- Not that Kind of Year: Tales of Year 2 as a New PI
It has been about two years since I started my new position as a principal investigator (PI) at Clinical Department in R1 University. Year 2 has been a challenge, but for different reasons than Year 1. While the lessons from Year 1 remain relevant, Year 2 has yielded additional k...
- The Key to Handling Stress is Massive Egotism
We’re living through tough times. The overall grant funding rate has been trending downwards since I was born, and I ain’t that young. Everything’s more competitive now than it was 10 or 20 years ago, from the amount of work needed to get into a high impact journal to the number ...
- Suicide Prevention in University Settings
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for individuals aged 10-34 (accidental injury is the only cause that exceeds it), and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54. (National Institute of Ment...
- Sharpen Your Research Skills, Boost Your Career with a Mini-sabbatical
Dr. Courtney Peterson, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), is having a very good year.
Her pioneering work on early time-restricted feeding (eTRF) in humans, shown to improve health even in the absence of we...
- Not that Kind of Decision: Tales of Debating a Pre-Tenure Switch
One of the hardest questions that has recently come up in my professional life is debating changing institutions pre-tenure. I came to my medical school not that long ago. Over the past year and change, I have set up my laboratory, hired personnel, committed to thesis committees,...
- Have Pump, Will Travel
What every breastfeeding and pumping mom needs to know BEFORE attending a conference.
Travel Tip #1: If it’s a small conference or training, let work colleagues or training administrators know you are a nursing mother and will need to take breaks to pump during the conference or...
- Awesome Science Videos for Kids (and Grown-Up Kids Too)
Inspire your young scientists with some amazing STEM-centered videos on YouTube. (You can enjoy them too, because really, who DOESN'T want to see the world's largest lemon battery, or learn how oxygen almost destroyed the world?)
Great channels to follow:
PBS Eons. This series...
- How to Protect Your Protected Time
You've just gotten your K award—awesome! 75% of your professional effort is now protected to focus on your research and career development. But wait. What about that class you teach, or those days your department expects you to be in clinic, or the students whose dissertation ...
- Not that Kind of Spending: Tales of Investing in Your Career
As a trainee, I was a big believer in principal investigators (PIs) paying for all things related to the science, from poster printing to conference travel to lab outings. Luckily for me, my mentors shared my views on their responsibilities to trainees, and my science-based costs...
- Watch Words: Go Slow
Go slow was the theme of a recent visit by Janice L. Gabrilove, MD. She met with K-level faculty in small groups and gave a talk to over 60 mentors, early career faculty, and postdocs at dinner as the honored guest for Visiting Scholar’s Day.
Take the more deliberate route, e...
