Each summer before the start of the Fall semester, I try to find time to reflect on the previous year, the highs and lows, and the ways in which I’ve engaged (effectively or not) with students and faculty. Most of my top 10 CliftonStrengths fall squarely within Strategic Thinking, so naturally, I also make time to plan and prepare for OBGE’s new projects for the incoming academic year.
But first…OBGE and the 17 PhD programs welcomed our latest 1st year cohort in August, beginning with BIOTRAIN 750 (Orientation and Intro to RCR) on August 21st. The updated OBGE Orientation introduced a diverse and engaged group of ~120 students to expectations in graduate school as well as many resources in OBGE, IDEALS, TGS, and elsewhere at Duke that support student training throughout the PhD. OBGE Orientation also included a new Faculty Poster Session over lunch, the goal of which was for the students to gain a broader perspective of the research landscape in the SOM PhD programs. About 40 faculty volunteered to present lab posters over lunch and were among the first to engage with our vibrant 1st year cohort. Student feedback on the poster session was especially positive. OBGE thanks the faculty who participated in this year’s inaugural event, and we look forward to even greater faculty presence next year.
(BIOTRAIN 750 Orientation Faculty Poster Session 2023)
Hopefully, you have been reading the newsletter each month to learn about student thesis defenses and graduation accomplishments, but I also want to recognize a few of our students and faculty for research awards or engagement in professional development:
In July, OBGE, in partnership with the Chancellor’s Office and Dean’s Office, named 9 students as Chancellor’s International Scholars who will receive full financial support (stipend, tuition, fees) during their 2nd year of PhD training in AY23-24. We are delighted that our student body is strengthened by international students, including these awardees. Read more about our new Chancellor’s International Scholars here.
OBGE also welcomes this year’s Chancellor’s Domestics Scholars: January Cornelius (Population Health Sciences), Karina Cuevas Mora (Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program), Lisbeth Disla (Molecular Genetics and Microbiology), Joey Ragusa (Pathology), and Jo-Yann Tremolet de Villers (Biochemistry). These 1styear students were selected for these awards because they exemplify diverse backgrounds and experiences that enrich our Duke community.
The 1styear cohort is currently taking BIOTRAIN 701 in which they are discussing case studies to prepare them to successfully navigate various professionalism topics in biomedical science. The discussions are being held in small Gateway Groups led by faculty and peer mentors. We are grateful to Maria Ciofani, Tony Filiano, Asiya Gusa, Brook Heaton, Saskia Hemmers, Goldis Malek, Ashley Moseman, Jatin Roper, Laurie Sanders, and David Tobin for supporting the students as 2023 Gateway Group faculty mentors.
OBGE has several new initiatives that will be implemented during this academic year, and you will hear more about them in subsequent newsletters. I will mention two here: improved course evaluations and experiential learning.
Some of you may be aware that Duke is using a new course evaluation system called Watermark. One goal is to bring consistency and transparency to course evaluations and teaching assessments to enhance the standard in teaching and learning across the institution. An added benefit is that evaluations will be housed centrally, giving programs access to feedback on past courses and making it easier for faculty access their own course evaluations for tenure and promotions dossiers.
OBGE has streamlined the process for SOM PhD programs’ courses through the efforts of Dr. Kate Zhang, Program Assessment Manager. Kate will work with DGSes and course directors to prepare them for evaluations each semester and send reminders to students to complete the evaluations.
At the end of each semester, Kate will provide faculty, department chairs, and programs with data on evaluation outcomes and recognition of faculty and courses that are highly rated. Students, please take a few moments in each of your classes – yes, even short courses like CMB and UPGG modules and BIOTRAIN minicourses – to complete the evaluations. Your feedback is valuable for improving class instruction and learning outcomes.
A second initiative is the new minicourse BIOTRAIN 898 (Gateway to Experiential Learning and Internship). Originally piloted in Spring 2023, BIOTRAIN 898 is intended to familiarize students with the concept of internships and partner with their mentors to incorporate them into their PhD training and professional development. The course will run every semester; for Fall BIOTRAIN 898 will be held from October 19th – November 30th.
Finally, I want to welcome a new member of the OBGE team. Brook Heaton, a Research Assistant Professor in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, is an infectious disease research who studies influenza and other viruses and has expertise in host-pathogen biology. Brook is partnering with OBGE part-time to expand our experiential learning and internship resources and to participate in BIOTRAIN 898. You will hear more about internship resources from Brook in November’s newsletter.
I wish all of you a productive academic year. Don’t forget OBGE is here to support trainee scientific development, wellness, and career preparedness. Check your email inbox weekly for O2 programming announcements, and don’t hesitate to reach out to OBGE if you have questions or suggestions.