Equipping a Diverse and Resilient NIDDK Workforce

Event Details

Purpose

Career development of biomedical and health science professionals is a cornerstone of the research enterprise. It ensures the future of innovation and high-quality health care for Americans. In recent years, career aspirations of trainees in the health sciences workforce have changed. A greater percentage of trainees in traditional academic scientific and medical programs now choose to exit academia and take positions in other sectors¹. This trend may necessitate expanding our thinking from a scientific career “pipeline” to an “ecosystem” in which NIDDK-supported research and investigators flourish. Over the course of this two-day workshop, NIDDK aims to hear from graduate students and early-career scholars concerning their perceptions of the training “ecosystem”. We aim to articulate the many biomedical career paths after graduate education, to understand how graduate training programs may or may not align with longer term goals of trainees, and to understand barriers to advancement faced by graduate students and early-career scholars, including those from diverse backgrounds (see Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity). NIDDK expects this discussion will promote creative strategies for scientific training, networking, mentorship, and sponsorship to provide inclusive support and allow trainees to capitalize on their life learnings.

Postgraduation trends from the survey of earned doctorates. National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. 2023. Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2022. NSF 24-300. Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. Available at https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf24300.

Meeting Objectives

• Graduate students and early-career scholars share
  • their perceptions of the training “ecosystem”
  • how graduate training programs may or may not align with longer term goals of trainees.
• Invited speakers and panelists articulate the many biomedical career paths after graduate education.
• Identify barriers to advancement faced by graduate students and early-career scholars.
• Generate and consider creative strategies for scientific training, networking, mentorship, and sponsorship.

Junior-level participants (students, fellows, instructors, and assistant professors) with the highest-scoring abstracts will be eligible for a modest travel award.

Co-Sponsors and Organizing Committee

External Organizers:

Adebowale Bamidele, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic
Krystle Frahm, Ph.D., Eisai US
Stephanie Leal, B.S., University of California, San Diego
Elizabeth Nguyen, M.D., Ph.D., Seattle Children’s Hospital
Josephine Ni, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Staci Weaver, Ph.D., Eli Lilly and Company
Ian Williamson, Ph.D., North Carolina State University
Sonya Wolf-Fortune, Ph.D., University of Michigan

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health (NIH):

Kevin Chan, M.D.
Jason Conage-Pough, Ph.D.
Yan Li, Ph.D.
Christine Maric-Bilkan, Ph.D.
Saira Mehmood, Ph.D.
Ludmila Pawlikowska, Ph.D.
Voula Osganian, M.D., Sc.D., M.P.H.
Cindy Roy, Ph.D.
Katrina Serrano, Ph.D.

Registration Deadline

September 23, 2024

Agenda

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) aims to hear from graduate students and early fellows concerning their perceptions of the training “ecosystem”. The NIDDK expects this discussion will promote creative strategies for science training, mentorship, and sponsorship to provide inclusive support and allow trainees to capitalize on their life learnings.

Day One – Thursday, September 26, 2024

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Arrival and Name Tag Pick-up

9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Introduction and Welcome
Robert Star, M.D., Director of the Division of Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases, NIDDK, NIH

9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Self-Reflection

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Keynote Lecture
John Carethers, M.D., Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences, University of California, San Diego

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Break

10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Science Careers Panel
Facilitator: Ian Williamson, Ph.D., North Carolina State University

Guest Panelists:
Guido Galvez, J.D., Patent Counsel, Johns Hopkins University
Luz Cumba Garcia, Ph.D. Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of State
Giovanny Martinez-Colon, Ph.D., Senior Scientist II, Merck
Staci Weaver, Ph.D., Eli Lilly and Company
NIDDK Program Officer (TBD)
Natasha Brooks, Ph.D., Principal Medical Writer, Merck

11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Lunch

1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

Peer Mentorship Breakout Discussion
Facilitator: Elizabeth Nguyen, M.D., Seattle Children’s Hospital

2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Technical Skill Building Breakout Discussion
Facilitators: Staci Weaver, Ph.D., and Stephanie Leal, Graduate Student, University of California, San Diego

Guest Breakout Leaders:
Grant Writing: (TBD)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Aliza Thompson, M.D.
Regulatory: Debbie Gipson, M.D., NIDDK, NIH
Manufacturing: Brian Stamper, Astra Zeneca
Bioinformatics: Nathan Salomonis, Ph.D., Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Small Business: David Narrow, Sonavex

3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Breakout Reports

3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Break

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Scientific Posters and Networking Session I

5:00 p.m.

Adjournment

Dinner on Your Own and Networking

Day Two – Friday, September 27, 2024

8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.

Arrival

8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Introduction and Welcome
Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., M.A.C.P., Director, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Keynote Lecture
Russell DeBose-Boyd, Ph.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Breakout Discussion: Identifying and Addressing Barriers

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Large Group Report-back on Breakout Discussion: Strategies and Solutions to Address Barriers

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Power Skill Building
Facilitators: Josephine Ni, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Sonya Wolf-Fortune, Ph.D., University of Michigan

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Lunch Break and Networking II

2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Take Aways

2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Wrap-up and Acknowledgements

3:00 p.m.

Adjournment

Travel

Hotel Accommodations

EVEN Hotel Rockville
1775 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
Telephone: (301) 881-3836
Reserve a room

Government Room Rate

A limited block of sleeping rooms for meeting participants has been reserved at The EVEN Hotel Rockville. The rate is the rate of $199 per night for single occupancy, plus tax (15%). The room block will be in effect at the Government rate only until Sunday, September 1, 2024, or until full, whichever comes first. Any room reservations received after this date will be accepted on a space- and rate-availability basis. Please be certain that the hotel provides you with a confirmation number for your reservation.

Reservation Dates

Book your arrival date as Wednesday, September 25, 2024, and departure as Friday, September 27, 2024. If you require alternate dates, please contact Mark Dennis of The Scientific Consulting Group, Inc. (SCG).

Check-in

When making a reservation, please provide your room and bedding preferences. The hotel will assign specific room types at check-in, based on availability. Please be advised that requests are not guaranteed. Check-in time is 3:00 p.m., and checkout time is 11:00 a.m.

Cancellations

If you need to cancel your reservation, please do so 48 hours prior to your arrival date, or you will be charged a no-show fee for 1 night on your credit card.

Abstracts

Submission Deadline

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Abstract Submission Instructions

Abstracts for poster presentations are encouraged to share fundamental scientific discovery; or the development of new scientific methodologies; or the results of clinical or translational investigation.

Abstracts from trainees and early-stage investigators are particularly encouraged.

Submitting Abstracts

All abstracts must be submitted via email to Mark Dennis at mdennis@scgcorp.com, with “Equipping a Diverse and Resilient NIDDK Workforce” in the subject line. The abstract submission should be a one-page Microsoft Word document that does not exceed 300 words (not including the abstract’s title, name and affiliation of all authors, and one table or figure).

Presenters are welcome to submit abstracts previously presented in other venues, including work that has been delivered at other conferences or published within the past 2 years. If the work has been published, please include a full citation and a link to the paper.

Abstract Organization

Organize the body of the abstract as follows:

• Purpose—Concisely state the objective of the study.
• Methods—Describe the methods, which may include study design, setting, participants, measures, and analytic approach.
• Results—Summarize the main findings in sufficient detail to support the conclusion.
• Conclusions—Briefly state the conclusions and implications.

The abstract’s word count is limited to no more than 300 words.

Abstract Formatting Requirements

Please follow the instructions below to format an abstract. (Note: Submissions will not be edited for spelling or grammar and will be accepted “as is.”)

• The abstract should be a Microsoft Word document with 1-inch margins, typed single space, and using Times New Roman font; a 12-point font should be used for everything except the title.
• The abstract’s title should be typed in Title Case using bold 16-point fontand should clearly represent the nature of the investigation.
• List the author’s first and last names, degree, affiliation, city, and state. If more than one author is listed, include complete information for all authors and underline the presenting author’s name.
  • Please indicate if the presenting author is a trainee or early-stage investigator
• Please ensure that the body of your abstract is the correct length (no longer than 300 words).
• One table or figure may be included; however, the abstract may not be longer than one page, including the table or figure.
• The abstract file name should follow this format: primary author’s LastName_FirstWordOfTitle (e.g., Zucker_Effects).

Acceptance Notifications

Applicants will be notified if their abstract has been accepted for a poster presentation by approximately 09/23/2024.

Research Presentations

There will also be a 1-hour session for poster presentations and networking.

Detailed instructions regarding poster presentations will be provided at the time of acceptance. 

All presenters must register in advance for the conference. Registration is free.