By: S. Amanda Ali, ORT Times Science Writer
University Health Network (UHN) is home to hundreds of Postdoctoral Fellows or ‘Postdocs’. A Postdoc is an individual who holds a recent research- or medical-based doctoral degree and is pursuing a period of mentored research and training. To celebrate Postdoc Appreciation Week 2019 at UHN, an organizing committee was formed by Dr. Tracy Lackraj, a Postdoc at Princess Margaret (PM) Cancer Centre. Members of the committee included Dr. Amanda Ali, Dr. Reza Faieghi, Dr. Arvind Singh Mer, Dr. Razieh Rabani, Dr. Sina Mehdizadeh, Dr. Sofija Spasojevic and Dr. Anusha Ratneswaran, in addition to members of the Office of Research Trainees (ORT), Chimobim Aroh and Lindsay Lustig. For the first time, one event was held on each day of the appreciation week. All five events surrounded the common challenge facing Postdocs everywhere: navigating the path from Postdoc to professional.
The first two days featured an Academic Curriculum Vitae Workshop (at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute) and an Industry Resume Workshop (at the Ontario Hydro Building). Both events provided the opportunity for Postdocs to receive tips and feedback on how to make their curriculum vitae or resume stand out among their peers. An Academic Career Event was held on day three at the Krembil Discovery Tower with five panelists: Dr. Benjamin Haibe-Kains from UHN, Dr. Amy Wong from SickKids, Dr. John Griffiths from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Dr. Andy Wong from UHN and Dr. Joe McPhee from Ryerson University. On the fourth day, an Industry Career Event was held at Toronto General Hospital with five panelists: Dr. Nita Ichhpurani from Phase One Forward, Dr. Phil Goldbach from MaRS Innovation (now Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners), Dr. Stephen MacKinnon from Cyclica, Dr. Ryan Hayman from ChipCare and Dr. Elena Brei from NuVsio. Both career events included a panel discussion followed by a networking session and each was attended by approximately 75 Postdocs from across UHN.
The week concluded with a Social and Networking Lunch held at PM. Special guest Dr. Brad Wouters, Executive Vice President of Science and Research at UHN, was in attendance. This informal atmosphere provided Postdocs with the opportunity to network with each other over lunch. Important to note, all five of these events were organized by Postdocs for Postdocs, with the generous financial support of PM, the Krembil Research Institute, the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the ORT. This year’s activities reflect significant growth since 2017 when only an industry networking event was held, and 2018 when only industry and academic career events were held. All of the 2019 events were listed on the National Postdoctoral Association website to showcase the appreciation that UHN has for its Postdocs and their significant contributions to research.