- So You Want to Be a Leader
“I could run this place better!” We’ve all said it about something, from our workplace to our car repair shop to our cable company. But, well, what if you really could? What if you not only see problems with how your department or institution is run, but you think you know—or ...
- Tips for Cultivating a National/International Reputation
In a recent talk to the Women on Track group, Dr. David Raiford, Chief of Clinical Staff for VUMC and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, offered some advice for cultivating your professional reputation. Women on Track is an organization that hosts seminars throughout the ...
- Helping When You Have No Answers
One sign of a caring community is that individuals regularly reach out to each other for help. In many circumstances, we can best help by sharing our knowledge or suggesting solutions. Questions ranging from “What is the proper statistical analysis?” to “How can I improve my ch...
- Not that Kind of Progress: Tales of Setting up a New Laboratory
If you are amongst the truly lucky job applicants, you are probably setting up a laboratory as we speak. Having recently concluded our set-up, I can tell you what worked for us, and what we could have done differently. As with many things in science, there are many ways to approa...
- Best Poster Resources for Trainees
Scientific Poster Roundup
Get your scientific posters on point by visiting these sites for inspiration, how-to guides, and other free resources:
Scientific Posters
Poster design tips, examples and templates from Michael Alley at Penn State, author of The Craft of Sci...
- Using BioVU for Research
BioVU is a biobank of de-identified DNA samples and genetic data to fuel discovery. The “banked” DNA is from routine patient care-associated tests that would otherwise be discarded. The bank was developed as part of The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research...
- 5 Ways to Improve the RCR Section of Your K
Remove all the fluff. We don’t need for you to tell us that you are “committed to RCR at every level of your career” when you can demonstrate it through your experiences. What have you actually done that shows me that you’ve had conversations about research integrity or that ...
- Counting What Counts in Responsible Conduct of Research Training
Thinking about and acting responsibly in the conduct of research (RCR) underpins all aspects of day-to-day life as a scientist. To keep RCR content fresh and to show that scholars are consuming a well-rounded diet of RCR topics, our T and K leadership group sought to broaden how ...
- Tips for Conquering the Literature
As a new graduate student, I struggled with identifying the most relevant papers, organizing interesting publications, and remembering why I flagged an article as “Super Important!!!” months after I read it. I’ve synthesized a few tips for taming the task:
1. Identify relevant a...
- Not that Kind of Interview: Tales from the Second Visit
After all the applications, the interviews, and the agonizing waiting game, you have been invited for your second interview/visit. Of all the variable processes you have encountered up until this point, this portion is fairly straightforward and fun. These have been our experienc...
