Life Beyond The Lab
By Rashpal Bhogal, PhD, Medical Science Liaison at Novartis
So you wake up each morning, before heading to the lab thinking ‘what am I going to be when I grow up’? Love the fact of being involved in translational research and outcomes to help foster new collaborations and further clinical plus scientific ideas to be explored, but not fond of the lonely nights in the lab watching gels run and talking to the universe to see that ‘one band’? You’ve come to right Career Story Q&A – welcome to the discussion of how to be a scientist, discuss clinical and scientific data and engaging in meaningful, interactive discussions while not spending lonely nights in the lab. Let's chat!
You Have More Choices Than You Think
Career Story Blog Post By Athena Petrides, PhD, Instructor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, and Medical Director of Lab Control, Point-of-Care Testing, and Chemistry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Five years ago I was a grad student at University of Rochester Medical Center and was at a point with my project where I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. After four years of hard work, finally, things were working out and I had an actual story to write about as a thesis. That was a fleeting moment of excitement because then I asked myself – now what? So, naturally, I talked to many members of the faculty who pretty much said that I had two options: academia or industry. I was not thrilled. I was not at all excited by basic research anymore, and I no longer wanted to pipette, perform ELISAs, or pour gels. I did not want the bench; I wanted an office! After some soul searching I realized that I actually really did still like research, but I wanted to make some kind of contribution to science in real time. I wanted to help people – perhaps get involved in health care. Did that mean that I needed to do an MD? I didn’t want to go back to school: not at all
What is the URBEST Program and Why Should I Join?
News Article By Tracey Baas, URBEST Executive Director
When people ask me to tell them a little bit about the URBEST program, it’s difficult to know where to start. The first attempt is breaking down the acronym: University of Rochester’s Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training. To tell you the truth, I don’t think very many people remember what the acronym stands for, but they do manage to take away the golden nugget. With the help of the National Institute of Health, the program exists to try to train the BEST scientists possible.
Relating the Language of Management to Graduate School
News Article By Liz Albertorio-Saez, MS candidate and Rochester Museum and Science Center Volunteer Manager
Many URBEST graduate students are interested in pursuing a career in industry. URBEST trainee Chris Farrar, is one of them. As he explored his options, Chris noticed that one of his major skill gaps fell within the realm of project management. When the chance to apply to the URBEST/CPD sponsored Project Management Institute fellowship arose, Chris decided to apply – and was selected.
I recently had a chance to discuss with him his experience in the course and which management concepts are applicable to the graduate school experience.
Dr. Lawrence Tabak Takes a Shot with UR Biomedical Trainees
News Article By Claire McCarthy, PhD candidate, and Julianne Feola, PhD candidate
As part of his visit to the University of Rochester on April 15th, 2016, Dr. Lawrence Tabak’s only request was that he would get to meet with students and post-docs to have a discussion about the ethical issues surrounding biomedical research. As the Deputy Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), he particularly enjoys hearing the perspective of trainees in the field. He was granted his wish with an hour-long Q&A session prior to his talk, “The Reproducibility of Biomedical Research.” His Q&A session and talk were both well attended by scientists at all stages. According to Dr. Tabak, current issues of biomedical research have been garnering widespread interest among the scientific community as well as the general population.