Resources for New Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Quick Links
The School of Medicine offers a wide range of training resources to support postdoctoral research fellows.
Information for New SOM Postdocs
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs hosts an information session for new postdocs every other month together with the JHPDA. Access slides from the March 31st session using your JHED ID. See JHM YouTube video featuring Dr. Roy Ziegelstein, Vice Dean for Education, discussing the role of school of medicine research postdocs.
Additional Resources
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All new postdoctoral fellows are required to complete IDPs with their mentor within the first year of their fellowships and update these plans annually. Learn More About IDPs.
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For information about the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training requirements for postdoctoral research fellows, visit our new RCR Resources page.
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Postdoctoral research fellows are eligible to take a limited amount courses throughout Johns Hopkins University. Rules and policies will depend upon the specific school/division that offers the course. View the Postdoctoral Fellow Course Registration Procedures.
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A resource from the National Postdoctoral Association to help postdocs understand what milestones to aim for during their postdoctoral fellowship. Read more about the timeline.
Resources for International Postdocs
Office of International Services
International trainees are served by the Office of International Services (OIS). They offer help with immigration, visa status, and legal matters. The can also offer resources for adjusting to life in the U.S. Visit the OIS Website.
Professional Development Resources for International Trainees
The Professional Development & Career Office website lists options for training in communications, grant writing, and preparing for careers after the postdoc. Learn more here.
JHU Holiday Educational Resource Reference
An educational resource guide to observed JHU holidays can be found here.
Research Training Resources
Individual Development Plans (IDPs)
All JHU postdoctoral fellows are required to have an IDP and to meet annually with their mentor to discuss IDP goals. In 2022, the School of Medicine implemented an online IDP tracking system for postdocs and their faculty PIs to use to sign and submit verification of IDP compliance with JHU requirements. Postdocs are automatically notified of their IDP submission due date each year. Once postdocs have met with their PI/mentors, they complete an online IDP checklist that both the postdoc and their PI/mentors sign and submit online. For questions, please contact our office ([email protected]). To learn more about the IDP requirement, including due dates and resources to customize your IDP meeting, visit our IDP page.
Grant Writing
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs co-hosts an advance K-Grant Award Writing Workshop with PDCO three times throughout the year. These events will be posted on our homepage as they become available. An overview of the K-Grant writing workshop can be found here.
Statistics Consulting
JHU offers several resources for postdoctoral research fellows to access for statistics consulting. Read about the different options available.
National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity
JHU is an institutional member of NCFDD, which grants you access to their resources at no cost. Sign up here. Please note that you must format your email address as @jhu.edu (rather than @jhmi.edu) when you sign up. Find more information about what they offer for postdocs.
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training
All postdoctoral fellows who engage in research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are required to complete RCR training. NIH requires a minimum of 8 hours of RCR training to be completed every 4 years. RCR requirements can be fulfilled through a combination of online training, didactic sessions, and panel discussions to meet federal guidelines. To learn more, visit Responsible Conduct of Research Program page from the Office of Policy Coordination.
Topics covered by the RCR program include: Research Misconduct, Data Acquisition and Management, Human Subjects Protections, Animal Welfare, Mentoring, Authorship, Conflicts of Interest, Collaborative Research, Peer Review, and Scientist as a Responsible Member of Society.
The three components of the RCR training program are:
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You can access this course through the myLearning JHU portal. This course has 7 sections, and completion of all sections is required.
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A series of JHU SOM faculty discussions about perspectives on their approach to and conduction of research with integrity. This series covers a broad spectrum of RCR topics and are held throughout the academic year. Note: Seven REWards workshops can be substituted for research integrity colloquia. For equivalency questions, see the Office of Policy Coordination FAQ.
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One department or division meeting per year should be dedicated to a discussion of RCR topics. Visit the Division of Research Integrity's intranet site for information on fulfilling this requirement. You can also earn RCR credit by attending the following JH Data Services workshops: 'Best Practices for Data Management and Sharing' and/or 'Introduction to Reproducible Research' and/or 'Protecting Human Subjects Data.' See below for Spring 2022 list of JH Data Services courses that SOM postdocs can take for RCR credit. For more information and to register, please contact JHU Data Services: [email protected]
JH Data Services Courses for RCR Credit
JH Data Services occasionally schedule courses postdoctoral fellows can take for RCR credit. When courses are available the information will be available here.
For more information and registration, please contact JH Data Services. For more information about School of Medicine RCR training requirements visit the RCR Program website.
Requirements for Grant Submissions
- If you are thinking about applying for a grant, you can find information on RCR requirements here for NIH Training Grants (including F and K). Find additional information about K awards (under "Additional Review Considerations").
- NIH has extended flexibility for in-person RCR training due to COVID.
- Read about the Rigor and Reproducibility training resources from the NIH.
Professional and Career Development Opportunities and Resources
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs co-hosts a number of research training events with the PDCO including an advanced K-Grant writing workshop. More information can be found here.
The PDCO offers a number of professional development and career opportunities for JHU postdocs, including career support services, the Academic Job Search Toolkit, and the Leadership Development Toolkit.
Check out the Teaching Academy Training Resources page, which serves as a hub for past recorded workshops, courses, trainings and more!
Career Counseling
Postdoctoral fellows can make appointments for individual career counseling (matters relating to career exploration, job searches and applications, resumes, CVs, and cover letters, etc.) either by booking appointments with the PDCO through their online career services platform Handshake. Other inquiries about fellowship-specific advising not related to career counseling should be directed to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
Parking and Transportation
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You can purchase the MTA College Pass through the MTA CharmPass Mobile App on your smart phone. Instructions for downloading the CharmPass to create/set-up your individual account can be found here, as well as watch a short "How To" video here.
Please note you will be required to use your JHU School of Medicine email address when registering. Once you have registered your account, please contact the SOM Business Office at [email protected] to confirm registration and activate your account. If you have questions, contact the SOM Business Office.
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Johns Hopkins provides multiple shuttles for postdoctoral fellows to make commuting from around Baltimore easier. You can find information about shuttles, the TransLoc app, and satellite parking by logging in with your JHED here.
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