NIDCR Office of Training and Education

National Institute Of Dental & Craniofacial Research

Investigators

Abstract

The NIDCR Office Training and Education (NOTE) made several accomplishments during FY21 that enriched the career development experience of DIR trainees and enriched diversity in our trainee population. NOTE co-sponsored an intensive grant-writing workshop with training offices at NHGRI, NICHD, NEI, and NIAMS. NIDCR trainees participated in an NIH Grant Writing Course - An In-Depth Workshop, which included a grant mock study section and a class - Faculty 101: from postdoc to faculty and K-awards for clinical fellows. Due to the covid pandemic these classes were all held virtually. In addition, NOTE co-sponsored offering a training curriculum for a certificate program led by SciPhD titled the business of Science for Scientists: Core Professional Skills that Make You Competitive for a Professional Career. This four-month (virtual) training certificate training was co-sponsored with four other ICs: NICHD, NHGRI, NIAMS and NINR. NOTE hosted the First Virtual 2021 Fellows Scientific Training in April. Graduate students, pre-doctoral IRTAs, postdoctoral trainees, clinical fellows, staff scientists, and biologists were in attendance for this two-day session along with the DIR Office of the Scientific Director Staff and NOTE Staff. Activities at the event included: a keynote address by an award-winning science fiction writer; presentations by two new NIDCR investigators; Three-minute-Talks presentations by 35 attendees; and a career-focused round table discussions by invited NIDCR and NIH trainee alumni from academia (4) and industry (2). Our NIDCR Director presented their NIDCR vision and goals and hosted a NIDCR question and answer session, followed by closing remarks by DIR Leadership. NOTE played an essential role in the preparation of our trainees and staff for their DIR Board of Scientific Counselor (BSC) Review virtual presentations. This year, NOTE arranged and organized seminars on how to give a Three-minute-Talk (TmT) scientific presentation and coordinated one-on-one coaching sessions for all BSC presenters. The seminars and coaching sessions were well attended. This year, our investigators also took advantage of the coaching sessions being offered. In the summer of FY21, NOTE recently launched the electronic individual development plan (eIDP)system; its primary purpose is to help employees reach short and long-term career goals, as well as improve current job performance. In addition, the eIDP will help set goals and track progress of projects and deliverables, as well as aid in mentoring and career development. All DIR trainees will have an opportunity to update their eIDP each year. All NIDCR labs were enrolled by September 2021. NOTE collaborates in mandatory training sessions led by the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) which are of high priority in maintaining NIH work environment. This includes the new anti-harassment and relationship policies for trainees and staff; Annual Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training; Ethics Training and OITE policies. Intramural NIDCR continues to focus on the recruitment of student researchers from diverse groups for training programs at NIH and on the dissemination of research funding resources to the public. To inform and recruit trainees from all backgrounds, NOTE represented NIDCR at several research conferences. These conferences include: The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science Conference (SACNAS)-October 2020, the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)-November 2020, the National Dental Association annual conference (NDA), and the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) joint conference with the National Medical Hispanic Association conference. The NOTE director met with students, professors and researchers who were interested in research opportunities at NIDCR and disseminated training and research opportunity materials at all conferences and during scheduled booth session. At the ABRCMS conference, she also participated in virtual booths on intramural training opportunities at NIH. In an effort to continue offering potential trainees information on the training resources available at NIDCR, the NOTE provided presentation slides and talking points on the DIR training programs and fellowships to training officers and leadership that attended the joint IADR/AADR conference held virtually in July 2021. Training program outreach recruitment efforts of the NOTE are reflected in the diverse student population in our summer research program. Due to the covid pandemic we were unable to host many of our in-person summer programs. However, in summer 2021, NIDCR hosted seven undergraduates in the NIH Virtual Summer Interns Program (SIPs). NOTE leadership served as chair of the selection committee for the NIDCR Directors Fellowship to Enhance Diversity in Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research. The director coordinated application review, selection review criteria, organization of the selection committee, maintained all contact with the applicants, and established the initial program curriculum. This fellowship is managed directly by the NOTE. NOTE sponsors 3 postbac fellows; and 1 Scientific Director (SD) Diversity postdoc. NOTE sponsored outreach efforts with NIDCRs clinical center to promote Clinical Research Fellow and intramural training program. NOTE leadership continues to serve as lead in the development and successful execution of the Sang-A Park Memorial Postdoctoral Fellowship. The recipient of the Sang-A Park fellowship has been awarded and the fellowship is managed directly by the NOTE.