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UMN PDA Newsletters: Latest Events and Opportunities

March 14, 2023

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In this newsletter…

1. Skills for Health and Research Professionals Program

2. National Postdoctoral Association Statement on Increasing Visa Fees

3. 2023 NIA Start-Up Challenge and Accelerator Pre-Submission Webinar

4. Medical Tech Commercialization Bootcamp & Happy Hour

5. Medical School Engagement Session with Associate Dean of Grad Ed & Dean

6. National Postdoctoral Association SmartSkills: Take Charge of your Immigration Education

7. GPN Postdocs: Mock NRSA Proposal Review

8. National Postdoc Association Annual Conference

9. NTU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship in Singapore

10. PDA Writing Hour

1) Skills for Health and Research Professionals Program

June-August, 2023 | Information and application here 

The annual registration opening announcement for the summer Skills for Health and Research Professionals (SHARP) Program is here! Geared towards early-career postdocs, these 1-4-day trainings in omics, data science, climate, and professional development provide immediate take away skills for investigators from any institution and are offered in a variety of in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats.

This year, SHARP is offering exciting additional topics (PI’s Business of Research, Statistical Analysis with Missing Data, Indigenous Environmental Health Research, Code Rigor and Reproducibility in R, Exposure Modeling, Bayesian Modeling, Creating Compelling Research Narrative, etc.) for a total of 29 summer trainings.

2) National Postdoctoral Association Statement on Increasing Visa Fees

Read the full statement here

The NPA filed formal comments with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) opposing an overnight increase of H-1B and O-1 visa fees. With the USCIS proposing to increase these visa fees by 65 to 130 percent, the NPA strongly encouraged more consideration of the impact on international postdocs training and working in the United States, who strengthen our nation through cutting-edge innovation, leadership and community outreach across all disciplines. Rather than a one-time, massive increase, the NPA suggested the self-funded USCIS phase in any increases over time. The NPA also argued to keep the current $10 fee for electronic registrations rather than the large jump to $215 proposed by USCIS. The NPA will continue to monitor this situation and weigh in on behalf of our members when opportunities arise.

3) 2023 NIA Start-Up Challenge and Accelerator Pre-Submission Webinar

March 16, 2023 1:30 pm | Register here 

For the second year, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Office of Strategic Extramural Programs (OSEP) and Office of Special Populations (OSP) has launched an exciting challenge prize competition, the 2023 NIA Start-Up Challenge and Accelerator, and strongly encourages submissions from individuals who are from groups underrepresented in the U.S. health sciences. Submissions are due April 20, 2023.

You are invited to join the NIA OSEP team for a pre-submission webinar on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. ET, which will offer information on the program and guidance on the submission process, as well as a Q&A with NIA program staff.

Out of the pool of submitters, up to 20 finalists will be selected to participate in a five-month

accelerator program. Finalists are expected to commit four to six hours per week from approximately July to December 2023. To provide maximum flexibility for participants, the five-month accelerator program will be mostly virtual except for one or two in-person networking events (travel costs will be paid by NIH for at least one finalist per team).

The program will offer strategic resources to help accelerate the diverse entrepreneurs and their technologies. These resources include:

• Access to industry networks

• Mentorship from experts in relevant fields

• Entrepreneurial coaching and workshops

• Grant submission skill building

• Peer-to-peer networking

At the conclusion of the program, up to six finalists will be selected as winners to each receive a $60,000 cash prize. This prize is not a loan and does not need to be repaid. The cash prize and resources accessed through the accelerator program may be vital to launch or grow the participant’s start-up and execute activities that may improve a future NIA SBIR or STTR research proposal; for example, testing the premise of the research idea, generating preliminary data, developing or improving a prototype, or building an experienced team.

4) Medical Tech Commercialization Bootcamp & Happy Hour

March 16 1:00-4:30 pm | Info and Registration

Meet and mingle with researchers and industry professionals on the front lines of med tech innovation commercialization. Topics for the event include:

• The Healthcare Marketplace

  • Who Pays: Decision-making players beyond physicians and patients Amy Moore - Moore BioBusiness

  • Trends in the Healthcare Management and Delivery Andrew Crook - Village MD

• From Researcher to Startup Leader: Innovator/entrepreneurs share trials and tribulations and successes

• Funding Translation and Commercialization: Overview of grant and investment funding sources and requirements

• Patenting and Licensing: The process from disclosure to license, including specific case examples

5) Medical School Engagement Session with Associate Dean of Grad Ed & Dean

March 17 12:30-1:30 pm | Health Sciences Education Center Room (HSEC) 2-110 | RSVP

Associate Dean of Graduate Education Michael Lipscomb along with Dean Jakob Tolar will continue the dialogue for providing best practices and services for Medical School learners. If you would like to provide feedback or hear updates, please attend! Not able to join, but have questions or concerns to share? Please fill out this form before the session on Friday. Need updates on the professional development and postdoc services that are changing in the Medical School? Updates to questions and concerns are posted here.

6) National Postdoctoral Association SmartSkills: Take Charge of your Immigration Education

March 28, 2023 3pm| Register

Your career success as an international postdoc in the United States depends not only on your skills, credentials, and experience but also on your ability to obtain a work visa or permanent residency as fast as possible. To secure the proper immigration status, you need to assemble an immigration portfolio, similar to a job application package. An immigration portfolio helps you stand out and includes evidence of your credentials, work experience, international recognition, and the importance of your work. Unlike job packages, immigration portfolios are more robust and less understood. Preparing an immigration portfolio is like building a network--it takes time, effort, and knowledge. Come learn how to use your professional development activities to create an immigration portfolio by prioritizing activities that satisfy the immigration criteria for substantial merit or the National Interest Waiver while increasing competitiveness for diverse careers.

7) GPN Postdocs: Mock NRSA Proposal Review

April 8, 2023  

If you are a GPN-associated postdoc planning to submit an NRSA proposal for the April submission deadline, and you would like feedback on your proposal prior to submission, please contact Lucy Vulchanova. 

8) National Postdoctoral Association Annual Conference

April 21-22, 2023 (in person); May 11-12 (virtual) | Information and registration here 

The NPA Annual Conference is the largest national conference and networking event dedicated to the postdoctoral community. Conference attendees - postdoctoral scholars, administrators, faculty, and representatives from disciplinary societies, industry, and corporations - are provided with the opportunity to gather and enhance their professional development and leadership skills.

9) NTU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship in Singapore

Application deadline: April 30, 2023 | Information and application here 

Young and research-intensive, Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) is ranked 19th globally and placed among the world’s best young universities. NTU has a vibrant research ecosystem with a high proportion of early career researchers. It has a healthy environment for interdisciplinary research collaboration and the research is well-funded.

NTU invites outstanding early-career researchers to apply for appointment as a NTU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow. The PPF aims to provide the opportunity for outstanding early career researchers from Singapore and around the world, to conduct independent investigations in any discipline at NTU. This Fellowship provides research funding over two years. There are personal development opportunities coupled with mentorship in an established research group. These conditions will empower the Fellows to strive for research excellence and impact and enable them to meet their ambitions as global research leaders.

The following supporting documents have to be attached to the online application form:

1. Cover Letter

2. Comprehensive CV (with full publication list)

3. Official transcript or Degree Certificate in English (PhD’s degree)

4. Research proposal (in no more than 2 pages)

5. Contact information of two referees (one must be a PhD Supervisor)

6. Top 3 publications (in PDF) and any other supporting documents (scanned copy)

Please contact ntuppf@ntu.edu.sg with any questions.

10) PDA Writing Hour

Fridays from 10:30-11:30 | Zoom Link

Join other postdocs for an hour of weekly writing time. This is held virtually over zoom. Please join using this Zoom ID: https://umn.zoom.us/j/5106000453.