Research | Office of Faculty Development

Dr.  Nicole Ullrich, MD, PhD, MMSci, FAAN, is the Director of the Office of Faculty Development.  In a memo to the BCH medical staff, Drs. Peter Laussen, Executive Vice President, Health Affairs and Wendy Chung, Chief, Department of Pediatrics, underscored Dr. Ullrich’s experience and commitment to faculty development goals:

“Dr. Ullrich will be Director of the OFD, leading our mission to support the career development, satisfaction and well-being of Boston Children’s faculty. She will work closely with Health Affairs, Medical Professional Services, the Department of Education, the Chief Scientific Officer, and all Chiefs of departments to empower our faculty, enhance programming and resources, strengthen our dedication to fostering careers of early-stage faculty, and increase leadership opportunities for women and faculty underrepresented in medicine.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Ullrich has served as Director of NeuroOncology at Boston Children's, and Director of Neurologic NeuroOncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. During this time, she’s demonstrated a tireless dedication to teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, clinical and research fellows as well as her own peers. Her service in leadership roles on the Harvard Medical School (HMS) Joint Committee on the Status of Women, representing a voice for change through advocacy, action, education, networking, and visibility, will serve her well in leading both the OFD and the Office for Women’s Careers.”

One of the top priorities this past year at Boston Children's Hospital was to bring to the forefront the issue of professional equity. On September 12, 2023, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, the Office of Faculty Development, the Office for Women's Careers, the Office of Health Equity and Inclusion, the Division of Emergency Medicine, the Boston Children's Book Club, and the Network Community of Care Program hosted a panel discussion of Kate Zernike’s book "Making History: The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science". Panelists included: Kate Zernike, National Correspondent for New York Times; Marcia McNutt, President, National Academy of Sciences; Robert Birgeneau, Chancellor Emeritus, UC Berkeley; Nancy Andrews, Executive VP, Chief Scientific Officer at BCH and Home Secretary, National Academy of Sciences. The panel was moderated by Eman Ansari, Division of Emergency Medicine, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, HMS.

The Office of Faculty Development’s Mentoring Guidebooks, Guidelines for Junior Faculty, and Guidelines for Mentors have been updated for 2023-24 and are now available with other materials on our Community of Mentors webpage and below.

• Successful Mentoring for Early Career Faculty: 2023-24
• Strategies for Mentors: 2023-24
• Developmental networks
  • Developmental Networks PowerPoint
  • Developmental Networks Exercise
  • Overview of Faculty Development resources

The OFD is recognized nationally and internationally for contributions to faculty development, career resources, promotion, work life balance, and funded research fellowships.

Funded in 2001 by Boston Children’s Hospital, the OFD summarized the critical components of a hospital-based office in the February 2008 Pediatrics article (first author, S. Jean Emans, MD): Creating a Faculty Development Office in an Academic Pediatric Hospital: Challenges and Successes.

The Office of Faculty Development received the 2017 Program Award for a Culture of Excellence in Mentoring (PACEM) from the HMS Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership.

The PACEM was established to recognize efforts to foster innovation and sustainability in mentoring. The OFD was recognized for its Developmental Networks initiative, based on the work of Kathy Kram, PhD (Boston University Questrom School of Business). For more information on Developmental Networks, visit the Community of Mentors page.

Dr. Emans has been recognized by HMS with two awards: the 2009 William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award and the 2020 Diversity Lifetime Achievement Award.

Please note that we now have a Dropbox with orientation resources that you can download and print. Items include mentoring booklets (both for mentors and for junior faculty), an overview of Faculty Development Resources booklet, and other informational items.

• HMS CV template
• Alternative template
• HMS CV instructions
• Information on Areas of Excellence

Read the new guidance from the HMS Office of Faculty Affairs related to cancellations due to COVID-19.

Our schedule is in development; please check for updates.

Information on special sessions “ChatGPT and Medicine"

To register for any event, please email ofd@childrens.harvard.edu.

Strategies for Applying for BCH Research Grants

Tuesday, January 30th, 9-10 AM
Zoom

Speakers: Judy Fleming, PhD, Ellen Grant, MD, Carla Kim, PhD

Moderated by Nicole Ullrich, MD, PhD

This workshop is designed to clarify the process for applying for BCH grants and other small grants available to junior faculty including fellows who will be promoted to HMS Instructor as of 7/1/24.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

Zoom
Password: 701621

Creating a Livable Yoga Practice

Tuesday, January 30th, 12-1 PM
Zoom

Led by Emily Jean Davidson, MD, MPH, RYT

Would you like to enhance your life with a yoga practice but not sure how to integrate it into your daily schedule, already filled with childcare and numerous work and family responsibilities? Join Dr. Davidson and other members of the BCH community to receive practical tips on creating a sustainable yoga practice. Dr. Davidson will outline how she became involved in practicing and teaching yoga and suggest ways to start your own routines.

• Tips on how to incorporate a yoga practice into a busy daily life (as a young professional, young parent, and at older ages) and as a means of stress relief
• Some “office” yoga poses will be demonstrated
• How to create a family yoga practice

Zoom
Password: 857650

Writing for Scientific Publication

Tuesday, February 13th, 12-1 PM
TBA, Zoom/location

Speaker: Lydia Shrier, MD, MPH

This seminar will cover the steps to successful publication and provide tips in overcoming problems, such as how to get started, criteria for authorship, writer's block, style choices, as well as ethical issues. The primary focus will be on authorship of clinical research papers although the principles are also applicable for basic science papers.

Negotiating Across Power Differentials

Tuesday, March 12, 12 - 1 PM
Zoom

Speaker: Jenn Mahony, BCH Ombuds

When we think of power, we often rely the power of position.  But there are many different bases of power that can support effective collaboration and influence.  Join us for this interactive workshop on power differentials in the workplace and how to influence others effectively.

Workshop learning objectives:

• Understand the different bases of power
• Discover effective tools for managing power differentials in collaboration
• Discuss what we mean when we say “managing up”
• Learn skills to help you best identity and deploy your own power of influence

Co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

Zoom
Meeting ID: 970 2412 4815
Password: 578943

Getting Your Clinical Research Funded Workshop

Tuesday, March 19, 12-1 PM
Karp 5 Conference Room

Speakers: Lise Nigrovic, MD, MPH; Greg Sawicki, MD, MPH

This workshop is designed to present strategies, tips, and practical guidance for fellows and junior faculty to obtain funding for clinical research. Upon completion of this activity, participants will have tools to prepare a clinical research grant.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development and the Office of Fellowship Training.

Finding Funding Opportunities

Tuesday, March 26, 12–1 PM
Zoom

Speakers: Theresa Applegate, MPA, Senior Director, Office of Sponsored Programs; Lu-Ann Pozzi, PhD, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs Administrative Director

This workshop will provide participants with information on finding grant opportunities that match their research needs. Topics include: the types of funding opportunities available to BCH early-career faculty and fellows, institutional resources, how to conduct web searches and review application guidelines, and how to create an application.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

Registration
Zoom
Password: 209446

Women in Science Symposium: Empowering Women in Science: Breaking Barriers and Achieving Excellence

Tuesday, April 9, 9 AM - 12:30 PM
In-person at the Armenise Amphitheater and on Zoom

Speakers: Sara Bleich, PhD; Sharon Inouye, MD, MPH; Galit Lahav, PhD; Annapurna Poduri, MD, MPH; Markella Zanni, MD

Registration and details

Faculty Peer Support Group 

Thursday, April 11, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Zoom

Hosts: Marisa Brett-Fleegler, MD; Sara Forman, MD; Maxine Milstein, MBA.

The BCH faculty peer support group meetings offer a safe, comfortable environment to discuss challenges and solutions in areas of career, family and personal development. Participants are a mix of various specialties, different career stages, and differing career focus. This meeting will provide an opportunity to share how we are all doing and to brainstorm how BCH can support faculty.

Zoom
Passcode: 366310
Registration

How to Write a Specific Aims Page

Friday, April 26, 12 – 1 PM
Karp 8 Conference Room, lunch provided

Speaker: Peter Nigrovic, MD, Chief, Division of Immunology, Professor of Pediatrics, HMS

The specific aims page is the single most important page in any grant, conveying not just the urgency and rigor of the proposed science but also the suitability of the investigator and the availability of key resources. Here we will discuss how to write a compelling aims page and how to use this document as a tool to optimize the grant as a whole, including for review by others.

To create an interactive session, we invite participants to submit an aims page for discussion at the event – please send directly to peter.nigrovic@childrens.harvard.edu. This is optional and not necessary for participation. These may be distributed in advance to participants who pre-register via the form below.

Registration
*Note that seating is limited.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

Drawing Figures for Journals

Tuesday, May 7, 12–1 PM
TBA, Zoom

Speaker: Beth Beighlie, HMS IT

Efficiency & reliability: easily prepare figures for scientific journals with familiar tools & a foolproof workflow that eliminates any chance of rejection for guideline violations.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development and the Office of Fellowship Training.

HERC provides a free job-seeking database for faculty, staff, and medical positions from a consortium of New England educational and medical institutions. It is a family-friendly tool as dual-career couples may enter their profiles to find matching positions, conduct searches on relocation resources, and explore schools for children. For further information, visit HERC’s website.