two upcoming events: ice skating at the Frog Pond and skiing in Weston, MA. Contact Catherine Choi, catherine.y_choi@tufts.edu, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences' representative for the Student Wellness Advisory Committee, with questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding student health and wellness.

Talk One2One Our confidential resource and referrals are available at no cost to you. Get help with relationships, anxiety, stress, and more. Access by calling 1-800-756-3124, or emailing tuftscounseling@allonehealth.com.

Want your event or announcement in The Goods? Email alexandra.israel@tufts.edu by 10am on Friday.