Strategies for Increasing the Visibility of the Office for Postdoctoral Fellows Leigh Melanson and James Gould, PhD Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Web: www.postdoc.hms.harvard.edu; Email: [email protected]; TwiIer: @HMSpostdoc
Introduc;on
Building a strong reputa0on and gaining visibility in the community is a challenge faced by most postdoc offices. The HMS/HSDM Office for Postdoctoral Fellows was established a number of years ago and has built a strong founda0on of programming. Despite major advances, our office was s0ll under-‐recognized and we sought to address this by reexamining and strengthening our approaches to branding, community building, and outreach. While these strategies are rather obvious, their implementa0on is not always straighJorward. We have con0nued to evolve while building credibility with postdocs and the academic community. By concentra0ng our marke0ng efforts on reaching postdocs, departments, and faculty, we have begun to realize the full poten0al of the Office for Postdoctoral Fellows.
Summary
• Establish a strong founda0on of programming that adds value. • Set feasible goals and focus on impact. • Deliver a coherent and focused message. • Forge an ins0tu0onal network that enhances and highlights the
ac0vi0es of the office. • Seek to strengthen rela0onships with the basic science departments
and their administrators. • Ensure that the office is connected to the greater training community. • Create forums that recognize the value and promote the work of the
postdoc community. • Emphasize faculty and principal inves0gator inclusion. • Implement assessment tools to evaluate progress and respond to
needs.
Raising Visibility & Awareness
• Build partnerships and collaborate within the ins;tu;on.
• Become involved with the community, locally and na;onally.
• Broadcast a consistent message across diverse mediums.
• Create quality programs that add value to the postdoc experience.
Developing Programs Branding
Community Building Outreach
Skills Development • Publishing, grantsmanship, & collabora0on • Orienta0on, mentoring, & management
Career Development • Academic Job Search Series • Career Discussion Hour • Applica0on material cri0que
Social & Networking • Postdoc Movie Night • Summer Fun Series
3. Community Building Iden0fy and connect with postdocs
Human Resources: How are postdocs hired and tracked? What is their employee classifica0on? Are they benefits eligible?
Informa;on Technology: Work together to develop a listserv. Create a postdoc database you can access.
Communica;ons: How do they reach out to the community? Do they communicate with
postdocs?
Assess and build resources for postdocs
Department Admin: Assess the level of postdoc
support at the departmental level.
Principal Inves;gators: Determine the resources
available in the lab. Encourage PI’s to administer IDP’s.
Postdocs: Iden0fy and address gaps in training and career development.
Develop partnerships and collabora0ons
Career Services: Establish rela0onships with
counterpart offices to enhance programming and
support.
Departmental & Ins;tu;onal Research
Offices: Foster collabora0ons that provide opportuni0es for growth and skills development.
Faculty and Staff: Invite faculty and staff to
par0cipate in seminars, workshops, and program
development.
Digital • Listserv • Website • NewsleZer
Print • Flyers • Posters • Handouts
Social Media • TwiZer • LinkedIn
Consistent Mission and Message
2. Branding
1. Developing Programs
• Postdoc Office Consor0um in the Longwood Medical Area
• Service in the Community Local
• HMS/HSDM Postdoc Associa0on • Career Discussion Hour speakers • LinkedIn Postdoc Networking Group
Alumni
• Na0onal Postdoctoral Associa0on • Associa0on for Women is Science • AAAS and Scien0fic Socie0es Na4onal
4. Outreach
5. Tools for Evalua;on & Feedback
• Faculty Advisory CommiVee
• Postdoc Associa;on
• LinkedIn Group Sta;s;cs
• Exit Survey
• Google Analy;cs of website traffic
• SurveyMonkey evalua;ons
• Tracking event registra;on
Developing Programs Branding
Outreach Community Building
Offer 0mely and prac0cal programming that adds value to the postdoc experience while evolving with the ever-‐changing training landscape.
Our strategy has been to build programs in the three key areas outlined above.
Effec0ve branding and public rela0ons requires delivering a coherent and focused message without flooding the target audience.
Forge an ins0tu0onal network that enhances and highlights the ac0vi0es of the Office for Postdoctoral Fellows.
Ensure that the office is connected to the greater training community.
Rou0nely assess progress while responding quickly to feedback and sugges0ons.
Establish a strong founda0on, build incrementally, set feasible goals, compliment exis0ng programming and focus on impact.
