Office of Fellowship Training

Before You Arrive

Boston Children's Hospital is dedicated to training the next generation of leaders in pediatric medicine and biomedical research. The Office of Fellowship Training provides programs for both Clinical and Research Fellows. Clinical Fellowship is most often done post residency, by application to specific departments and divisions. Research Fellow candidates most typically apply directly to a laboratory of interest, by contacting the Principal Investigator directing that laboratory. The most effective route is to identify PI's whose research you're interested in and preferably, you have already done some research or otherwise established a strong interest in his or her broad area. You can identify PI's at conferences or through publications, which can be found on MedLine or in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

It's best to contact the PI directly through e-mail or telephone and submit your curriculum vitae (CV). In a follow-up e-mail or phone call, try to set up an interview with the PI. It's highly recommended to contact more than one PI when job-seeking, in order to broaden your options. You should contact the PI a minimum of 6-12 months before you expect to start a new position, in order to allow time for paperwork and immigration documents to be processed. Indeed, many faculty members arrange postdoctoral positions more than a year in advance. So, if you are in the last year or two of graduate school, or expecting to need a new position within the next year, it's not too early to start looking for your next position.

Showing yourself as organized with a strong sense of initiative will go a long way in convincing a PI to train you in a field that is new to you. Finally, check back with the web site periodically, as we will update it with available slots about which PI's notify us.

Planning a Successful Fellowship, September 20, 2005 powerpoint presentation by Jordan Kreidberg, MD, PhD, Director, Office of Fellowship Training, Boston Children's Hospital

Publishing the Write Stuff: Abstracts and Manuscripts, March 22, 2006 powerpoint presentation by Jordan Kreidberg, MD, PhD, Director, Office of Fellowship Training, Boston Children's Hospital

At the Helm: Leadership Training for Fellows Thinking About or Beginning to Start Their Own Labs, May 18, 2006 powerpoint presentation by Joanne Ingwall, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Co-Director of the Research Career Development Committee, and Vice-Chair for Faculty Development, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Public Speaking in Science - part 1 of 2 notes from June 5, 2006 seminar - Rebekah Maggor, Research Fellow, Harvard Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

Public Speaking in Science - part 2 of 2 notes from June 5, 2006 seminar - Virginia Maurer, Associate Director, Harvard Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

Publicizing Your Research - notes from June 7, 2006 seminar - Nancy Fliesler, Senior Science Writer and John Brownstein, PhD, CHIP, Boston Children's Hospital

Mentoring - notes from December 6, 2006 discussion with Peter Hauschka, PhD, Associate Professor, Developmental Biology (HSDM) and Orthopaedic Surgery (HMS), Boston Children's Hospital

Preparing for a Basic Science Job Search, February 26, 2007 outline of presentation by Jordan Kreidberg, MD, PhD, Director, Office of Fellowship Training, Boston Children's Hospital

Resources related to the "Basic Science Job Interviewing" seminar on November 28, 2007 , led by Jordan Kreidberg, MD, PhD, Director, Office of Fellowship Training, Boston Children's Hospital:

HOW TO PREPARE FOR AN INTERVIEW
from ScienceCareers.org:
How to Prepare for an Interview: "how to" guide

GENERAL JOB SEARCH
ScienceCareers.org has a weekly publication, sciencemag, from the journal Science:
sciencemag weekly publication

They have a very good Career Basics Booklet:
Career Basics Booklet

BEYOND BIAS AND BARRIERS
This book is academic in format and content:
FULFILLING AND POTENTIAL OF WOMEN IN ACADEMIC SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Committee on Maximizing the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering
Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING, AND INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Beyond Bias and Barriers

List of clinical departments and divisions at Children's

Faculty on Children's Hospital Research Web site

Job Search Literature Search for Postdocs, from Alison Clapp, Children's Hospital Library

Printing a Large Poster at Children's
Kevin Raskow in Multi-Media Services (Fegan subbasement), Kevin Raskow, is one resource for printing posters at Children's.

If you would like a more expensive ($50-150), higher quality option, you can go to Research Computing on the 1st floor of Enders. Ryan Callahan, Enders 143 or 151, Ryan Callahan. Here's the link to their web site on printing posters . Turnaround time is 2-3 days.

A no-cost, lower-quality (paper) option is on the 1st floor of the HIM Building, behind the security guard's desk. There are photocopiers in the room. Bring your poster on a CD (older technology, so "sticks" don't work) and bring glossy paper if you'd like to load it. Otherwise, regular stock paper is provided. "Do it yourself."

Kinko's is one more option, 24 hours turnaround. The cost is around $100, but you should check with the closest Kinko's to be sure.

Finally, one of the poster presenters tells me that they have had great success using another source for printing their posters that has (so far) been easy and affordable: phd posters

The posters are submitted as a pdf online and then are available for pick up at noon the next day across the street at:
Harvard Medical Center Coop
333 Longwood Ave
Brookline, MA 02446
Main tel.: (617) 499-3300